Chron on inaugurations: raise taxes, spending

There's an old joke among conservatives: Q: What will be the New York Times' last headline? A: "World Ends; Women and Minorities Hit Hardest"

In a similar vein, the editors of the Chronicle feel the need to slam the Bush administration and call for higher taxes and entitlement spending, even when the topic is presidential inaugurations:

The president's inaugural committee has raised about $40 million, but might not spend it all on parties. Good. A couple of million dollars saved would buy a lot of body armor for our ill-equipped troops in Iraq. It would fully revive a village or two destroyed by the tsunamis that swamped South Asian coasts. Some Texans have given $250,000 each to underwrite inaugural events, leaving the suggestion that the income tax rate for the top bracket is not extortionately high. The generous donations for party underwriting also indicated that there is plenty of money around for disaster relief and other charitable endeavors. A company that makes student loans also gave $250,000. That figure could provide many scholarships, but the company probably felt it needed to say thanks to the government for reducing the amount of federal grants, increasing the need for student loans.

Expect to see the following house editorials in the coming months:

Rockets' loss illustrates need for 72% tax bracket

County should redevelop Astrodome into free housing

Editors urge Rice to ax Baker Institute, pick up Hillary