President Obama is a fiscal hawk. I know that might sound strange to some of you (the sane ones), seeing as how Obama passed an $800 billion stimulus package, a record breaking, pork-laden $410 billion Omnibus bill, and a record breaking $3.55 trillion budget during the worst recession in 70 years. Yes, Obama will have a $1.8 trillion deficit his first year in office and is projected to run up more deficits than every other President in history COMBINED. Yes, we have committed up to $24 trillion to fight the recession, and Obama is trying to spend an additional $200 billion per year or so on health care reform, and he's only been in office for SIX MONTHS, for chrissakes….
But Obama is a fiscal hawk. Check it out. He has made good on his promise to trim $102 million from the federal budget. That's right. $102 Million with an 'M', as in, a drop in the ocean when Obama is spending trillions at the same time.
Yes We Can !
White House Budget Director Peter Orszag actually had the nerve to say the following words about Obama's pathetic budget cuts, "These savings reflect the president's belief that even small savings can add up."
Too bad we don't use firing squads anymore.
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Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) takes his job very seriously. He would never shirk his sworn duty to the American people. Here's Conyers at the National Press Club, talking about reading bills:
"What good is reading the bill if it's a thousand pages and you don't have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?"
That's right, Conyers. How can they expect an important man like yourself to actually read and comprehend the legislation you are about to pass into law ? It's not like that's your job or anything…..wait a minute. It IS your job, you arrogant chunk of cow flop. That's why you're in Congress, and here you are, brazenly spitting directly in the faces of the people who elected you.
Why don't we use firing squads anymore ?
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Ohio Senator George Voinovich (he's still in office ? Who knew ?) is unhappy that the southerners are taking over the GOP:
“We got too many Jim DeMints (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburns (R-Ok.). It’s the southerners. They get on TV and go ‘errrr, errrrr.’ People hear them and say, ‘These people, they’re southerners. The party’s being taken over by southerners. What they hell they got to do with Ohio?’”
Yes, it's too bad that Ohio doesn't have, like, a Republican Senator to whom Ohioans can relate. Ohio only has Voinovich.
What's wrong with southerners, anyway ? The Civil War is WAAAAAY over.
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Republicrat Arlen Specter (D-PA) is another man of conviction on Capitol Hill, and his voting record proves it. The last time Specter was up for re-election, in 2003-4, he was a Republican. Specter voted with Republicans 85% of the time back then. Now it's 2009-10, and Specter is up for re-election again. Back in April, Specter found himself hopelessly behind in the Republican primary polls, so, being a man of honor and conviction, Specter switched parties and became a Democrat. Congressional Quarterly did a study and found that since he switched parties, Specter now votes with the Democrats 85% of the time. Presto-change-o. Will the real Arlen Specter please stand up ? Then again, how about Arlen Specter, whoever he is, sits down ? It seems the only conviction Specter has is the conviction that he should be re-elected to office at all costs.
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On the health care reform front, the CBO has scored a TKO on the House health reform bill. President Obama said he would not sign a health care reform bill that added to the deficit (thank God. It's bad enough to implement tax increases in the middle of the worst recession in 70 years), and the CBO has shown that the House bill doesn't cut the mustard. Keith Hennessey has put the numbers into graphic form:
Looks like it's back to the drawing board for the House, unless John Conyers is too busy to drive to work, of course.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Your blogs are always thought-provoking for me. Glad I caught this one before the comment spam starts up!
Let's see, King–first, you mention firing squads then you ask what's wrong with Southerners.
What are you, a terrorist?
King, You always find my weak spot. Yesterday I took a test. It was a test for an entry level position in the medical field. The income opportunity for a person working in this position would be about $20K per year, not enough to live on. This test was so hard and thorough it was hard for me to believe. It was a test sponsored by the state to provide a license.
It amazes me that almost all of the people in our govt do not read the bills, including the president. They are making trillion dollar decisions and are to lazy to do their jobs. They are earning almost 200K +++ and won't do their work. They have gotten out of touch with the people. We need to demand that our politicians take a test like the one I took yesterday on every bill so that they know what they are voting on. The bill doesn't get voted on until everyone passes the test. At election time their records are made public as well as the scores on their knowledge of the bills they voted on. Then voters can make an informed decision.
Here's the problem with the CBO report….from your Henessey link…
"Analysts at the Lewin Group recently estimated that if all employers were given access to the insurance exchanges, more than 100 million people would end up enrolling in the public plan."
The Lewin Group is a subsidairy of United Health.
Biased.
here's another story about your government at work…….KBR Got Bonuses for Work that Killed Soldiers………
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090601/scahill
More than $30 million in bonuses were paid months after the death of Sgt. Ryan Maseth, a highly decorated, 24-year-old Green Beret, who was electrocuted while taking a shower at a US base in January 2008. His death, the result of improper grounding for a water pump, has been classified by the US Army Criminal Investigations Division (CID) as a "negligent homicide."
Some eighteen US soldiers have died since 2003 as a result of KBR's "shoddy work," according to Sen. Frank Lautenber.
joe is right….when the government is involed business and doctors are much more likely to cheat the system
Walter when I saw the source of your link I stopped reading the post. I have known since my college days (1950 – 1958) that The Nation is the furtherest left mag in the whole country. Some profs told me that back then and whether you know or not that was before left and right, socialist and conservative really became important. I have read that thing too many times to not know that those men were wholly right. I refuse to read it now or ever. I am sorry but I know that bunch.
Rev,do you suppose you could tell me what the problem with the CBO concerning employers and their workers going with the public option that Obama thinks is so important? Surely you can see through what was reported by them today.
Rev,
I read through the Hennessey link twice and I didn't see any mention of the Lewin Group. Please explain.
In any case, the numbers still come from the CBO.
larry,
I'm a terrorist on weekends. That's why conservatives like walter don't like me.
Speaking of walter, have you ever known a conservative who quotes The Nation, Think Progress, and Media Matters ? I guess he's one of those new Michael Moore conservatives you hear so much about.
joe,
Excellent. About the only job that requires no qualifications is POLITICIAN, and they are the people who run things. You couldn't make that up, nobody would believe it.
walter is at least partially right about KBR's shoddy electrical work in Iraq and Afghanistan. General Petraeus has even complained about it. KBR is outsourcing a lot of the work to unqualified workers from other countries who don't meet US standards.
But the claim that KBR is responsible for 16 deaths is overstating things. They probably were responsible for one, though, and may have been responsible for up to four.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1e7_1217489874
King sez……"But the claim that KBR is responsible for 16 deaths is overstating things. They probably were responsible for one, though, and may have been responsible for up to four."
oooohhhhh, that makes me feel much better
You know I'm here just to make you feel better, walt.
from King's liveLeak link……"Houston-based military contractor KBR Wednesday vigorously denied responsibility for the deaths of at least 16 military personnel known to have been electrocuted in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion."
of course they are going to deny it……who wouldn't? Probably advised by their lawyer to do just that.
roybot…..so I get information from lefty sites…….you haven't proven them wrong yet…..LOL
No doubt, walter.
But the LiveLeak story also said this:
"Gordon Heddell, the Defense Department's acting inspector general, told the committee that many were killed when they came into contact with power lines during work or combat. But four of the 16 died because of ungrounded or faulty electrical equipment, and three were electrocuted while attempting to repair bad equipment, he said."
That indicates not all the deaths are attributable to KBR, only a few are.
And maybe you didn't notice, but I WAS TRYING TO AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAID about KBR's shoddy work, you loon.
so let me get this straight……."Houston-based military contractor KBR Wednesday vigorously denied responsibility for the deaths of at least 16 military personnel known to have been electrocuted in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion." so we agree, KBR are stone cold liars.
I would tend to doubt that Sen. Frank Lautenberger relied on information from KBR. I would tend to think that Heddell WOULD rely on information from KBR.
just saying
Explaining……the quote in my last comment is from your link. The Lewin Group mention is right in the body of the text you linked to.
I never heard of KBR and don't have any clue as to its relation to expenditures of the OB administration. I guess though that you're saying government contractors should be held to extremely high standards; something like absolute liability. Good idea. Do we have a Czar to handle this? Surely we must.
Remember though that Csars, Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries, Directors, Deputy Directors, Chiefs, Vice Chiefs, Deputy Assistant Vice Chiefs, etc are all subject to the spoils system, Sooner or later every job worth holding is sucked into it. "You're doing a Helluva job, Brownie!"
KBR is a division of Halliburton. It's a private corporation that does work for the military in Iraq and Afghanistan for both the Bush and Obama administrations. Cheney used to be the CEO of Halliburton before he became the VP. Liberals think denigrating Halliburton is the same as denigrating Bush/Cheney, even though Halliburton has been doing work for the military for decades. That's why walter brought it up.
walter,
why would you think the Defense Dept's inspector general would rely on KBR for his info ? Other than that's what you WANT to believe, of course. The IG (think Walpin) is independent, unlike yourself. The IG is SUPPOSED to look for corruption.
King sez……"KBR is a division of Halliburton."….HUH?
Gordon S. Heddell became the Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Defense on July 14, 2008. He has been the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Labor since January 2001. That would make him a what….a Bush/Cheney/Boehner appointee?
just saying
Well as a person from the south I can say that comment was very idiotic. Hopefully Ohio will vote him out next term.
Mssrs. Frye, walter, and King,
KBR started out as a pipe manufacturer. It became an engineering firm specializing in the oil industry. It was acquired by Halliburton in 1962. At that time it was infamous for having bankrolled LBJ. In 1992, Defense Secretary Cheney hired them to produce an analysis which recommended privatizing as much of the military as possible. When Cheney left government, Halliburton made him their CEO, making him a very rich man. KBR has become famous for being awarded no bid contracts, their electric showers, overcharging the federal government, bribing foreign officials, and running shell companies in the Cayman Islands to avoid federal taxes. Apparently, Halliburton spun off the company about two years ago to rid itself of the bad publicity and possible legal ramifications.
Do we have a blogger here who actually knows what he's talking about? Who let him in?
hey walter, did you ever figure out that "small business" thing?
How's your home refi going?
Excuse me, walter. KBR is a FORMER division of Halliburton. I forgot about the merger a few years back.
merger? My understanding was that Halliburton set KBR free because the asbestos settlement was dragging Halliburton into the red and KBR was still a money maker. On the local scene, McDerrmot set B&W free and now B&W is making money.
My Dad died of mesothelioma……for a guy who went thru life weighing about 185 lbs, when he died he weighed about 80
Sorry to hear about your father.
Government intrusion? Ever read the Patriot Act? Our congress didn't and they passed that, the most intrusive piece of garbage ever……
Deficits? Bush took office with Clinton's surplus. Where the hell did that go? Oh Bush made sure to spend it so we couldn't fix healthcare.
Every Conservative should be run out of the country, they don't like it here anyway….
Frank,
Daddy!
These reunions are so touching.
walter, B&W was making money before McDermott set them free. I would know, I worked in the research center… even though I know NOTHING about what these crazy scientists and engineers do. Witchcraft, I say…
Oh, and did you figure that small business thing out?