WP: Obama to Order 100 Million in Budget Cuts

[TMat184]

Yeah! All those people out there protesting government waste are a bunch of hicks! They probably never finished high school! Bunch of illiterate buffoons!

I resent your characterization of these events. I my wife and I both attended a rally, and we are certainly not "hicks". I didn't see any Obama=Hitler signs at our rally. In fact, the event I went to went out of their way to ridicule Republicans (as well as Democrats) for abandoning small government over the last decade. But even if there were signs such as these, there are always small minorities in any group that don't reflect the values of the majority. To say one person's sign reflects the opinion of thousands is beyond ridiculous

Now, did you call protestors who carried Bush=Hitler signs over the last eight years "hicks"? Or did you agree with their sentiment, so it was ok?

Their are extreme views from both sides of the isle. Even the anti war protests went too far on many fronts. With that being said, what the hell are they protesting???? Taxes back to the Clinton levels???? I guess Obama should just continue Bush policies and drastically slash tax revenues while spending like a drunk?

Republicans abandoned their values as a party and lost touch with the American people during the Bush administration. Why else do you think the Republican party is having a really hard time right now?

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Why don't they hire more competent employees so that they don't have to outsource everything. I work for a government contractor and I don't really know what they would do without all the different contractors (from many different companies). I have to imagine it would be cheaper to higher people full-time than it is for them to hire teams and teams of consultants.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Hey, some of us see the glass empty and some of us see the glass with a half-full eyedropper hovering just above it.

(I don't think this is the end. I think it is a beginning. Much like Obama cutting White House salaries wasn't the answer even though it was a pretty statement. I encourage positive steps in hopes of seeing more and criticize negative ones in hopes of seeing fewer falters.

In his opening weeks, Obama saw an economy at the brink of collapse and he and his advisors believed that the only way to stabalize or save it was to pump gazillions into it. Now, the economy has found momentary equaliberum he can begin to address other aspects. This is not his first foray into the budget jungle, but sending an advance scouting expedition. That said, it's a start.)

I think it's gonna be dependent upon where those "cuts" take place, don't you?

What if they decide to cut that $100 million from the Head Start program? Do you think everyone's going to say "Good start, Obama"?

[jpyaks3]

Classic. Thanks for throwing us a bone Obama!

Let me get this straight, he's going to tax the hell out of everyone to pay for his stupid healthcare plan (while simultaneously cutting procedure reimbursement rates), build high speed trains, expand green environmental endeavors, bail everyone and their brother out as far as banks, insurances, and home owners who foolishly overextended themselves...but worry not, he's going to cut less than 0.1% of the budget. Gee, thanks...sounds like another brilliant domestic move on his part

How is he going to "tax the hell out of everyone". Can you show me any proof whatsoever of this?

[Burgold]

Can't really argue that. Where always matters. Of course, every dollar is SOMEONE's pet project and essential bread and butter.

[ccsl2]

Yeah! All those people out there protesting government waste are a bunch of hicks! They probably never finished high school! Bunch of illiterate buffoons!

I resent your characterization of these events. I my wife and I both attended a rally, and we are certainly not "hicks". I didn't see any Obama=Hitler signs at our rally. In fact, the event I went to went out of their way to ridicule Republicans (as well as Democrats) for abandoning small government over the last decade. But even if there were signs such as these, there are always small minorities in any group that don't reflect the values of the majority. To say one person's sign reflects the opinion of thousands is beyond ridiculous

Now, did you call protestors who carried Bush=Hitler signs over the last eight years "hicks"? Or did you agree with their sentiment, so it was ok?

And I resent the fact that every homeowner who's house is in foreclosure is called "irresponsible", even though quite a few of them who are in foreclosure are in that situation because they lost their jobs because of layoffs (Through no fault of their own), and couldn't find work, and couldn't sell there house because they were upside down. I resent the fact that people have compared Obama to Hitler, or called him a Socialist or a Communist. I resent people calling him weak because OH MY GOSH he shook Chavez hand, and had the audacity to say that the US was WRONG on some issues. I also resent the fact that all of his ideas are bad, but not one republican has come up with a better solution, let alone a soultion to our problems at all. If you are going to criticise his plan, have some guts to propose something different, instead the typical "NO".

[armstrong001]

Their are extreme views from both sides of the isle. Even the anti war protests went too far on many fronts. With that being said, what the hell are they protesting???? Taxes back to the Clinton levels???? I guess Obama should just continue Bush policies and drastically slash tax revenues while spending like a drunk?

Taxes are only half the equation. Spending is out of control. Government intervention is out of control. Bush's tax cuts didn't "drastically slash" tax revenues, although he allowed CONGRESS to spend like a drunk. What I'm looking for is a cut in taxes to go along with a drastic cut in spending. There's nothing wrong with decreasing tax revenues when you spend within your means. And a smaller Federal budget is in everyone's best interest.

[SnyderShrugged]

I recall war protests which were well founded. I do not think, in a time of intense economic and consumer spending decline, that an increase in Government spending should be met with such disdain and hatred.

:doh::doh::doh:

[ccsl2]

How is he going to "tax the hell out of everyone". Can you show me any proof whatsoever of this?

The proof is in the "Republican Talking Points" document.

[SnyderShrugged]

Our President is just never going to do anything right according to some people. These teabagging (aka hick) events with signs stating "Obama =s Hitler" Just goes to show the extreme negative view many have for President Obama.

aka "hick" events?

wow, just wow.

:doh:(Gosh, I've had to use that smiley a lot today. The ignorance and sheer hubris is mind boggling)

[brianforster]

So, you complain every time your local business announces a "Buy one, get one" sale, on an item whose price they doubled on the same day?

I didn't vote my local business into office.

[NoleSkin21]

Cuts are cuts, I'll take it.

Plus 1. Its a start right?

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Can't really argue that. Where always matters. Of course, every dollar is SOMEONE's pet project and essential bread and butter.

Do you remember back when cutting the NEA was the hot topic of the moment? Around the time of the "Piss Christ" photo and a bunch of other stuff like that?...The whole argument was that, with our budget and deficit as high as it was, we should be looking into cutting our "wasteful spending" and unnecessary projects. Some people were basically saying "With our economy in such dire straights and our deficit so high, why are we spending tax dollars on things like photos of Jesus Christ dunked in a glass of urine?!?!"...

Then, of course, it came out that the budget for the NEA was only around $100 million...and that the benefits of guaranteeing a thriving artistic and cultural avenue on a national level far outweighed the practically non-existent benefit of "cutting" $100 million from the budget by eliminating it.

[gbear]

Maybe I just look at things a little different. Has anyone noticed how the government seems to always get bigger? It seems easier to dismiss this as paltry sum than to look at it in context. I look at it as saying 2 things. Part 1 everybody seems to get. Cut $100 mil to each cabinent. Did nobody else think it part 2 means and don't you dare raise the amount your cabinent is asking for without a darn good business rational? Talk about an inflection point in spending...it's a complete change of direction which is no small matter government wide. I just think about Commerce with the little thing called the Census ramping up and thinking my hat is off to them if they can do it and still reach the Commerce goal of lopping $100 mil.

Yes, it's $100 mil, but it's $100 mil last than the previous instead of the usual increases. I think you have to look at the usual/average increases by department to get a feel for the real dollar impact.

Maybe I am just naive. I guess we'll see whether each area can cut the $100 mil.

[armstrong001]

And I resent the fact that every homeowner who's house is in foreclosure is called "irresponsible", even though quite a few of them who are in foreclosure are in that situation because they lost their jobs because of layoffs (Through no fault of their own), and couldn't find work, and couldn't sell there house because they were upside down.

Are you saying that every homeowner who was forclosed on was living within their means, didn't overextend on a house because values kept going up and they figured it would continue, and didn't overborrow? Because many of them did. Many bought houses on ARM loans, borrowed way too much, and many outright lied to get their loans.

Did all of them do this? No. Many of them just had the bad luck of being laid off. But bad luck on someone else part doesn't necessitate a government intervention. People have bad luck all the time. Should every homeowner who ever gets laid off from now on get bailed out of their house? What about people who are injured and become disabled and unable to work? What about anyone who buys a house and then the value drops, and then they have to move? Should everyone who is upside down on a home get bailed out? What makes some more "worhty" of government assistance than others?

I resent the fact that people have compared Obama to Hitler, or called him a Socialist or a Communist.

I hope you had the same resentment for those who called Bush Hitler, a facist, and a war-monger.

I resent people calling him weak because OH MY GOSH he shook Chavez hand, and had the audacity to say that the US was WRONG on some issues.

And dealing with tyrants has gone pretty well so far, eh? N. Korea shooting off missles, Iran deciding to continue with the expansion of their nuclear program, etc. Yeah, being on their "good" side is doing us a lot of good.

I also resent the fact that all of his ideas are bad, but not one republican has come up with a better solution, let alone a soultion to our problems at all. If you are going to criticise his plan, have some guts to propose something different, instead the typical "NO".

Perhaps you should actually look at what the Republicans were proposing, rather than use the current talking point of them only saying "NO" (although, I cannot see what is actually wrong with not spending billions of dollars more). Here it is, straight from the GOP. Eighteen pages of words isn't saying "No".

[jpyaks3]

And dealing with tyrants has gone pretty well so far, eh? N. Korea shooting off missles, Iran deciding to continue with the expansion of their nuclear program, etc. Yeah, being on their "good" side is doing us a lot of good.

What did the Bush Administrations approach get us? North Korea successfully developed a nuclear weapon. Iran continued their expansion of the nuclear program. Its been a little over 3 months and you expect massive changes in foreign policy for other states. That is entirely unrealistic. Diplomacy takes time, the Bush administration had 8 years of their approach and what did that gain us?

Diplomacy will work in most situations it just takes time and patience.

[armstrong001]

What did the Bush Administrations approach get us? North Korea successfully developed a nuclear weapon. Iran continued their expansion of the nuclear program. Its been a little over 3 months and you expect massive changes in foreign policy for other states. That is entirely unrealistic. Diplomacy takes time, the Bush administration had 8 years of their approach and what did that gain us?

Diplomacy will work in most situations it just takes time and patience.

So, shaking hands with dictators will magically make them decide that they don't really want nuclear weapons? Making friends with them will change their minds? History is full of dictators who took the hand of friendship and understanding only to stab others in the back after all the "good feelings" were over. Apparently Obama thinks that we will have "Peace in our time".

If neither being on their "good" side or "bad" side is going to curb their intentions, I'd prefer to be on the "bad" side of dictators.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

Wrong thread guys.

[jpyaks3]

So, shaking hands with dictators will magically make them decide that they don't really want nuclear weapons? Making friends with them will change their minds? History is full of dictators who took the hand of friendship and understanding only to stab others in the back after all the "good feelings" were over. Apparently Obama thinks that we will have "Peace in our time".

If neither being on their "good" side or "bad" side is going to curb their intentions, I'd prefer to be on the "bad" side of dictators.

Do you think that Iran will use a nuclear weapon if they are able to build one?

We have to recognize that Iran has legitimate goals within the region and that ignoring them isn't going to do us any good. Iran right now is trying to establish a degree of hegemony in the Middle East, now we need to recognize that they have vested interest in a stable Iraq and Afghanistan at this point and work with them on that while discouraging the development of nuclear weapons. This isn't a binary with us or against us thing its a fluid situation that we need to adapt to and work with most nations.

I have no idea what to do with North Korea because they have a radical regime that is so insanely backed into a corner with its own population that we can't really do much over there. We just need to wait it out and hope that there isn't a disaster when Kim Jong Il dies. Then hopefully work with the new leader.

[twa]

Anyone know the salaries of all the czars(and staff) he has appointed?

Maybe he's trying to self fund;)

http://rothkopf.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/04/16/its_official_obama_creates_more_czars_than_the_romanovs

It has finally happened. With yesterday’s naming of Border Czar Alan Bersin, the Obama administration has by any reasonable reckoning passed the Romanov Dynasty in the production of czars.:hysterical:

[Special K]

"tax the hell out of everyone"

Keeastman, your sipping the koolaid. Their are other channels besides Fox News you know!

Actually, I watch and read a variety of news sources.

How is he going to "tax the hell out of everyone". Can you show me any proof whatsoever of this?

And I apologize, I should have qualified my "everyone" and said people who the new administration classifies as "rich."

And I resent the fact that every homeowner who's house is in foreclosure is called "irresponsible", even though quite a few of them who are in foreclosure are in that situation because they lost their jobs because of layoffs (Through no fault of their own), and couldn't find work, and couldn't sell there house because they were upside down. I resent the fact that people have compared Obama to Hitler, or called him a Socialist or a Communist. I resent people calling him weak because OH MY GOSH he shook Chavez hand, and had the audacity to say that the US was WRONG on some issues. I also resent the fact that all of his ideas are bad, but not one republican has come up with a better solution, let alone a soultion to our problems at all. If you are going to criticise his plan, have some guts to propose something different, instead the typical "NO".

Lol, Bush's name could be switched with Obama's name in most of your post and you can see how some on the right may feel (although not necessarily all by me).

Regardless, you seem to give the benefit of the doubt to these homeowners whose homes are currently in foreclosure saying there is a substantial portion who are losing their homes due to losing their jobs.

This mortgage crisis manifested before the unemployment numbers began sharply increasing.

Sure, there are some owners who are unfortunately losing their homes due to circumstances beyond their control. However, in my opinion, a combination of Americans completely overextending themselves and living way beyond their means and greedy mortgage companies and loan officers are at the crux of the blame in this issue.

The proof is in the "Republican Talking Points" document.

No, not really. You can see my clarification in the above responses however.

[deejaydana]

The government will save roughly 1/36,000 of the $3.6 trillion it expects to spend next year. Woo-hoo!

This current financial crisis aside, I wonder if we all as citizens have just become completely numb (or indifferent) to government spending. ?

[Burgold]

So, there's a bit of a difference between the title and reality... Obama is asking each department that he has oversight of to cut 100 million dollars. While that's still pennies it's actually a much more real step than a hundred million over the entire budget.

[Hubbs]

So, you complain every time your local business announces a "Buy one, get one" sale, on an item whose price they doubled on the same day?

Um... yes? :whoknows:

This is a big, fat PR move. In the context of the federal budget, it's meaningless.

Republicans abandoned their values as a party and lost touch with the American people during the Bush administration. Why else do you think the Republican party is having a really hard time right now?

I'm gonna suggest something really, really crazy to you, TMat.

Maybe, just maybe, those of us who are pulling our hair out over government spending aren't diehard Republicans.

[MEANDWARF]

Tea parties worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!