The Politics of Budgeting...The Politics of ooooo Feeling Good

John Boehner "Over the last two years since President Obama has taken office the federal government has added 200,000 new federal jobs. And if some of those jobs are lost in this, so be it. We're broke. It's time for us to get serious on how we're spending the nation's money.”…..FALSE.  according to Bureau of Labor Statistics federal employee rolls increased by 58,000 from January 09 to January 11.
Barack Obama: "What my budget does is to put forward some tough choices, some significant spending cuts so that by the middle of this decade our annual spending will match our annual revenues. We will not be adding more to the national debt. It's -- so, to use a -- sort of, an analogy that families are familiar with, we're not going to be running up the credit card anymore." …WRONG.  You cannot run deficits every year AND claim you’re adding to the debt.
Harry Reid on Social Security: “ (the)most successful social program in the history of the world.” “They’re using scare tactics saying the program is in crisis and on the verge of bankruptcy,” he said. “That is simply not true.”…True, but to leave it alone is like waiting for Lake Mead to dry up and then starting water conservation.
You can throw in the usual BS about cutting PBS, NPR, NEA, etc.  That’s red meat for the Republican base and solves our fiscal problems like playing Putt Putt will make you a better golfer.  Everything is on the table.  Cut redundant staff like the private sector does, reduce spending across the board and perform some cost-benefit analysis to determine which programs stay and which go.  Support programs for the poor, increase education, information technology investment, and infrastructure. 
As for the members on the hill who are protecting pet projects and subsidies for their constituents...something has to give.  So whether it is aircraft engines in Ohio (Boehner), a military base in Virginia (Webb), farm subsidies in Iowa (King), etc.  be statesmen and do what’s right for the country.
So what do we need?  We need to look back to the 80’s when President Reagan and Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill set aside their political differences and did what was best for the country.  So Boehner, Pelosi, Cantor, Reid, McConnell, and Ryan get your asses up to the White House order some sandwiches, Chinese take-out, pizza, I don’t give a damn, but work with Obama, Biden, Geithner, and Lew to hammer out a long term solution to this nation’s finances.  Start with the Rivlin-Domenici plan and get to work.  Then go back to your respective caucus and tell them the cold hard facts and this is what needs to be done.  Yes, some big government programs will be cut, and some taxes will be increased.  That’s the state we are in…it’s called compromise…and I don’t mean that everybody gets a Snickers type of compromise we saw regarding the tax cuts.
Stop dancing around like to overweight heavyweights or hockey goalies not wanting to hit or get hit.  Drop the gloves and fight for the common goal: financial security. Not your re-election!
Don’t make me stop this car.



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