W.H. on Budget: $3.55 Trillion…With $17 Billion in Cuts

“[T]he president has made clear that fiscal discipline is another pillar of the economic foundation that we want to build.”
The only sane response is simply to laugh out loud.

Obama’s required reduction in federal spending is like asking someone to only spend 99.98 instead of 100.

This administration is downright embarassing! We got what we paid for.

I am only seeing $244mil in cuts cited. Where is the $17bil cut coming from? I am sure this transparent presidency (barf) will let us know.

” I’m glad I ‘paid’ for Obama…”
You haven’t begun to pay yet. Soon you will start, and you will pay for this for the rest of your life. And so will your children. Ask the CBO.

Elise:
“To those of you who are whining about it. I believe the GOP had a suggested budget…but it didn’t have any numbers in it!”
That’s damning with faint praise.

The only sane response is simply to laugh out loud.
You wanted transparency, you got it. It’s going to cost us over 3 Trillion dollars to avoid a great depression. At least we know where we stand. Obama didn’t hide the #’s assuming the ppl couldn’t handle the truth. Agree or disagree, we all knew this was coming, if you paid attention noone should be surprised.

“You haven’t begun to pay yet. Soon you will start, and you will pay for this for the rest of your life. And so will your children. Ask the CBO.”
Take this into consideration. When we get out of this current crisis we’re in now Obama proactively tackles the other huge problems of the future. HCare-costs are getting out of control and will soon bankrupt the country. Edu-if americans aren’t smart enough to compete in the global job market we’ll fall behind China. Energy-if we don’t stop polluting and get off foreign oil the planet will suffer and we’ll become wards of Saudi Arabia.

We are so screwed by this bozo

“These numbers are a joke, right? The boy is going to spend the Country broke.”
If some of you would rather live through a depression, by all means, move to Iceland. I hear they got a nice one happening this year. Their banks have failed and ppl are rioting in the streets. Fun times…
Some of you don’t know how bad it could be right now if all our banks failed like in some other countries. Believe it or not we’re actually pretty lucky our gov’t acted quick and is holding our economy up right now. Some banks aren’t making it any easier paying all these dam bonuses. Sometimes I feel like letting them fail too when I hear crap like that.

I say that all the pork of the republican congress people and senators gets saved.
Since they do not want to spend money, we should save their share.
Lets only use money for democratic issues.
Let’s leave all republican money matters out of the table.
There is nothing more detestable than Hypocrisy…and republicans are all hypocritical.

“There is nothing more detestable than Hypocrisy…and republicans are all hypocritical.”
At least with this budget there’s an accurate accounting of where all of it is going. So much of the billions of Bush Era spending was “off the books” and covered up to be sucked down the black hole in Iraq, going to Haliburton, BlackWater and to prop up corrupt AfPac gov’ts (10 billion in total) only to find they were lying to us about how it was being spent the whole time. Obama ain’t giving them a cent without major conditions and benchmarks.

And they said this with a straight face, right?
“On Thursday, the White House will unveil it’s budget for fiscal year 2010, and the White House says it will be a strong example of fiscal discipline.”

I don’t think that people realize by 2019 Obama’s ball buster govt. will have us spending 80% of GDP.

It is pathetic! Hope the bills doesn’t pass. He doesn’t know what he is doing.

Since when is $3.55 trillion showing fiscal discipline? And when you cut a fellowship that has consistently paid out $200,000, you only save $200,000, NOT the million that was budgeted.

“Mr. Obama’s budget cuts defense spending. The next day Lockheed announces it’s laying off 30,000 workers and canceling construction of our fighter jets and cargo planes.”
Listen to what you are saying. Why should he keep the gov’t funding wasteful programs simply to keep ppl employed?? Makes no sense.
“Since when is $3.55 trillion showing fiscal discipline?”
PPL were cheering the ideas this budget does during the campaign and now wanna critize when they see the pricetag. Healthcare reform, Education reform, fighting 2 wars, getting a country as big as ours off foreign oil…you think this stuff comes cheap??
Some always want to critize gov’t too much spending and then on the other hand question when it starts to close schools or lays off firemen and cops en masse. You can’t have it both ways, if you want gov’t programs you’re gonna have to pay for it.

This administration has no shame on
what kind of stuff they can peddle and
get everyone on board on believing it.
If they were at all serious about waste,
Obama would have vetoed those earmarks
and he did not. I don’t listen to the
conservative talking heads, as I can
think and see for myself. Obama is
leading this country down a bad path
and at our detriment. Its all about
image with this cast of characters but
I am looking for substance.

“INstead, he simply changes the sales pitch, absurdly insisting that every proposal is somehow related to the financial crisis and is part of the solution. ‘taint so, and repetition of that nonsense does not magically make it so.”
You don’t have to believe Obama on anything he says. Do your own homework. This info is all public knowledge. Check to see how much the Fed Gov’t spend in health care costs every year or how many ppl go bankrupt because of rising HC insurance premiums. Look at how our kids are scoring in math and science or the dropout rates compared to say China or India. Find out how much money we shell out in one year to dictator countries because of our addiction to foreign oil. The numbers you will see may surprise you. The proof is in the pudding if we continue business as usual in this country.
You say he need to cut back on his plans like every other administration has done for decades when our economy was much healthier, which is why all these long broken systems cost so much and are so complicated to fix now. Imagine how much it will be to fix if we wait another decade or 2.

Since when is an exploding Federal budget a “foundation for growth”, except growth in Federal spending and more federal controls?
17 billion in so-called “cuts” IS Insignificant.
Obama follows the practice of telling Huge lies rather than little ones.

I’m sure Obama can find more than $17 billion in cuts from a $3.55 trillion budget. There’s lots of waste in the Pentagon budget. We’re slowly withdrawing from Iraq. That ought to save significant money. I heard last night that there is $60 billion in Medicare fraud a year. Health and Human Services needs to quickly ramp up hundreds of fraud investigators to check out each and every new claim. Verification has to be mandatory before any claim of significance is paid.

The Obama era is going to be recorded in history as the time America disappeared as a world leader in commerce, industry, invention, education, and freedom.
We will soon all be living in “economic bondage” to the federal government. The pitt-bull IRS will be the strong arm of government. Soon we will start seeing signs of a new “civilian honor brigade” being formed (Hitler called them the Brown Shirts) to help our government dominate and control our society. Don’t laugh, it’s just around the corner.

“And just to emphasize the point, the $17 billion amounts to 0.85% of 2009’s DEFICIT, and only 1.7% OF THE LOWEST DEFICIT projected by the Obama administration in any of the next ten years.
Let’s hear it for leaner, more efficient government!”
Like you said, they got alot of work to do in that White House to cut some of the fat out of this gov’t. But let’s get real. Cutting alone won’t make a dent when you’re talking about trillions of bucks. As a country and a economy we’re going to have to grow our way out of this deficit by retooling the fundamentals. Having a strong, healthy, well-educated middle class that’s willing to innovate and take risks on things like starting small businesses so we can lead the world in the technologies of the future.
But with this budget, at least we have a clear picture of where we stand.
Let’s hear it for transparency in our gov’t!

Listen to what you are saying. Why should he keep the gov’t funding wasteful programs simply to keep ppl employed?? Makes no sense.
“Since when is $3.55 trillion showing fiscal discipline?”
PPL were cheering the ideas this budget does during the campaign and now wanna critize when they see the pricetag. Healthcare reform, Education reform, fighting 2 wars, getting a country as big as ours off foreign oil…you think this stuff comes cheap??
Some always want to critize gov’t too much spending and then on the other hand question when it starts to close schools or lays off firemen and cops en masse. You can’t have it both ways, if you want gov’t programs you’re gonna have to pay for it.
Posted by: Joe G. | May 7, 2009 8:10:28 AM
Good Morning Joe G.
I have to come across your post. I think its the best post I have ever read since I been posting. I totally agree with your comments. I read a post a few weeks when Secretary Gates discussed the outline of axing the F-22. Gates stated publicly that F-22′s are obsolete and we already maintain 187 in stock, AND three more are in production. He stated those three will be last, now, the critics of Gates proposals stated the exact same thing…… Jobs will be lost, and national security will be jeopardiz. IN the midst of all their ranting and criticism, they failed to hear and read where Gates stated the Airforce no longer uses these planes and have not been in operation since the late 80s/90s. We are talking over 20 years. Gates also stated that DOD is seeking contracts for better and efficient weapons to fight todays conflicts………Did the critics even read that…………
With regard to Health care, we all know that medicare and medicade, and social security are the biggest and fraudelent programs in this country and its needs to be change….. Its true and you stated perfectly. Folks wish to complain and criticize cuts just to maintain jobs and in the same breath wish to have limited government. Yet, these people refuse to review their history and realize that Reagan, and Both Bush president increased the deficit by 4 trillion combine based on middle east conflict. This is no surprise that whenever a GOP is elected a conflict insues inthe middle east.
I personally that 3.55 trillion is necessary to fix the systemic problems. The critics typically state welll ohmmmm our grand kids will shoulder this debt…….where were these people when deficits were climb under the previous administrations. Its my belief that the current administration is doing the right thing and cutting here and there is a step in the right direction. I also young people are not concerned about deficits and will benefit greatly if we get a good energy plan, health care program, and job growth that does see millions of jobs outsourced.

Listen to what you are saying. Why should he keep the gov’t funding wasteful programs simply to keep ppl employed?? Makes no sense.”
Bzzzttt. Wrong answer. The answer was; “What is the Stimulus Package?”
bzzzzzz. Wrong answer to. Why did Paulson and Bush orchestrate a 750 billion bank bailout and why 80 billion is unaccounted for. Also, why didnt we see this coming.

I thought Obamas pledge was to stop programs that didn’t work. It seems after some pressure they have found a whopping 18 million to keep the dc voucher program in place until everyone graduates yet he will be eventually stopping a program that is proven to work… in order to throw more money at a system that doesn’t work.
If any of us could get our kids a superb private educationt with safer drug free surroundings,better test scores better prepared for college , and for 60 or 70 percent of what it cost in public schools would we do it? Most of us would say hell yes, yet our politians, Obama included, just can’t get over the notion that sometimes a different approach is needed?

“Why did Paulson and Bush orchestrate a 750 billion bank bailout and why 80 billion is unaccounted for. Also, why didnt we see this coming.”
Posted by: nubiangent08 | May 7, 2009 9:56:04 AM
$350 billion was left for Obama to spend, and Geithner has been very confused about how much money is left in TARP.

“I don’t care HOW much Money one throws at Education, it’s still up to the Individual whether or not they learn anything. Kids are practicing being Criminals & Takers more than practicing their ABC’s.(50% Drop out Rate)”
Simply throwing money at education, I agree, would be bad if that was what Obama was proposing. He has talked about reforming education which is a big difference. Some ideas would be to fund head start programs because various studies show this is when kids are most susceptable to learning. Add more after-school programs so our kids aren’t standing idle on street corners while their parents are at work “practicing being criminals”. Do away with the 2 month summer vacations in favor of more intermediate breaks during the school year so as not to disrupt learing as much. Incentivize good innovative teachers who make progress with their students and fire bad ones. Subsidize college tuition with low interest loans or grants so students aren’t coming out of college with a mortgage of debt before they even get a job. Here’s an idea…bring back personal finance and shop classes back to the school curriculum like they had when I was growing up so kids have some real life knowledge and understand the importance of balancing a checkbook.
These are things that over time would make a dramatic difference in the quality of our workforce in this country and would allow us to compete for the high paying, high skilled jobs of the future.
But guess what people. All the stuff I said will cost alot of money up front but may prove to be worth it in the long run if we want to have any chance of digging this country out of the ditch.

What will that look like, remember when Obama gave his administration 90 days to cut $100,000.00 from the budget?

Again, neo-cons only read and hear from SEAN, RUSH, NEWT, and Coulter. I read their comments and its as if they were repeating the same words these people say on radio and fixnews.
Independences, moderate liberals tend to hear and read both sides. We are not swayed by political pundits and an overweight, oxycotin abusing radio entertainment blow hard, who has never done anything but run his big mouth.
I really wish the GOP took Jack Kemp’s advice years ago and become more inclusive……… Now, they are stuck with middle people who are stuck in the past and cannot accept change. When your only idea is cut taxes, and speak of less government, while we have a litny of problems in costly programs from health scares, wars, terrorism both foreign and domestic, education problems, retirement, and now the economy. Yet, they still have not provided a single good idea to fix these problems. Whats even worse is that the GOP and certain liberals have been in office for 20+ years, and still have found any new ways to fix said problems. The only idea considered in 8 years for our domestic agenda is a Social Security trust fund that people suppose to invest their money— just imagine folks had we listen and accepted proposal most seniors would be in soup lines and on the streets. SMH!
The GOP didnt even want to increase minimum wage…….. lets see now most of their constituents live in red states with a minimum income of 35k a year and thats in a two person home, and most of these people do not have a college education…….see where I am going……. the followers of this party do not even read their own congressman’s voting record which lend to believe they just watch fixnews and rush and believe they are right. LOL

$17 billion out of
$3550 billion
Let’s have Dems ignore that and talk about a Republican party that is completely impotent right now.
Unbelievable. I think this might be more impressive if you posted a vid of Pelosi’s 2006 election night pledge to end deficit spending, or show any of the myriad of Obama campaign speeches (particularly the debate highlights) where he said he could pay for everything he wants by cuts. Not sure, but I think all his agenda has cost more than $17 billion.
stimulus
TARP
TARPII
stimulusII
socialized healthcare
biggest budget in the history of mankind
Did he get all that done w $17 billion in cuts like he promised?

3,550,000,000,000.00
May our children forgive us.
Your kids will thank Obama b/c they wont have to worry about high health care, high energy cost, environmental problems, and an inadequate educational system. Most notably, your children will be able to compete with children around the world, and most if not a lot of jobs will be plentiful here. Also, the fact there will be regulations in place to make sure that your childrens’ tax dollars arent bailout companies that are too big to fail……. and automakers who lack creativity and marketing savey.
3.5 trilion is a lot of money, but doing nothing is 3 times that.
Posted by: Big Number | May 7, 2009 10:06:09 AM

nubiangent0, I notice you sometimes play fast and loose with the facts, or at least shade to them make your point. Example– the F22 funding cuts. Don’t get me wrong, I’m comfortable with cutting those funds, BUT it is not a simple issue. You blithely state as fact that Sec. Gates declared the F22 obsolete. That is not the case. Yes, he said the numbers we have are sufficient. However, he also said in testimony on the Hill (as reported in Time magazine, hardly one of those supposedly right-slanted media outlets you slam regularly) that the F22 was an essential component of the military arsenal, particularly needed for “near-peer” adversaries (read China).
If you are going to complain about people not seeing all sides, you need to walk the walk yourself.

nubiangent08 You think corporations are just going to eat the cost of the Anointed one’s Cap and Trade energy plan? We know that throwing more money at the teachers’ union won’t improve public education in this country, so why keep pushing for it? Who do think will pay for socialized healthcare? You speak of the government like its a separate entity.

nubiangent08 Sure, because the political party that was created to end to slavery, delivered the votes that passed the Civil Rights Act, continues to fight for the unborn and their right to life, liberty and the pursuit, etc., etc. is the party of exclusion!
Great response. Its the partyof exclusion and why what happen. Reagan and Kemp fought for inclusion. I am a AA man 38 who adored Reagan and Kemp. I am also pro-life, but the Party since Bush 1 has changed…..its message hs forced millions of people to run to Democratic party whose mantra is to keep minorities and the middle class dependent on the government. If you tell people, have kids, you ll get government help that kills the American dream and creates more poverty. Therefore, I ask why cant the GOP tell people their history and tie it todays programs. It will work….. trust me.
! Congress has been controlled by your party since the midterms in 2006.
I am not a democrat. I said I am independent. Its my personally beliefe that the entire legislative body on both sides need to be voted out. These people have been D.C. for decades and we need new people.
What have they achieved since then? Still voted to fund the wars, didn’t they.
Right, and thats why I want them all out including GOPers. We’re talking decades here. All of them need to go.
Your Savior is keeping the troops engaged at least as long as Bush had planned.
He’s not my savior. I do not put my faith n man.
But campaign promises don’t matter, do they? Only those who are stupid enough to believe them.
I was not happy with the TG pick. Its even dumb to have in control of the IRS.
Geitner, the tax cheat, publicly declaring a war on tax cheats. Priceless!

This foundation is built with the sticks of debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Surly this house will not stand.

nubiangent08 You think corporations are just going to eat the cost of the Anointed one’s Cap and Trade energy plan? We know that throwing more money at the teachers’ union won’t improve public education in this country, so why keep pushing for it? Who do think will pay for socialized healthcare? You speak of the government like its a separate entity
Did I say I support Cap and trade? I do not support the teachers union. In fact, I do not support unions. I believe unions are the reason why we’re paying high taxes and cost for goods and services including jobs been sent overseas.
Its my understanding that if you already have insurance, yo ucan keep it. How is it socialize if its not required but for children.

Posted by: moderate | May 7, 2009 10:42:18 AM
I believe most neo-cons have tunnel vision. They do not look at the entire picture. If you went to one of the Palin rallies, you would know what talking about. HBO did a documentary on McCain/palin rallies and these people couldnt even explain socialism….

I think you folks argument should be with Nancy, Reid, Snow, Collins, and Spector. Yes, it got signed but the drafters of the stimulus bill do not reside at the 1600 PA avenue. Also, I hate to go backwords, but Bush did proprose two stimuls packages, one in 2001, 2008, and neither work. Where was the outraged with the bailout and the last stimulus?

Foghorn Leghorn
Yes, he did. Yet, his kids never attended a public school, you would think people would picked up on that. Noooooo!

How much is Obama willing to pay the states to take his detainees?
Personally I think they should go to the districts that overwhelmingly voted for Obama.
There should be a separate set of consequences for the voters that supported him.

Obama campaigned on a net spending cut budget.
This ain’t it.

I would hope that any college student considering a loan from Obama does some research.
They should consider how he treats others that borrowed from him (TARP, Chrysler).
Obama owns them–and that’s how recipients are treated.

A madman in the White House.
Wake up people.

“They focused on multiple programs that do the same thing, saying, “Duplication can be the enemy of efficiency.
Ya don’t say. I’ll have to remember this.

“The much larger point with earmarks is that they invite corruption. Please see John Murtha for specific examples.
- Foghorn Leghorn
========================================
So true . . . I hear Wall Street is also a good place to look for corruption . . . should we abolish that too?

Prior to the Obama Administration taking office, the Republican plan was to keep telling us that “the fundamentals of the economy are strong”…
==================================
It must have been a good plan. Obama also spoke of the strong fundementals of the economy.
Tapper did a post on it.

“They should consider how he treats others that borrowed from him (TARP, Chrysler).
Obama owns them–and that’s how recipients are treated.”
First of all, they borrowed that TARP money from Bush, not Obama. He was trying to help them stay out of bankruptcy so they’d have a better chance of selling cars and paying taxpayers back. Because of a few greedy holdouts they are in bankruptcy, the taxpayers loan gets wiped out and won’t get paid back.
“The left seems to be convinced that good governance is screwing up as much as they believe President Bush screwed up.”
Obama has a looong way to go before he screws up as much as Bush screwed up. As the anchor on SNL’s Weekend Update said, “He broke the World.”
“I believe unions are the reason why we’re paying high taxes and cost for goods and services including jobs been sent overseas.”
1st, americans pay lower taxes compared to every other industrialized nation in the world. Look it up. The real reason we lose jobs overseas is because businesses can be more profitable hiring workers in developing countries at much lower wages then here. Cents on the dollar. That’s the price of globalization. Nothing we can do to keep those particular jobs anyway. Not when your competition makes 15-30 cents on the dollar less then you. The only way we can grow our economy in the long run is to innovate new industries with high skilled, high wage jobs and educate and train a workforce to take them.

nashvileefan blame it on the reps’ as usual. Never mind the dems in control for two of those years. Never mind about Franks and waters and do not forget Dodd. Fannie and Freddie where failing but did they do anything? No. just complain that the whistle blowers where racisist. Bush could not do anything mostly because he was blocked. Why let him look good when the dems may win the president and they can do it. Now look. Its costing us to much for thier child behavior.

“So true . . . I hear Wall Street is also a good place to look for corruption . . . should we abolish that too?”
Not sure I understand your point here. Can you elaborate?
- Foghorn Leghorn
===============================
Happy to.
You indicated in your orignal post that the primary problem with earmarks was that they invite corruption.
My point is that any institution where you have people vying for power and/or money invites corruption.
Wall Street is an example of that, as are many politicians and business leaders.
It’s human nature. That’s why we need REGULATION and OVERSIGHT, not just blind faith in capitalism.
Hope that helps.

“He was trying to help them stay out of bankruptcy so they’d have a better chance of selling cars and paying taxpayers back.”
The Chrysler bailout is about the UAW.

Nashville_Fan: GET A CLUE!
The 3 wealthiest counties in the US encircle Washington DC. Lawyers & lobbiest galore and you think Wall Street is to blame??? Congress sets the laws and with so much being spent so quickly there will be EVEN LESS oversight. Do you realize that since Obama has taken office, the payscale for environmentally green lobbyists has gone thru the roof?? THE GOLDEN RULE. LEARN IT. LOVE IT. Barrack Obama has made ZERO progress, he’s just having fun w/ his new toy. OUR COUNTRY.

For those of you who can’t add, subtract, multily or devide. That’s 1.7% of his pork filled budget he wants trimmed. Spare me your crumbs, Bamy. get real with your spending or get out of the White House. Maybe we can get someone sober to spend the money we throw away to Washington.

For those of you who can’t add, subtract, multily or devide. That’s 1.7% of his pork filled budget he wants trimmed. Spare me your crumbs, Bamy. get real with your spending or get out of the White House. Maybe we can get someone sober to spend the money we throw away to Washington.
Posted by: WhatChange? | May 7, 2009 12:26:41 PM
—————————————
I agree completely but good luck on getting that point accross on this board

How is he going to make any cuts when he is talking health care! His plan is going to be a disaster! Nationalized health care means much more in taxes plus you are going to have to wait months for a procedure. Plus, you are going to penalize those that have health insurance and they will be expected to pay more for less care under his plan!

By my estimate the tax increases to cover this fiscal discipline will begin in about 2 years. At that time I will quit working and become a member of the non-taxpaying citizens which will then entitle me to my share of everyone else’s wealth. Praise to the messiah!

Hilarious. .5% cut in the budget that is around 2 trillion over budget. Look out people, there’s a fiscal conservative in the White House. He’s selling your kids down the river and you still worship him. Once unemployment reach 12% and inflation 10%, you will start to wonder if you have made a mistake. As it continues onward, you will know. You have elected a leftist of the first order and he is bent on reshaping our economy from a market based system to a government planned system. When one of his first moves is to break contracts on secured debt, you know that the rule of law no longer applies.

It is the cost of health care, social security, national defense, bank bailouts and unemployment that is the vast majority of this budget. Not “pork” (which btw “pork” includes airport security, infrastructure repair, clean energy research and many thing we quite frankly need to have to survive as a nation going forward!) Get your facts straight. Pork is irrellevant. What of the health care, social security, national defense, bank bailouts, and unemployment, which accounts for the vast majority of the budget, do you recommend the president cut fund from?

Someone commented that maybe the majority of Obama supporters will learn when unemployed and inflation gets higher. NO they won’t. This government is behind everyone of the economic crisis we now face. They caused the $4 gas problems last year, and they still don’t get it.

“The Chrysler bailout is about the UAW”
So you’re saying Bush, a republican president, loaned Chrysler billions to help the unions??? Really? that’s the story you wanna go with?
“medicade and health care are the real costs that need to be tackled. But that’s ok, let’s just ignore those and let the gov’t take over new parts of the economy. That should help.”
His budget does sets aside money expressly to reform healthcare. The upfront costs are high but the savings come down the road.

It’s very tragic that Obama is not going to give GOD the time to shape prayer day with the people who elected him into office…I think that is a slap in the face.
How is he going to tell others to cut spending when his administration can spend money on a photo op and scare people. He may or may not have ordered it done but it was on his watch.

The repubs had eight long, miserable, years to do something right for this country and its people. And they did nothing except chase little boys and party with lobbyists. Now they act as though they are the saviors of the U.S. They can’t fool us anymore – they are done. The GOP no longer exsits – it died the day GWB was elected. He, his administration and the repub congress were not repubs – they were neo-con destroyers and they still are.

“medicade and health care are the real costs that need to be tackled”
Actually, Medicade (as opposed to Medicaid) is the stuff that Obamabots drink to make them think that “free” health care won’t add trillions more annually to our deficits.

Obama will increase the deficit to over 14 trillion by 2010. How could people vote for this clown???? He is 10x worse than Bush.

To butterfly: Don’t you think the neo-cons hid behind God long enough and did their dirty work for 8 years? Quit with the mixing of government and religion, its like oil and water – it won’t work. Our founding fathers knew that – they learned it in England before they came here and from history it seems a hard lesson learned. Why do you think they opted for the separation of church and state? They were a lot smarter than you are.

“The Chrysler bailout is about the UAW”
So you’re saying Bush, a republican president, loaned Chrysler billions to help the unions??? Really? that’s the story you wanna go with?
========================================
Do you know the difference between a loan and a bailout? Do you know that the loan you refer to is now being forgiven? Do you have a remotely coherent alternative explanation you would like to float?

YES! FINALLY A PRESIDENT AND STAFF WHO GET IT!

Meanwhile as Obama makes these miniscule cuts to appear popular and doing the right thing. He is dumping billions into Pakistan and the Afghan war. Not only that but GM is shutting down for 9 weeks and employees are ‘suspended with pay’ so they dont collect unemployment so he can claim ‘the number of people filing new unemployment claims is down slightly’ – what deception! If Obama he hadnt done this soon to be former GM employees would be flooding unemployment with new claims right now! What happens after 9 weeks is up?

“Why put a Pay Back CLause in the State’s Bailout if Obama was for helping the free growth of America and individuals.”
What do you mean Pay Back Clause? Explain…

This IS Only The Beginning Of Sorrows!

I have a feeling Obama was preoccupied during economics class! So if you spend 1 trilion dollars more a yr. of money you don’t and you save 17 billion dollars from it. This is a savings? The funny thing is there are a lot of really stupid people who buy this! Shows where are education system has gone. Mr. Prompter has you all fooled and because the past guy in charge, we are now stuck with a true socialist! He won’t tell you that, but every policy he undertakes weakens businesses and make you rely on the govt’ for your every want and need. Its not our govt’ either its the chinese because they have the purse strings. If people don’t wake up our country will not recover! Name one program that govt’ runs efficiently?

To Shake Spear:
I don’t know what you are talking about so I guess we have something in common.
If it makes you happy that the donkeys are in power and the elephants are not then by all means do your little dance. I think they both suck.

I know you all think Bush was so bad-but these are his tax cuts that were continued through 2008—These are the cuts he gave and the cuts you lose when Obama lets them expire.
1. Single, age 60, $30,000 income including $3,000 of dividends
New Law Old Law Savings % Tax Cut*
Adjusted Gross Income 30,000 30,000
Std. Deduction 4,750 4,750
Personal Exemptions 3,050 3,050
Taxable Income 22,200 22,200
Tax $2,681 $3,031 $350 11.5%
2. Unmarried head of household with one child under 17, $30,000 income
New Law Old Law Savings % Tax Cut*
Adjusted Gross Income 30,000 30,000
Std. Deduction 7,000 7,000
Personal Exemptions 6,100 6,100
Taxable Income 16,900 16,900
Tax 2,035 2,035
Child Credit (1,000) (600) 400
Tax After Credits $1,035 $1,435 $400 27.9%
3. Married with two kids under 17, $50,000 income
New Law Old Law Savings % Tax Cut*
Adjusted Gross Income 50,000 50,000
Std. Deduction 9,500 7,950
Personal Exemptions 12,200 12,200
Taxable Income 28,300 29,850
Tax 3,545 3,878 333
Child Credit (2,000) (1,200) 800
Tax After Credits $1,545 $2,678 $1,133 42.3%
4. Single, no kids, $50,000 income
New Law Old Law Savings % Tax Cut*
Adjusted Gross Income 50,000 50,000
Std. Deduction 4,750 4,750
Personal Exemptions 3,050 3,050
Taxable Income 42,200 42,200
Tax $7,360 $7,686 $326 4.2%
5. Married with two kids under 17, $100,000 income, $15,000 of itemized deductions
New Law Old Law Savings % Tax Cut*
Adjusted Gross Income 100,000 100,000
Itemized Deductions 15,000 15,000
Personal Exemptions 12,200 12,200
Taxable Income 72,800 72,800
Tax 11,820 13,362 1,542
Child Credit (2,000) (1,200) 800
Tax After Credits $9,820 $12,162 $2,342 19.3%
6. Single, no kids, $100,000 income including $3,000 of dividends, $15,000 of itemized deductions
New Law Old Law Savings % Tax Cut*
Adjusted Gross Income 100,000 100,000
Itemized Deductions 15,000 15,000
Personal Exemptions 3,050 3,050
Taxable Income 81,950 81,950
Tax $17,302 $18,813 $1,511 8.03%
7. Married with two kids under 17, $300,000 income including $10,000 of dividends, $50,000 of itemized deductions (before phase-out rule)
New Law Old Law Savings % Tax Cut*
Adjusted Gross Income 300,000 300,000
Itemized Deductions 45,185 45,185
Personal Exemptions 3,172 3,172
Taxable Income 251,643 251,643
Tax 60,767 69,607 8,840
Child Credit (0) (0) 0
Tax After Credits $62,687 $69,607 $6,920

Some think that if government builds it, they will come. This is just NOT TRUE. The only thing they do well is road building, and maybe little mustard and catsup packages.

let’s not forget that the expense of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had never been included in the budget before. this more accurate reflection of those costs is, of course, a bit overwhelming. as an employee of a large university that just cut their budget by $44m due to state budget cuts, it’s very clear that every little bit makes a difference and what seems to be a seemingly impossible goal to reach can be realized. These proposed cuts are obviously obvious. Imagine how many more programs that can be identified that maybe aren’t so obvious, but just as obsolete or unnecessary.

cay: How is it that you know what will expire and what will not expire in the new tax codes? what is your source? i wasn’t aware that the new tax codes have yet been established, let alone published.

At the moment I am beyond who is right or wrong about the level of spending in government. But if the massive shift in government behavior doesn’t earn the full confidence of the people, it will fail. Think about that, no matter what your political persuasion might be.

“Do you know the difference between a loan and a bailout? Do you know that the loan you refer to is now being forgiven? Do you have a remotely coherent alternative explanation you would like to float?”
That’s what happens when a company goes bankrupt. Debt gets wiped out. This is one of the reasons he was trying to avoid it.
“This is exactly what happens before empires fall”
We’re not an empire. Empires traditionally conquer and enslave countries they invade and get richer from the spoils of war. To date we have spent hundreds of billions in the bottomless pit that is Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Then why do you keep praising it?”
I am praising that he is taking us in a legitimate direction of health care reform, not the actual bill because obviously it doesn’t exist yet.
“Not only that but GM is shutting down for 9 weeks and employees are ‘suspended with pay’ so they dont collect unemployment so he can claim ‘the number of people filing new unemployment claims is down slightly’ – what deception! If Obama he hadnt done this soon to be former GM employees would be flooding unemployment with new claims right now! What happens after 9 weeks is up?”
The numbers are down for the 1st time in several months because businesses are slowing their layoffs of employees, simple. Ask yourself what would the national unemployement #s be if a massive company like GM was allowed to fail outright and it wasn’t able to restructure 1st. Potential liquidation of all 3 automakers at once.
“Obama will increase the deficit to over 14 trillion by 2010. How could people vote for this clown???? He is 10x worse than Bush.”
Bush stepped in office with a surplus. When he left the country was broke and facing what could have been a “depression greater then the Great Depression”, his words. A republican president by the way. After 9/11, he had a shot at possibly being the greatest president ever. But he blew all the goodwill he had like he blew our tax dollars in Iraq and paying off the rich.

WHAT DO WE CUT?
Medicare+Medicade+SocialSecurity = 2 trillion of the 2010 budget.
DeptOfDefense = 1.4 trillion of the 2010 budget.
Add those two together= 3.4 trillion of the 2010 budget!
If we cut out everything from the budget except for medicare, medicade, social security, and the Dept of Defense, the budget is still 3.4 trillion! WAKE UP!

Let the public help sort out the waste. I could have spotted the Loran waste easily. Set up a site showing programs needing review and let people poll in their decision. Let the government sue for the people to help pay up the deficit. Multi-million dollar athletes commit fraud by using illegal drugs. Family members of Madoff, Abramoff, and other rip offs should not keep the spoils from scams.

I stand corrected. The Dept of Defense budget, minus any additional war appropriations, is only 728 billion (only…) And the social security, medicare, medicade figure includes the other mandatory programs as well. I still want to hear what to cut though. Republicans, give me a web site that shows what to cut from this budget. Otherwise you’re all hot air.

cap and trade…..get ready. i live in an area that has its own public utlity and wont be affected. for the rest of you whose utility bills are going to sky rocket coupled with climbing prices for gas are going start thinking like conservatives. these miniscule cuts are purely symbolic and are meant to appease the mindless masses who cant see the trees from the forest.just like the executive comp tax, the tax on foreign earnings, gitmo, the wars on

As a taxpayer, I won’t dismiss any 17 billion worth of tax cuts. A billion is nothing to trivialize in the way of dollars and stars, and it takes a certain amount of illogic in math and cognitive disconnect to do so. Particularly when add the potential of hundreds of billions to gain from streamlining defense spending. There was a 93-0 Sente vote today on the aquisition overhaul of weapons. According to the GAO, there has been an accumulated overrun of 300 billion in defense spending.
With the stimulus funds having been released less than two months, It’s simply too soon to guage the effectiveness of the stimulus. But the gain should help balance the exenditures, beacuse according to Standard and Poor, there is typically at least a 1.9 dollars earned for every dollar spent on infrastructure stimulus.
I doubt there’s any point in casting pearls before swine, but I may as well throw some accuracy and reason into the trough.

If you scrap every spending program there is, and leave only Dept of Defense and entitlements and that’s it, your budget goes from 3.55 to 2.88 trillion and the deficet is still 680 billion for 2010. That’s almost the entire budget of the dept of defense! Something in either defense or entitlement would still have to be cut to have a balanced budget. Not to mention there would be consequeces of so many cuts at once that it would skyrocket the deficet next year..this is no easy time folks.

When it’s Obama lowering the budget it’s grains of sand. When it’s considered “pork” by the GOP regardless of the amount, it’s touted of a HUGE waste of money. GOP you can’t have it both ways. You can’t call small percentages in a budget HUGE and at the same time taking small percentages out and call it a grain of sand. Ohhh, that’s right, you’re the party of “NO”. Regardless of what the Obama Administration does or proposes, you plan to say NO. Following the Limbaugh prescription of obstruction is not the way back to success. It does give Limbaugh something to rant about and keep his lemmings listening because they are looking for a way to justify their spitefulness over the loss in November but the party of “NO” does nothing to help America.

nubiangent08 …That Bush kept us safe is an illusion. The most damaging terrorist attack in our history took place with Bush at the helm. To say he kept us safe afterward, it is kindof expected that our military would be used after such an attack, that cia and fbi and airlines would ramp up their efforts, but we’re not out of iraq which created lots of new suicide attackers, and we’re not even sure if Afghanistan and Pakistan will ever be “won”…and Pakistan having nukes and such chaos as we helped create…are we safer because of Bush, really??? I think Bush left us vulnerable by his unpopularity and his missold underplanned attack on Iraq, thank God the military and the other depts are doing their jobs well, but the situation remains precarious!

Now! For a limited time only! We’re marking down the U.S. Budget so you can get our VERY BEST price! Yes, we’ve slashed prices to the bone, and given you a spectacular, never-before-seen ZERO POINT FIVE PERCENT OFF! Just look at all you get! A Defense cut! A worthless foreign office closed! Elimination of a program that gives only 20 percent of its revenues to its intended recipients! And despite all these remarkable, courageous cuts, we’re still giving you more! Like state-controlled health care! Lower house prices! And that great feeling you get by knowing that John Stewart and Chris Matthews think you’re really smart! So BUY INTO THIS NOW — prices are going up again soon!
Fine Print: The U.S. Budget is, in fact, a budget; actual spending may be higher. Other programs may have deserved to be cut, but that would make us lose the votes of Federal Workers and union members. Medicare waste not included. Actual average yield of government program revenues to beneficiaries averages 24 percent, much less than independent charities. Current budget values were recently raised over 100 percent by the very same people who are claiming to have cut that budget by the amount now claimed. State-provided health care is no guarantee of actual provision of health care. You are not allowed to opt out, but you must pay. Discount does not apply to increased Federal and State taxes on gasoline, which are a hidden tax on the poor. Countless other hidden taxes will have to increase to pay for this monstrosity. Other terms and conditions and restrictions and unintended consequences apply.

brain:
“You are unfamiliar with the phrase ” The lesser of two evils” I guess?”
I’ve heard that. Let’s use it in a sentence. Pol Pot was a lesser evil than Hitler.
“Please don’t play dumb”
I actually am this dumb. I just wonder what part of “they both suck” that you don’t understand.
“You can play Mr. Middle all you want..”
Dude that’s just a bizarre accusation but you are clearly a partisan and that’s what partisans do.

Mother Teresa and Charles Manson both suck ,and are equally bad humans.
See how much sense that makes Foghorn?
They are not equal ,the common facts just don’t support that assertion. Just like the facts don’t support your assertion that the Democrats ,as a party/entity are as culpable or conniving as Republicans ,as a party/entity.
People like you generally don’t have solutions , only complaints and half-truths .
Like (or dislike) whomever makes you happy ,but ignoring facts to “prove” your opinion/make yourself feel better is prototypical Republican behavior ,might want to get that checked out sometime soon …

1) Was there ever a Republican administration that ran a budget surplus?
2) Was there ever a Democratic administration that repeatedly bold-faced lied to Congress and The Senate and The American Public to enact/bankroll any war ?
3 ) Was there ever a Democratic administration that traded weapons for cocaine ,and lied (again) to Congress/The Senate/The American Public?
4) Was there ever a Democratic sitting president who , by categorically well- documented facts, directly ordered (and approved of) outright felonies that were subsequently committed by his administration/his cronies ,e.g. Watergate?
facts for Leghorn…yes or no?

“Mother Teresa and Charles Manson both suck ,and are equally bad humans.
See how much sense that makes Foghorn?”
It makes no sense. Why did you say it?
“They are not equal ,the common facts…”
The common facts or the well-documented facts?
“just don’t support that assertion. Just like the facts don’t support your assertion that the Democrats ,as a party/entity are as culpable or conniving as Republicans ,as a party/entity.”
I didn’t assert that. Why do you claim that I did?
“People like you generally don’t have solutions , only complaints and half-truths .”
Eliminate earmarks. There’s a solution. You with me?

“1) Was there ever a Republican administration that ran a budget surplus?”
No.
Our country has 66 trillion dollars in unfunded liablities. Budget surpluses are a shell game.
2) Was there ever a Democratic administration that repeatedly bold-faced lied to Congress and The Senate and The American Public to enact/bankroll any war ?
Yes. Woodrow Wilson.
3 ) Was there ever a Democratic administration that traded weapons for cocaine ,and lied (again) to Congress/The Senate/The American Public?
No.
4) Was there ever a Democratic sitting president who , by categorically well- documented facts, directly ordered (and approved of) outright felonies that were subsequently committed by his administration/his cronies ,e.g. Watergate?
No.

Hi Bill,
Earmarks exploded during a period when the elephants were in power but both parties were using them. Not all earmarks are bad but remember for years we didn’t know who or what they were cause it wasn’t even in the public record.
I don’t know who gets what part of the blame for them and I don’t care. I just want them to be eliminated because I do not trust our politicians to not abuse them.

“like when Bush tried to reform social security. That would have produced significant savings.”
What Bush did was try to privatize social security, which when the stock market crashed would have bankrupted the program.
“Raising the retirement age for benefits would create savings.”
At a time when millions of baby boomers are reaching the retirement age?
“He doesn’t cut taxes, he creates new taxes and sends refund checks to people.”
People that will spend the bulk of that money rather then save it thereby helping to stimulate the economy. That’s why it’s in the stimululus package in the 1st place. Most of that 180 billion is going to be spent.
“That doesn’t decrease anyone’s marginal tax rate, it just redistributes wealth.”
Why is it called wealth redistribution when gov’t tries to get money to trickles up instead of the usual theory of it’s always best for cash to trickle down. The Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% while middle class wages remained stagnant over the past decade even though productivity grew by 20% was what?? Wall-street sucking up 40% of the nations GDP was what?? Large corporations and rich individuals hiding their money in tax shelters to avoid paying IRS, what euphemism can we label that one? How come it’s only “class warefare and “wealth redistribution” when the rich feel threatened?
“It’s hilarious that Democrats still bash Bush rather than actually support their own arguments.”
The only reason ppl feel the need to keep refering to Bush is because even though he’s out of office, his legacy from the state he left this country in will linger long after today. People are still suffering because of decisions he made, that’s a fact.

This is a joke…right? Money was cut from the budget? The budget has significantly increased! Only in a liberal’s mind can an increase be a cut. And while the budget/deficit increase, the revenues to the government will decrease this year. Source – CBO

Hey, let’s do some simple math…
Divide Obama’s budget (“a new foundation for broad and sustained economic growth”) by the 140 million federal tax payers, and it’s only $25K each.
Fortunately I went to college, so I’m among the 25% of “rich people” who pay 86% of federal income taxes, so my adjusted share comes to about $85K. Personally, I feel privileged to pay for so much “patriotism” and “fairness”.
But the real lucky people are those who are married and each make over $110K. They are among the 10% most patriotic who get to pay 70% of all federal income taxes. They owe at least $100K each.
God Bless America.

Change we can believe in.

Don’t waste time trying to convince Republicans of anything, just use the Majority + The Bully Pulpit and let the Republicans rot.
They are incapable of accepting any reality that they do not approve of and facts that are not directly from the lips of Fox News/Rush Limbaugh/etc are unacceptable .
Mr Obama and the Democrats must shove the foolish greedy Republicans aside with a deserved look of disgust and get the job done for the good of the nation ,leaving the 27% ers to their (entertaining at first ,boring now) denial , whimpering and hair-pulling antics.
Republicans = Neutered and Useless

This whole government budget mess is absolutely mind boggling. The kind of mindless reckless spending, cuts, re-alignment of our countries financial system, banks, Wall Street, all in such a short period of time is beyond unbelievable. All those in-charge have little to know experience in economics, especially Obama, and they are possibly creating a catastrophe we will not be able to recover from.
Where are the meetings, discussions, debates, out in the open to discuss and plan such massive changes nobody knows will work. This is no way to run our country.

17 B cuts from 3.55 T budget..sort of like paying your bills with your credit card..

Codeine cough syrup.

Apap codeine.