In seeking to deliver the hefty tax cut he promised his supporters, President Bush has become overly zealous, unwisely stripping funds from programs that he shouldn't be tampering with.

He plans to slash $1.3 billion from the federal housing budget. His main target is the Public Housing Drug Elimination Program, which he wants to completely cut from the budget.

Bush's plan would take away money from security measures in public housing projects, which would do nothing to deter the crime that plagues such housing areas. In fact, critics argue, taking away money from them is likely to lead to higher crime rates.

His argument to eliminate the program is that it isn't having enough of an impact.

A statement issued by the White House said, "Regulatory tools such as eviction are far more effective at reducing drug activity in public housing."

Evicting drug users from public housing will do little to help the problem. Rather than treating and rehabilitating addicts, Bush's proposal would throw them onto the streets, creating more homelessness in urban areas. In his rush to cut taxes, Bush ignores our society's need for programs to help drug addicts and fails to recognize the need for security measures and prevention efforts in public housing projects.

Instead, he proposes that the federal government save tax money by charging faith-based organizations with the responsibility of improving the quality of life in public housing. The deputy chief of staff of the Department of Housing and Urban Development said that HUD "is going to be one of the lead agencies in the faith-based efforts."

Yes, religious organizations can and do help the poor. But even poor people have the right to separation of church and state, Mr. Bush. The government must provide help to addicts and support to low-income communities even if these individuals are not religious. And the government can't expect faith-based organizations to police poor communities.