The world was amazed yesterday when President Obama announced that he was cutting way back on government spending. Unveiling his modest, cost-cutting budget of $3.4 trillion — it looks more impressive if you can see the zeros:
3,400,000,000,000 –
the President also announced that he was cutting $17 billion of government spending, a whopping 1/2 of 1 percent of the total! Some of the savings:
• Abolishing an Education Department attache’s post in Paris, at a savings of $632,000 per year.
• Doing away with a $142 million program to help states pay to clean up abandoned mines.
• Slashing the acquisition budget for army Dixie cup holders from $145 million to $14 million.
• Trimming Congressional staff budgets by 50 percent, and freezing Congressional salaries for 5 years
• Instituting new “stress tests” for failing schools and entirely eliminating federal subsidies for those who fail the test.
• Slashing almost in half a benefits program for the families of slain police and safety officers from $110 million to $60 million.
OK, OK: only some of these cuts are real–can you tell which ones?
Meanwhile, Obama’s new budget calls for only the most modest new spending programs:
• A mere $1 billion for child nutrition programs, partly to pay for more food inspectors.
• A trifling 100 percent increase in the IRS enforcement budget, an initiative headed up by Tom Daschle with advice from Timothy Geithner.
• A spartan increase $178 billion to help preserve jobs of unions whose contributions to the Democratic party exceeded $100 million in 2008.
• $687 million for special “green” golf courses in districts where Democratic committee chairmen reside.
(Again, it’s possible that I mis-transcribed some of these items: can you tell which ones?)
At the same time, Obama was calling on rich Americans to share in the sacrifices necessary to bring about the Hope and Change ™ which he promised to impose across the land. Among the changes sought:
• Beginning in 2010, salaries in excess of the minimum wage would be subject to ORT (Obama Redistribution Tax), amounting to 50 percent surcharge on any income above the poverty line.
• Airport security fees would more than double.
• Federal taxes on gasoline also will double, except for welfare recipients, who will receive vouchers of up to $250 per month to pay for the cars that state governments are making available to anyone who can demonstrate that he has not held a job for at least 18 months.
• Capital gains for rich Americans (defined as anyone whose adjusted gross income is $50,000 or more) will be taxed at the FSR (feel-good sacrificial rate) of 90 percent.
(Once again, there just may be some mistakes in that list.) Republican critics of the administration were in disarray as this evidence that Obama wasn’t speaking idly when he spoke of bringing about a New Era of Responsibility. How proud we all are!
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16 Comments
1. Dave in PENNA:Roger – the $17 bil in cuts are even tinier than you thought – only 1/2 of 1%!
May 8, 2009 - 7:46 am 2. Roger Kimball:My math was wrong: as a reader points out, Obama’s savings are not 1 1/2 percent, but 1/2 of 1 percent.
May 8, 2009 - 8:02 am 3. John B:Rodger;
Surely this is a joke~! You cannot seriously expect us to believe Congress would agree to a 5 year salary freeze.
You are just having some fun with us,,, right?
May 8, 2009 - 8:35 am 4. John B:Sorry,,, make that “Roger”
May 8, 2009 - 8:36 am 5. John B:Closing the Education Department attache’s post in Paris
True!
Doing away with a $142 million program to help states pay to clean up abandoned mines.
True!
Slashing the acquisition budget for army Dixie cup holders from $145 million to $14 million.
I can find no support for this one,,, so I say “false”!
Trimming Congressional staff budgets by 50 percent, and freezing Congressional salaries for 5 years.
False!
Instituting new “stress tests” for failing schools and entirely eliminating federal subsidies for those who fail the test.
False, in fact he is proposing more money for failed schools.
Slashing almost in half a benefits program for the families of slain police and safety officers from $110 million to $60 million.
True!
A mere $1 billion for child nutrition programs, partly to pay for more food inspectors.
True!
• A trifling 100 percent increase in the IRS enforcement budget, an initiative headed up by Tom Daschle with advice from Timothy Geithner.
• A spartan increase $178 billion to help preserve jobs of unions whose contributions to the Democratic party exceeded $100 million in 2008.
• $687 million for special “green” golf courses in districts where Democratic committee chairmen reside.
These are prolly not true.
Beginning in 2010, salaries in excess of the minimum wage would be subject to ORT (Obama Redistribution Tax), amounting to 50 percent surcharge on any income above the poverty line.
An slight exaggeration, but he does propose a punitive tax on those who earn middle income figures. That $250,000.00 number he’s always spouting is a myth.
Airport security fees would more than double.
True, in fact this has already happened. The cost/charge for X-Ray’ing a checked piece of luggage at airport security is now $15.00.
Federal taxes on gasoline also will double, except for welfare recipients, who will receive vouchers of up to $250 per month to pay for the cars that state governments are making available to anyone who can demonstrate that he has not held a job for at least 18 months.
Federal tax will, no doubt, double, the current rate of $0.184/gal is not enough to fund all his transportation programs. Tax credits to the poor are always a possibility since the Dems want to continue to count on the poor peoples vote.
Capital gains for rich Americans (defined as anyone whose adjusted gross income is $50,000 or more) will be taxed at the FSR (feel-good sacrificial rate) of 90 percent.
I could find no references to this. However, since the fed poverty level is only $10,450 per/person, per/annual, and O-Vomit is in an avowed redistribution of wealth mode, I would make no wagers about how low the punitive tax levels will go.
Since, as a retired person, my monthly Social Insecurity payment is more than this, I expect to get hit hard and will have to go find a night watchman’s job to supplement my retirement. Of course, I could start dealing drugs on the street corner and hide my income from the Gov’ment, just like all the blacks do.
God help us~!
May 8, 2009 - 10:01 am 6. Dennis:what has happened to America?? I cannot believe I am seeing this happen in my lifetime. How can an imposter be put into the highest office in the land? He has not even proven he was born in America.
May 8, 2009 - 10:17 am 7. John B:Dennis;
The (alleged) Hawaiian is in charge. If you expect to see a vault copy of his birth certificate, guess again. These Dems have too much to hide. He is their Manchurian candidate. And he’s in the White House now.
We are absolutely lost until he self-destructs, as programmed. Then we might get our country back if we are lucky.
Until then, stock up on ammmo.
May 8, 2009 - 12:45 pm 8. John Beerman:If you agree with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that access to affordable and reliable supplies of energy in the United States is essential to keeping our economy strong and maintaining our competitiveness in the global marketplace, please visit http://www.friendsoftheuschamber.com/takeaction/index.cfm?ID=41 and sign their petition.
May 8, 2009 - 1:02 pm 9. Gaffe Prices:I’ve already seen an article about congressional persons saying “not so fast” to 0bamas plans to make cuts of any kind in said congressional persons bailiwick, sorry back yard, sorry, district or state. They are already raising quite a stink over it, ostensibly coming from that back yard. I’ll get back when I re-find that source.
May 8, 2009 - 1:17 pm 10. dom youngross:You left out something that flew under the news radar:
As part of his 2010 budget, listed under Other/Miscellaneous/You’ve-to-to-be-kidding expenses, President Obama — with Swifty Orszag’s approval — personally purchased a credit-default swap as a hedge on his pledge to ‘halve’ the annual deficit in four years. If Obama fails to do so, AIG will pay him $20 billion. If AIG can’t once again cover the bet — no sweat — that’s what taxpayers four years from now are for.
If you too want in on Obama’s CDS action go to obamathefisalclown dot gov, click on the Vinny da AIG Bookie icon, and follow the instructions.
On the same website, you can order the home taxpayer version of Timmy G’s 50% of all profits/none of the losses Hungry Hippos eat Toxic Assets game — for only three easy payments of $60 billion. It’s way more fun than Parcheesi or even Battling Tops.
If that’s a little bit out of your reach, go to obamatheforeignpolicyclown dot gov and sponsor a drone missile for only $5 billion. If your sponsored drone missile is used in Afghanipakistan, in addition to a handsome wall plaque, you’ll receive trophy body parts to commemorate your contribution to the war on terror. I sponsored one for myself and gave one as a gift. My sponsored drone missile was used last week, yay! And Fed-Ex just dropped off a box containing part of a skull cap with some hair still attached, a few teeth imbedded in a chunk of concrete (looks just like a museum fossil!), and what looks to be a kid’s left arm. The Certificate of Authenticity stated they were all Taliban body parts.
May 8, 2009 - 9:23 pm 11. James Raider:Perception is everything, it seems, and the Obama White House has mastered the art of affecting consciousness.
http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2009/05/obamas-aggressive-budget-cuts.html
May 9, 2009 - 9:55 am 12. That’s the Obama I Knew « ACT Northern Virginia/Richmond/DC Metro Chapter.:[...] Early signs of radicalism in the president’s character should have been heeded. (Also read Roger Kimball: “Obama discovers fiscal restraint, slashes budget.”) [...]
May 9, 2009 - 10:58 am 13. Steynian 354 « Free Canuckistan!:[...] THE AMAZING Obama discovers fiscal restraint, slashes budget 1/2 of 1% …. [...]
May 12, 2009 - 8:06 am 14. Fausta’s Blog » Blog Archive » Shirtless Biden Washes Trans Am In White House Driveway:[...] while Joe washes the car on the WH driveway and Arlen goes to the minors, Obama discovers fiscal restraint, slashes budget, since all those zeros do add [...]
May 15, 2009 - 2:28 pm 15. Roger’s Rules » The Meaning of Obama, Part II, with a note from J. L. Austin and an epitaph for cognitive dissonance:[...] of some $90 billion, or more than 4 times the $17 billion in “savings” that Obama announced with such fanfare recently. After the laughter subsided — after all, the President’s [...]
May 16, 2009 - 9:30 am 16. Cnation’s Picks for 5/17/2009 : Conservative Nation:[...] a difference of some $90 billion, or more than 4 times the $17 billion in “savings” that Obama announced with such fanfare recently. After the laughter subsided — after all, the President’s Potemkin [...]
May 17, 2009 - 5:23 pm