Posts Tagged ‘Government debt’

Obama Cuts $100 Million From Budget

Politics | Posted by C.C.Mitchell
Apr 20 2009
Obamanomics

Obamanomics

Today President Obama asked his Cabinet members to trim some fat off the pudgy budget passed a few short weeks ago. Perhaps he is having a change of heart about his stifling tax and spend tactic. Not so fast! The President asked officials to cut $100 million from the budget. This is like a cruel joke on tax payers.

At first I thought maybe President Obama heard the rallying cries of Tea Partiers across the nation last week, and decided to appease them the way he does all of our international opponents with a spending cut. Upon reading further into the request it became obvious that this was not the case. He was busy listening to leaders of foreign countries and apologizing for America being America; but he didn’t listen to his own people and apologize for wasting tax payers’ money.

The Planned Budget Cuts

FoxNews Provided a list of budget cuts that Obama claims will lead to fiscal responsibility:

  • The Veterans Affairs department has canceled or delayed 26 conferences, projected to save nearly $17.8 million. The department will be using less expensive alternatives as well, like video conferencing.
  • The Department of Agriculture is working to combine 1,500 employees from seven office locations into a single facility in 2011 — expected to save $62 million over a 15-year lease term.
  • The Department of Homeland Security estimates it can save up to $52 million over five years by purchasing office supplies in bulk. It also estimates it can save $3 million by ending consulting contracts to create new seals and logos.
  • Both the Department of Justice and State Department propose going paperless with specific programs. Doing so is projected to save $6.7 million on the Justice side over five years, and $1 million on the State side in the first year.
  • The Department of Education expects to save $2 million annually by reducing the number of computers provided to staff.

This is a half-hearted attempt at best, to make it look like he cares about saving the tax payers’ hard earned money. Whats more he gave his department heads 90 days to make a collective $100 million in budget cuts. He didn’t give GM 90 days to save billions and avoid bankruptcy.

The meager $100 million in budget cuts doesn’t even scratch the surface of what a real budget cut would look like.

House Minority Leader John Boehner

House Minority Leader John Boehner

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio pointed out that $100 million in cuts would amount to just 0.0025% of total federal spending for fiscal 2009, expected to reach $4 trillion. The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the federal government spends $100 million about every 13 minutes.

In short, cutting $100 million from a $4 trillion spending budget is like emptying removing one Tea spoon of water from an ocean.

As a tax payer I consider his budget cuts to be a huge slap in the face.

Mr. Obama campaigned last fall that he would bring change to Washington, what he didn’t say was that it would be pocket change.

It’s a Cracked World!

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Obamas’ Falling Poll Numbers are Only the Beginning

Politics | Posted by C.C.Mitchell
Mar 28 2009
President Obama

President Obama

It looks like President Obamas’ popularity is starting to falter. The more recent polls have not been kind to the president in light of the AIG scandal; The utter enormity of the stimulus plan and the deficit spending it will create for the long term; and the lack of non-partisan politics is taking its’ toll on the presidential poll. Lets not forget the moronic administrative nominees for  key positions that have blown up in his face.

The AIG scandal proved to be engineered by democrats in congress and approved by the president himself. It has become rather well known that Dr.O and his lieutenant lunatics knew of the bonuses all along and only displayed a pseudo-outrage after the public raged.

The massive overall size of the $787 billion spending package in stimulus clothing ensures that we will be paying for The Presidents’ mistakes for years to come. By the way so will your kids. This squashes his boasting of reducing the national debt; a major talking point during the 2008 election campaign.

Another major talking point to get stabbed in the heart was that of an end to partisan politics, despite the outcry from Republican members of Congress The President and the rest of the democrats simply ran them over with spending bills and domestic policies they raged against. This is the same partisan politics that he promised to put an end to. In fact he insisted that his latest endeavour, Cap and Trade be pushed through the senate immediately without debate. Sorry but your only the president not a King, Congress does not take orders from you Mr. Obama. There is no compromise in this presidency that I can see.

The Wall Street Journal covered this well:

Candidate Obama vowed to end “the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics.” Yet his administration geared up MoveOn.org to lead a left-wing coalition to pressure Republicans and centrist Democrats, organized a daily conference call to coordinate liberal attack dogs, and strategized with Americans United for Change on ads depicting the GOP as the party of “no.”

Rather than working with Republicans on the budget, the administration attacked them as mindless obstructionists. Yet the administration’s policies are not nearly as popular as one might suppose

All of these things effected public opion poll numbers negatively. President Obama is no longer enjoying the highest of polling data now that his intentions for the nation have come to light. The Obama Band-wagoners have come to their senses and passed on the latest picture of Kool-Aid. While still above 50% on numerous issues these statistics are falling fast.

Again from WSJ:

For example, the liberal Center for American Progress recently found that 61% of Americans say government spending is almost always wasteful and inefficient, and 57% think free market solutions are better than government at creating jobs and economic growth. A late February poll by NBC News/Wall Street Journal found that 61% were concerned “the federal government will spend too much money” and “drive up the budget deficit” versus 29% concerned the government “will spend too little.”

Mr. Obama’s job approval ratings, already just average for a new president. Last week’s Pew poll showed Mr. Obama’s approval at 59% with 26% disapproval, down from February’s 64% approval and 17% disapproval. His standing on the economy is also falling: Newsweek found in January that 71% were confident Mr. Obama would be able to turn around the economy, while 26% were not. By March, his ratings had fallen to 65% confident, 33% not.

Hmm IS he smarter than a 5th Grader?

The newest report from the CBO, The Congressional Budget Office, reports that the President will be adding $9.3 Trillion to the National Debt, doubling it in six years and tripling it in 10 years. The President calls this a transition from borrow and spend to save and invest. I don’t see it, neither does anyone that can do 5th

Deficit and Debt Increases 2001 - 2007

Deficit and Debt Increases 2001 - 2007

grade math.

By the year 2019, the national debt would reach 82.4% of GDP.  The president’s budget director Peter Orszag,  even admits that deficits and debts like these are “unsustainable.”

Now there is a new force of disapproval that reaches beyond mere poll numbers and other polling data. The Tax day Tea Party a new breed of protesters, signs and slogans against the high taxation that seems without representation. Since there is no voice on the right that matters, (no bipartisanship at all), to Mr.Obama Tea Partiers feel that they are not being adequatley represented. These parties are being organized in over 40 cities across the country. Hopefully these demonstrations will have as much impact on Mr. Obama as his poll numbers do.

If the falling polls don’t wake him up his job could get a whole lot tougher in 2010:

The dynamic he has set in motion could spur the emergence of strong competitors to Mr. Obama in 2012 who take a strong, principled stand against record-setting deficits, debt and taxes. It may also strengthen Republican chances in next year’s midterm elections.

Democrats should, for example, be troubled by a new National Public Radio poll showing Republicans tied or ahead in generic matchups for Congress. And while the midterms are 20 months off, Republican gubernatorial hopefuls in Virginia (Attorney General Bob McDonnell) and New Jersey (former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie) are ahead in two states Barack Obama carried last year that vote this fall.

Obama Points Back to the GOP’s Future

Polls aside, this could very well play in to the hands of The Republicans. Even in a Cracked World I see light at the end of the tunnel. Lets hope it’s not the front of a freight train.

For more information about the Tax Day Tea Party read TheBoboFiles

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