Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Uh, oh. Here they come with charts, ominous charts — as scary as the times. In lines of red: deficits, crippling deficits, unconscionable deficits, the Obama deficits.
The speakers pace back and forth, pointers pecking. And I’m wondering:
Where were these birds the same time last year? Likely they were clucking about how the Bush deficits were insignificant as a portion of the GDP. Or they were saying that whatever the cumulative and long-range price, it was all the “cost of freedom.”
Right now, our feathered friends are doing an exceedingly good job stating the obvious:
Just as we did when we financed two wars simultaneously amid round after round of tax cuts, we are borrowing to pay for the federal stimulus package hammered out by President Obama and Congress.
Any way you look at it, we’re talking a lot of money foisted onto future Americans. That is not good.
But observe a stark difference: The borrowing that preceded Obama didn’t correspond to an economy in the tank, to 13 million people without jobs.
It was borrowing rain or shine, bubble or fizzle, gallop or shuffle. Every step of the way, the federal government was painting itself into a narrower corner with blue-sky tax policies and blank-check spending initiatives for the military.
Yes, some in the flock denounced this. Others saw it as part of the continued process of starving government into submission, Reagan-style. Deficit by design.
So, whadya know? A real, honest-to-Steinbeck, grapes-of-wrath calamity has befallen our land, the type that screams out for an activist government, the type that put FDR in our hearts and on our dimes.
We can all argue about what vehicles the Obama administration chose for its fiscal activism. We can argue about the efficacy of its tax cuts. (Is having $18 more in one’s paycheck really a job-producer?)
But, get real. This crisis calls for bold action. Indeed, a growing list of economists is accusing Obama of being too meek.
I’m thinking: Surely we knew such a day would happen, that the economy would tank. Back when the sun was shining and the fields were brimming, and we could have acted with smarts and long-range acuity, who let these birds consume our seed corn?
We are paying for attitudes that put the next earnings quarter and the next election cycle ahead of long-range concerns.
Among those concerns: highways, health care, levees to hold against flood tide, schools saddled with mandates but not the dollars to execute them.
Ronald Reagan said government is the problem. As Katrina is our witness, we inspired a generation of leaders to make his words prophetic.
They will denounce “pork”— earmarks, for instance, all of 2 percent of the discretionary budget. They’ll denounce foreign aid (4 percent). Point out that even without the off-budget costs of Iraq and Afghanistan, the military is 59 percent of the discretionary budget, and . . .? They’ll change the subject.
But back to the subject of deficits: Now, we’re told, they are despicable, irresponsible. This time last year? They were the American way.
John Young’s column appears Thursday, Sunday and occasionally Tuesday. E-mail: jyoung@wacotrib.com.
Comments
By Robbie
Apr 8, 2009 8:43 AM | Link to this
John Young said: "They will denounce ıporkıı earmarks, for instance, all of 2 percent of the discretionary budget. Theyıll denounce foreign aid (4 percent). Point out that even without the off-budget costs of Iraq and Afghanistan, the military is 59 percent of the discretionary budget, and . . .? Theyıll change the subject."
There is so much falacy to this statement, its a wonder this man can walk straight from all the spin. I suppose he's used to it by now...
There is the federal budget, and the discretionary budget. The discretionary budget are other budget items, like war, that cannot, due to irregularities or unknowns, be figured into the federal budget which represents the opperational costs of America for that year.
An honest look at over-all spending will show that the stats represented by Mr. Young are entirely spun to dishonestly represent his ideology. An honest approach would look at over-all government spending, and derive said stats from that.
Over-all, 36.04% of federal spending wen to the two entitlements, Medicare and Social Security. 19.34% were split between SCHIPS, unemployment, and welfare programs. That's 55.39% of over-all government spending dedicated to entitlements.
That leaves 16.19% to the Department of Defense, and a whopping 3.67% of overall government spending to fight the War of Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.
You want to drastically cut government spend and drastically reduce your tax rate, go after the bulk of the spending that goes to feed entitlement programs to those who do not pay the taxes.
Want real government change, check out the Waco Tea Party and be a part of a national movement aimed at bringing accountability to Washington.
The super-hard-to-find Wikipedia source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fy2007spendingbycategory.png
By JC Hedj
Apr 8, 2009 7:57 AM | Link to this
The answer lies in " we the people" ceasing to support and obey a totally corrupt two party incumbent government.
We cannot afford to go along anymore because we want to appear to be civilized. All of our pretentious behavior has come home to roost. In other words its time to chase the BUZZARDS out of the hen house , Martha " Quit re-electing them.
There is absolutely not one farthing of difference between the two political parties. They continue to behave in the same corrupt manner regardless of which party is at the helm. They've spent billions on getting the media to spread their message of corruption as the norm ; outsourcing our jobs , lack of border security , illegal drug flow into the US because the Americans have a desire for drugs , illegal immigrant labor , sanctuary cities to provide protection against the existing laws , healthcare and educational services for theses needy illegal workers while the employer pays no payroll taxes for these people. Bailout money that is unaccountable to not only the US Government but to the people as well. Do you really think you'll ever see the recipients ever pay back that money ?
NOw the members of the dictating party is saying Americans need to surrender their guns to stop the violence in Mexico. The Mexican government blames the US for its gun supply and the AK 47 is not an American weapon . THe deserters and corrupt Mexican government will not release the serial numbers of the weapons they find in the hands of the drug cartel because those American weapons were furnished by the Mexican government.
Oh yes America , most of you bought the two party line once to often. Hook , line and SINKER.
The only solution to change to is to put an end to the two party incumbent system once and for all. DO NOT VOTE for either party candidates. EVER !
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