Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Obama W. Bush's Budget

I notice there are NO CUTS coming from the WAR or CORPORATE SECTORS!!!

Nope, the ONLY THINGS getting HACKED are YOUR SERVICES, AmeriKa -- AFTER TRILLIONS upon TRILLIONS have been DOLED OUT to WAR LOOTERS, BANKS and CORPORATIONS!!!

And NOW the CUPBOARD is
BARE for YOU!!!

Is this the CHANGE you wanted, America! I thought Bush was poking you in the pooper enough; Obama simply slid on the same condom and took his place (pump, pump, pump)!!!!


"Obama seeks to halve annual deficit within term; Wants higher taxes for rich, troop reduction" by Jackie Calmes, New York Times Service | February 22, 2009

WASHINGTON - .... Obama will propose to tax the investment income of hedge fund and private equity partners at ordinary income tax rates, which are now as high as 35 percent and could return to 39.6 percent under Obama's plans, instead of at the capital gains rate, which is 15 percent at most.

Senior Democrats in Congress joined with Republicans in 2007 to oppose that increase, signaling a fight ahead. But with Wall Street discredited and lucrative executive compensation a political target, the provision could prove more popular among lawmakers - even if it would not bring in much money....

Obama will also call for letting the Bush tax cuts on income, dividends, and capital gains lapse after 2010 for individuals who make more than $250,000 a year.

After HE SAID he would REPEAL THEM RIGHT AWAY!!!

As a candidate Obama called for immediately repealing those tax cuts; he decided instead to keep them in place through 2010, as scheduled, reflecting the widespread belief that raising taxes further depresses economic activity.

Of course, on the STATE LEVEL THAT is ALL THEY SEE; RAISING TAXES, and we are told it is for the PUBLIC GOOD!! So when it comes to RICH FOLK, keep the taxes low; the rest of us can eat shit, huh?

As for war costs, Obama's campaign projected that withdrawing combat troops from Iraq would save about $90 billion a year.

I will BELIEVE THAT when the MONEY SHOWS UP!!!

But it is not clear how much any savings would be offset by increased spending in Afghanistan....

See?

Obama will propose to cut a variety of programs, among them the Medicare Advantage subsidies for insurance companies that cover seniors who can otherwise acquire health coverage directly from the government. Another target is spending on private contractors, especially for defense, which spiked during the Bush administration. And he will scale back some promises, including his proposal to double money for foreign aid.

Now, if HE FOLLOWS THROUGH on THAT ONE I will applaud him!!!!

The budget on Thursday will climax a week of reminders of the nation's fiscal plight. Tomorrow, Obama will hold a "fiscal responsibility summit" at the White House with members of Congress from both parties, economists, union leaders, and business representatives. On Tuesday he will make a address a joint session of Congress - the equivalent of a State of the Union speech for a new president - that advisers said would focus on the economy....

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So WHAT can we EXPECT from this CHANGE BUDGET?

WASHINGTON - Just one week after President Obama signed a stimulus package designed to give a short-term boost to the economy, some of the nation's top budget analysts plan to deliver a stark warning today at a White House summit that an even more foreboding long-term crisis will unfold unless Obama quickly fixes Social Security, healthcare, the tax code, and more.

While the $787 billion stimulus plan relies on tax cuts and increased spending, the list of problems to be addressed at the "Fiscal Responsibility Summit" could result in a series of painful political decisions that might eventually include tax increases and cuts in government benefits.

Translation: You are screwed, America -- and all that BAILOUT and STIMULUS DOUGH was WASTED!!

And although the stimulus package was passed almost entirely by Democrats, any significant changes on taxes and entitlements are considered unlikely without bipartisan support.

The measures to control the federal deficit are considered so controversial that some members of Congress are urging that Obama create a powerful commission, composed of leaders of both parties, to reach a "grand bargain" that would be subject to an up-or-down vote in Congress, possibly with no amendments allowed.

Ah, yes, MORE HORSE SHIT SHOVED DOWN OUR THROAT under the URGENCY BANNER -- a FURTHER DESCENT into EXECUTIVE FASCISM here in AmeriKa!!!!

"The stimulus was political nirvana: cut taxes and raise spending," said Robert Bixby, executive director of the fiscal watchdog group Concord Coalition, who is among those invited to the summit. "This is the opposite; it is the political agenda from hell."

But the agenda must be addressed, analysts said. In a recent memo to Obama, 12 top budget specialists including Bixby warned that "although we are rightly absorbed by our short-term problems, the long-term budget situation ultimately poses graver challenges to the success of your presidency."

The White House has invited a number of those who signed the memo, as well as members of Congress and representatives of business and labor, to join the summit. The 130 guests will meet with Obama and administration officials to discuss "how we can bring down the deficit and put our economy on sound financial footing," the White House said.

Are THEY KIDDING? After they just BORROWED TRILLIONS?

Obama will then outline the problem tomorrow night, in his first address to a joint session of Congress, and provide more detail when he presents his first budget Thursday.

Obama faces a record $1.2 trillion deficit in the current fiscal year, which has exploded partly because of the fall in tax revenues during the 14-month-old recession - and that does not include the cost of the stimulus package. Obama is hoping that the stimulus, along with banking and housing rescue plans, will revive the economy and eventually increase revenues to the Treasury.

So the WHOLE LAYOUT of BILLIONS is a HOPE? We are in troooouuuuu-ble!!!

Over the weekend, administration officials said that Obama's budget outline aims to cut the annual deficit by at least half by the end of his term, mainly through Iraq troop reductions and higher taxes on the wealthy.

He sounds JUST LIKE BUSH and HIS BROKEN PROMISES!!! As for troop reductions, I'll believe it when I see (besides, no savings there; they goin' to Afghanistan) and they make it sound like TAXES are being RAISED on the WEALTHY! Ha! RESCIND the TAX CUTS, dammit!

Budget analysts are worried that a continuing economic crisis will make it impossible to raise sufficient funds from foreign markets to finance the nation's debt.

Ooooooooh, THAT is what they are WORRIED ABOUT!! GOVERNMENT might get SHUT OFF like a DRUNK at a BAR would!!!!!!!

They AIN'T WORRIED BOUT YU, American -- they are worried about their CREDIT CARD being TAKEN AWAY!!!!

In the last four years, about three-quarters of US debt was purchased by foreign interests, most prominently by China. If other nations lose confidence that the United States will pay its debts, however, some economists fear an international financial crisis could escalate and turn into a worldwide depression.

Isn't that what we have now?

In any case, it is widely expected that debt purchasers will soon demand higher interest rates, which would translate into higher costs for US taxpayers.

Every time you turn around, POKE in the POOPER, 'eh, Amurkn taxpayer!!!!?

Obama is being urged by some analysts to start moving toward a balanced budget as soon as possible to send a signal to the world that deficit spending will abate.

Translation: After the banks and war looters absconded with the loot, YOU are SCREWED, Amurkns!!!!

Yet some analysts are offering Obama conflicting advice, warning him not to repeat what they regard as the mistake of President Franklin Roosevelt, who launched the New Deal but eventually heeded calls to curtail deficit spending, only to see a new recession batter his presidency.

A key player in the summit will be Senator Judd Gregg, the New Hampshire Republican who backed out of his commitment to be Obama's commerce secretary and then voted against the stimulus bill.

Oh, THAT'S WHY the POLITICAL INTRIGUE and SHUFFLE!!

Judd to shepard the plan through the Repug side!

Despite the embarrassment caused by Gregg's about-face, the White House believes that he could be one of its most important allies in the overhaul of Social Security, Medicare, and tax policy. That is because Gregg is the co-sponsor of the measure that would create a bipartisan commission to put together far-reaching recommendations for an up-or-down vote by Congress.

In an interview, Gregg said that under such a procedure, the measures could be passed within a year, as long as most of the benefit cuts and tax increases were not slated to take effect until well after the recession is over.

And WHO DECIDES THAT!?

Btw, I got a bridge to sell you if you are interested, readers.

"We need an up-or-down vote on a package that will be unquestionably bipartisan and fair," Gregg said, a reference to criticism that Obama's stimulus bill was too partisan....

Just the IDEA makes me SUSPICIOUS as hell!!!!

Some budget specialists are skeptical. Robert Reischauer, former head of the Congressional Budget Office, said Obama should have seized the opportunity to pair the stimulus bill with the overhaul of Social Security, Medicare, and the tax code.

"When you are shoveling out the goodies, you have a greater probability of getting people to sign on to some fiscal diet," said Reischauer, who has been invited to the summit. He said he is worried that nothing will happen on the most difficult issues until political leaders "have a gun at our heads. The system tends to respond only in the face of unavoidable crisis."

Did he have to use THOSE TERMS?

Analysts across the political spectrum agree that the current path is unsustainable. Unless there is a major budgetary change, federal spending will go from being about 20 percent of the nation's economy to 42 percent in 2050, according to the Concord Coalition. The major reason is that entitlement programs for older Americans are running short of funds.

But we have PLENTY for WARS, BANKS and CORPORATIONS!!!!!

When was the LAST TIME these BUDGET HAWKS mentioned THOSE COSTS, 'eh?

It is ALWAYS SOCIAL SERVICES!!!

Social Security is slated to pay out more money than it receives by 2017.

Then raise the TAX CEILING and put in a FLOOR!!!!!

Obama suggested during his campaign that he might support changing the level of income at which Social Security taxes are calculated. Another frequently mentioned option is raising the retirement age. But any measure will be even more controversial than usual because so many Americans have seen their private retirement plans pummeled by the stock market collapse.

Medicare, the government-run healthcare program for older Americans, is already running a deficit, which is expected to increase quickly as baby boomers retire. That is why many analysts are urging Obama to link changes in Medicare with an overhaul of the health system.

TRILLIONS for WARS, BANKS, CORPORA.... awwww, what's the use!?

At the same time, an estimated 47 million Americans have no health insurance, according to the Census Bureau. Obama must also consider the election calendar. He may want to deal with some of the most difficult decisions before the 2010 midterm elections.

Yup, DON'T FORGET the POLITICS even as the dear leaders scolds us all for thinking politics!!!

While economists have been warning about the long-term problems for years - with little effect - the current crisis has made matters far worse. Reischauer told a congressional committee last month that paying for the stimulus and bailouts has cost the equivalent of doing nothing about the long-term problems for another five to 10 years....

So GIVE UP that HEALTH CARE and PENSION, Amurkns!!!!

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And I mean it about the health care:

"Summit vows healthcare push; Obama goal to insure millions intended to save money later" by Michael Kranish and Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff | February 24, 2009

WASHINGTON - A White House summit that opened discussions on how to make sweeping changes in entitlement programs concluded yesterday with a pledge to immediately pursue an effort to provide health insurance to most Americans, which could increase spending in the short term but would be designed to save money later....

Promises, promises, promises!!!

"Putting America on a sustainable fiscal course will require addressing healthcare," Obama said. "Many of you said what I believe, that the biggest source of our deficits is the rising cost of healthcare."

I can tell you how to take care of that problem: Sicko

The effort to overhaul healthcare and extend insurance to most Americans has vexed politicians in Washington for decades.

Because of HEALTH CORPORATION DOUGH!!!

There had been discussion among analysts in the last month about whether the Obama administration might try to wrap healthcare into a "grand bargain" that would also include overhauls of Social Security and Medicare.

Drop trou and SPREAD, America!!! Here they come again!!!

But Obama aides said that the president wants to work on healthcare separately and "made it clear they want to focus on healthcare first," according to Senator Judd Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican who took part in the summit.

Gregg, who backed out of his nomination to be Obama's commerce secretary earlier this month, is cosponsor of a measure to create a bipartisan panel to produce recommendations on an array of entitlement programs that would be subject to an up-or-down congressional vote. Gregg said he was concerned that overhauling healthcare will be difficult without the bipartisan commission.

That's why he BACKED OUT of COMMERCE!! Smells like a DEAL was CUT!

The summit was intended to be a clear signal to the public that despite the massive deficit - projected at $1.2 trillion this fiscal year before passage of the $787 billion stimulus bill - Obama intends to cut spending over his presidency.

Can't say he didn't warn you, right?

Obama hopes he can halve the deficit over four years through measures including tax increases on the wealthiest Americans, a reduction of troops in Iraq, and an increase in revenues if an economic recovery develops as he hopes.

All been commented on before.

"We cannot simply spend as we please and defer the consequences to the next budget, the next administration, or the next generation," he said in opening the summit with a vow to end "clever accounting tricks" and other deceptions to hide the size of the federal budget.

After what he and Bush have done the last six months?

But in the markets, continued worries about the recession appeared to trump Obama's pledges to cut government deficits. The bellwether Dow Jones industrials dropped 251 points yesterday, ending at the lowest level in nearly 12 years.

That's because they either AIN'T BUYIN' the BULLSHIT or the GOVERNMENT ain't shoveling them enough!!!!

Just hours before the summit, Obama promised the nation's governors that tomorrow he will start sending them $15 billion in stimulus money for Medicaid, which provides healthcare for the poor. (According to the White House, Massachusetts will get $594 million, Maine will get $94.5 million, New Hampshire $31.5 million, Rhode Island $93.5 million, and Vermont $45.5 million.)

Obama sought to rebut criticism that he was trying to cast himself as a deficit hawk just one week after signing the stimulus package, asserting that both tracks are necessary.

Yeah, he's the Teflon presidency, part II!!!

He also made clear that the deficit should not stand in the way of major initiatives. The country faces "long-term challenges - healthcare, energy, education, and others - that we can no longer afford to ignore," said Obama, who is expected to deliver a similar message tonight for his first address to a joint session of Congress.

Translation: The BUDGET-CUTTING won't affect the CORPORATE WELFARE and TAXPAYER GIVEAWAYS -- just the SOCIAL SERVICES AMERICANS NEED!!!

A new analysis by economists at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services highlights the urgent need to contain healthcare costs, which continue to increase, even as the overall economy shrinks because of the recession.

I TOLD YOU how to do that!!!

Even after the economy recovers, health spending is projected to continue growing faster than the gross domestic product, almost doubling over the next decade to $4.4 trillion, according to the analysis, which will be published today on the website of the policy journal Health Affairs. That would be about one-fifth of the economy, more than twice the proportion it was in 1980, the report said.

Translation: The HEALTH CARE COMPANIES are going to RIP US OFF BIG-TIME!!!

Also see: Why the Nation Doesn't Need Massachusetts Health Care

Massachusetts Health Care Takes a Seat on the S***ter

The Massachusetts Model

Obama acknowledged that there are trade-offs in overhauling healthcare and "some of these things will ultimately involve some tough decisions and some tough votes."

Not for THEM!! They HAVE FINE HEALTH CARE --paid for by YOU and ME, readers!! The same people who CAN'T HAVE UNIVERSAL COVERAGE like in SiCKO!!!!

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