Posted on 04/20/2009 6:35:11 AM PDT by reaganaut1
President Obama plans to convene his Cabinet for the first time today, where he will order members to identify a combined $100 million in budget cuts over the next 90 days, according to a senior administration official.
The budget cuts, while they would account to a minuscule portion of federal spending, are intended to signal the president's determination to cut spending and reform government, the official said.
Obama's order comes as he is under increasing pressure to show momentum toward his goal of eventually reducing the federal deficit, even as he goes about increasing spending in the short run to prop up the economy and support his priorities.
Earlier this month, both chambers of Congress passed Obama's $3.5 trillion budget outline for 2010, which includes unprecedented new investments in health care, education and energy. But the huge budget, which contemplates a $1.2 trillion deficit, has drawn the ire of small-government conservatives who say that the deficits jeopardize the nation's economic future.
Last week, conservative activists organized tea parties to protest Obama's budget which they say "spends too much, taxes too much, and borrows too much from our children and grandchildren," according to House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).
"They're really concerned about the amount of spending that's going on in Washington and the amount of debt that is being piled up," Boehner said yesterday on ABC's "This Week." "They know that you can't have trillion dollar deficits for as far as the eye can see without imprisoning the future for our kids and theirs."
In his radio and Internet address Saturday, Obama repeated his vow for his administration to scour the federal budget "line by line" to reduce spending.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
More feel good, do nothing liberalism.
Drop meet bucket....
From National Review:
“The entire purpose of these cuts will be to fend off critics who are eager to say that the Obama administration didn’t downsize any government programs. They will allow for the creation of a talking-points memo that says, oh yes we have.”
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=YjViZjAzMTJmMDk4NjVlN2RkZmI1ZWNhZjc5MmY0NzM=
WOW- $100 Million in cuts down.
Only 3.4999 TRILLION more to mine for waste
WOW, the ignorants are sure to lap this up.
This is the equivalent of a Husband and Wife cutting their $3,500 monthly budget by ONE PENNY.
Obama really does think we are all stupid!
The Great Budget Flim-Flam continues.
Pffffft.
OK, I'll cut $0.01 off my groceries next week too, for the cause.
Here’s a cost-cutting suggestion, Obama - switch from wagyu beef to Jen-O pizza rolls at your next Wednesday congressional cocktail fest. And make your fellow bloodsuckers PAY for their own drinks.
The republicans should make this move a laughing stock. LOL!
That is about a 2.8% cut.
100 million is a joke.
It’s all PR.
They must believe that America is stupid. If Big Media makes a Big Deal out of this, the they are proven Big Suckups.
(not that they aren’t already.)
If he just shows us his birth certificate, he could save $100 million on legal fees alone!
More tingly-leg manlove from the Compost. zzzzzzzzz
LOL....when he starts talking trillions, as in his projected budget deficits, he might get our attention. This is an insult to the intelligence of taxpayers.
“where he will order members to identify a combined $100 million in budget cuts over the next 90 days,”
Wow...Obama is going to “ORDER” it. What a President and what fortitude. He’s not going to take “No” for an answer.
Do I really need my sarc/ tag?
But the Washington post is cheerleading him and acting like this is a big deal.
“That is about a 2.8% cut”
You need help in Math. LOL.
The NPCLB (No Paper Clip Left Behind) Initiative would require all federal agencies to save and reuse paper clips, rather than throwing them away.
Meanwhile studies are being to done access the feasibility of removing, straightening and reusing staples. The study being performed by the FBRU (Federal Bureau of Redundancy Union) is being funded with a Federal grant of $110,000,000.
It has nothing to do with feel-good, do nothing liberalism and more to do with blatant propaganda thru symbolism. Goebbels would be proud.
Did all of you miss the part this is his FIRST cabinet meeting? Very first sentence says that he plans to convene his cabinet for the “first” time.
This shows he is running the Government pretty much by himself and now is making a big splash to cut $100M after spending trillions.
To not have convened the cabinet says all about ZERO’s Administration we need to know — incompetence on display and his desire not to have input from others that might not agree with him.
The National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$3.85 billion per day since September 28, 2007!
Close- it’s about a 0.0028% cut.
In the spirit of bipartisan compromise, I will agree to have my taxes raised by no more than the same percentage... for one year only. In return I want a much, much steeper permanent tax cut the next year. How’s that? Bipartisan, right? Raise taxes, Stimulate the economy? Win-win? ;0)
“They must believe that America is stupid.”
The problem is not that America is stupid, it’s that America is ignorant. Lots of things contribute to this, including complacency, intellectual laziness, and misplaced trust by many in the accuracy of the MSM. That’s why the Bush approach of being a gentleman by not responding to inaccuracies and criticisms doesn’t work. If the other side is successfully pushing their propaganda you have to respond, and respond aggressively.
Well, Obama is TOTUS....
That’s the plan Stan. Nothing more than PR stunt to say “see, we did cut spending!”. After quadrupling the budget deficit first of course.
Unfortunately, the sheeple actually by this.
USA Today Headline: Obama calling on Cabinet to tighten belts, cut spending...
Hey, what's a few decimal points between FRiends, right? ;0)
How about eliminating the Departments of Education and Energy for starters?
$100M (USD) is not even a rounding error - pure silliness!
Chump change...
Waterboarding ala Obama
Bush, Hastert, Senate republicans don’t have a leg to stand on. Maybe in ten-fifteen years someone will believe them.
They have no plans to cut the budget. Even 100 million is chump change compared to what they've already wasted. They want to create the illusion of "good intentions."
Sure, the ignorant masses will fall for it anyway. They always do. The media will chant their prayers to Oboma, the sun will shine brighter, the birds will sing, and rainbows will fill the air, but we're still going to be 9 trillion dollars in debt.
“...dumbed down education for decades....”
And agenda-driven education..
Are they planning to cut current spending levels, or will these cuts come from projected spending? There is a big difference.
This is a great talking point. Conversatives should use it, but typically they talk way over the heads of most Americans and rattle off liberal, inside-the-Beltway acronymns and doublespeak.
For his part, notwithstanding his many attributes, Michael Steele can never close a sale.
Will Congress go along with these “cuts”? After all, it is Congress that appropriates the money.
His base is. Therefore, he believes everyone is.
This is the first time he's ever done anything outside of inner Chicago, and he did very little there. Saddam thought he had the greatest military in the world during Desert Storm, but he'd never been outside of Iraq.
$100 million is walking around cash for a Liberal.
Exactly. This is a drop in the bucket. Even $100 BILLION wouldn’t be much given the incredible spending.
" ...Next day, he sent a message in curt and imperious words demanding economy. "For three long years," he said, "the federal government has been on the road toward bankruptcy. For the fiscal year 1931 the deficit was $462,000,000 ... For the fiscal year 1933 it will probably exceed $1,200,000,000 ... For the fiscal year 1934 based on appropriation bills passed by the last Congress and estimated revenues, the deficit will probably exceed $1,000,000,000 unless immediate action is taken." Then he warned: "Too often ... liberal governments have been wrecked on the rocks of loose fiscal policy. We must avoid this danger."
Here at last was the man to put an end to the deficits. Roosevelt declared these deficits had contributed to the banking collapse, had deepened the stagnation in our economic life, added to the ranks of the unemployed. He declared "the credit of the national government is imperiled." And then he asserted, "The first step is to save it. Recovery depends on that." The first step was a measure to cut government payroll expenditures 25 per cent. The second step, incredible as it may sound, was to authorize a bill providing in effect for the biggest deficit of all $3,300,000,000."
History repeats ... as the deficit under FDR grew, and grew, and grew, and grew, and grew, ...
BFD!
$100 million? Big whoop.
Flopears is the big joke!
He thinks it'll appease the Tea Partiers - as if that will somehow make them "believe" they're actually keeping the wages they've earned.
Yeah, right.
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