Obama to propose 3 year budget freeze

[Neil]

Best way to cut the decifit is to cut civil service pay across the board, and to stop hiring them no matter what 

Peanuts compared to the real big ticket items.

I find it hard to believe that personnel costs are insignificant in the US federal government.  In the HK government, they account for 70% of recurrent expenditure.

Hong Kong doesn't provide services or entitlements either.  They don't have to pay for military hardware to defend the world from Chinese encroachment.

[Valmy]

Since Obama has previously increased non-defense discretionary spending by 24 percent since he took office (not counting the "stimulus" bill) this is hardly a return to fiscal sanity.  Even if he were to keep his pledge (and let's face it, when has he ever kept a pledge?), he would still have presided over a record increase in discretionary spending.

Better than announcing more spending increases no?  Or maybe not, that is clearly what you want since the Republicans in power is all you care about so when they jack up spending you can spin it and tell me why it is good when they do it.

As for keeping his pledges...well were any of the pledges he didn't keep things you actually wanted him to do?  If not why whine about it?  Oh nos I didn't get my public option health care!

[Admiral Yi]

As for keeping his pledges...well were any of the pledges he didn't keep things you actually wanted him to do?  If not why whine about it?  Oh nos I didn't get my public option health care!

Because at some point his credibility suffers.

[Valmy]

As for keeping his pledges...well were any of the pledges he didn't keep things you actually wanted him to do?  If not why whine about it?  Oh nos I didn't get my public option health care!

Because at some point his credibility suffers.

The president is not supreme dictator.  Everybody with a brain knows a pledge from the President means he will try to do something..and may even try hard to get it (or symbolicly 'try' to do it)...but it depends on Congress most of the time (and of course the changing political winds and public opinion and blah blah).  Nobody since LBJ has managed to move Congress to carry out campaign pledges and we got the 'Great Society' out of that.  I presume you want more of that sort of thing?

Reagan pledged smaller government...OMG he had no credibility!!!!1111  Please.  Of course at least he had the excuse of the other party controlling Congress...

[Valmy]

Anyway this is classic political bullshit.  Obama proposes something that may not be as far as I would like him to go...but it is better than most of the things he has proposed before...

and of course the people who are supposedly in favor of smaller government come in and tell me why it is bad because...um...well  a reason that has nothing to do with the actual proposal.  Let's change the subject and attack him over his inability to pass health care...which I didn't even want anyway...that is the ticket.

[Admiral Yi]

The president is not supreme dictator.  Everybody with a brain knows a pledge from the President means he will try to do something..and may even try hard to get it (or symbolicly 'try' to do it)...but it depends on Congress most of the time (and of course the changing political winds and public opinion and blah blah).  Nobody since LBJ has managed to move Congress to carry out campaign pledges and we got the 'Great Society' out of that.  I presume you want more of that sort of thing?

Reagan pledged smaller government...OMG he had no credibility!!!!1111  Please.  Of course at least he had the excuse of the other party controlling Congress...

You are quite the morning person Valmy.

I don't hold presidents accountable for failure to pass legislation.  I hold them accountable for acts of foreign policy they said they would not do and for including items in legislation they said they opposed.

How about you Valmy?  Does an affirmative statement mean anything at all to you?  Bush Sr. lost credibility after he said "read my lips."  Do you think he should not have?

[Sheilbh]

Since Obama has previously increased non-defense discretionary spending by 24 percent since he took office (not counting the "stimulus" bill) this is hardly a return to fiscal sanity.

What do you mean by non-defence discretionary?

Of course this is a political gimmick.  Fiscal sanity isn't possible until defence and non-discretionary spending are up for debate.  It's like trying to stop a river by building 20% of a dam.

As for keeping his pledges...well were any of the pledges he didn't keep things you actually wanted him to do?  If not why whine about it?  Oh nos I didn't get my public option health care!

His campaign had very little about a public option, I believe the people it would be available for was terribly limited.  What's more it wasn't a campaign issue.  During the primaries it was all about the mandates and in the general it was about funding.  The Senate bill looks remarkably like what Obama campaigned on.  The only major differences between his campaign health policy and the Senate bill is the individual mandate and the tax on terribly expensive (often union) healthcare plans) - which I think is a change for the better. 

I hold them accountable for acts of foreign policy they said they would not do and for including items in legislation they said they opposed.

Do you have any examples?

[Admiral Yi]

Do you have any examples?

I think he poo-poohed Hillary on individual mandates and I know he poo-poohed McCain on taxing employer provided insurance.

[Sheilbh]

I think he poo-poohed Hillary on individual mandates and I know he poo-poohed McCain on taxing employer provided insurance.

Ah, both true.  I agree they're substantive but I don't think they're 'read my lips' level, or indeed observed by most people or even most journos.

[Barrister]

Best way to cut the decifit is to cut civil service pay across the board, and to stop hiring them no matter what 

Peanuts compared to the real big ticket items.

I find it hard to believe that personnel costs are insignificant in the US federal government.  In the HK government, they account for 70% of recurrent expenditure.

Believe it.  A huge chunk of federal government expenditures is in grants - mostly to state and local governments.  You don't have that problem in HK because it's a unitary government.

And you should be ashamed of yourself for making that suggestion.   

[alfred russel]

I think he poo-poohed Hillary on individual mandates and I know he poo-poohed McCain on taxing employer provided insurance.

Ah, both true.  I agree they're substantive but I don't think they're 'read my lips' level, or indeed observed by most people or even most journos.

On the Hillary case, it deserves an asterisk because his plan made no sense without an individual mandate. That was a fairly transparent ploy to get more votes (that is a big reason I wanted Hillary to win). As for the McCain case, I think he will support whatever can pass. He is covered here under the "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" statement.

[Hansmeister]

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Obama repeatedly denouncing spending freezes during the campaign.

Remember, all of Obama's statements come with an expiration date.  All of them.

Is there a single issue on which Obama has been consistent?  Where he hasn't engaged in either bald-faced lying or flip-flopped?  Please somebody give me an example, I can't think of a single one.

[Sheilbh]

Obama repeatedly denouncing spending freezes during the campaign.

And he makes a very good point about the nature of spending freezes.  These sorts of things are, almost always, political in nature.

[Hansmeister]

Obama repeatedly denouncing spending freezes during the campaign.

And he makes a very good point about the nature of spending freezes.  These sorts of things are, almost always, political in nature.

I wish a reporter would play that back to Obama during an interview, but reporters are generally too busy sucking his cock during interviews to ask him real questions instead of laughable softballs.

[Ed Anger]

That's it, I'm building a bunker fortress. I'll call it the Felsennest.