Could you run the government on $2.5 trillion dollars? The Obama administration sure can’t.
Obama’s latest disaster of a budget calls for a $1.33 trillion deficit, for a total federal budget of $3.8 trillion.
To put it in perspective, Obama wants the government to spend an amount of money next year that exceeds the GDP of every country in the world, save three.
Of course, Obama’s newest budget is about more than just the mind-boggling extent of our government’s bloat. For a president seeking reelection, the budget proposal is about shoring up support and giving the people what they want. Through his budget proposal, Obama is essentially using taxpayer money to bet that Americans want to continue avoiding making the tough cuts we need to make, particularly regarding the government’s health care programs.
President Barack Obama is doing the American public a gross disservice by continuing to behave as though Americans will never have to pay the piper.
At some point, Americans are going to need to decide to pay down the debt, or at least keep it from continuing to spiral out of control. Instead, Obama is betting that Americans will continue to embrace the popular perception that short term, unique circumstances exist that justify not just putting the problem off, but actually making it worse.
When will this end? When we're not in a recession? Believing that would be ridiculously naïve. The government has commonly run deficits even when the economy is healthy.
When will improving the present stop justifying hurting the future? Kicking the can down the road can't always be the right thing to do, can it?
Quite simply — it is ridiculous that this administration can't figure out a way to run the government on $2.5 trillion, or at least something close to $2.5 trillion.
As long as the government refuses to reform its health care programs, permits wasteful programs like Communities Putting Prevention to Work to continue, and allows billions of dollars of stimulus money to sit unspent, a $1.33 trillion deficit remains unnecessary, irresponsible and indefensible.
Photo Credit: Matt Ortega
The Discussion
A common misunderstanding of the public debt leads to the austerity argument every time. The public debt is not dangerous, it will not harm us, and we cannot become insolvent in our own currency, as long as Americans are willing to use it. It is just a portion of private sector savings, that's it.
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Reducing spending and balancing the budget is not an impossible feat. Getting the most partisan congress we have had in years to agree that we need to balance the budget is a much more challenging task.
The key to balancing our budget is getting rid of discretionary spending on entitlement programs. in 2011 the US spend 19.5 billion on NASA, 28.6 billion on foreign aid and 159.3 billion on Anti-terrorism. Guess how much was spend on entitlement programs? A whopping 2.4 trillion dollars.
It's time to reduce the federal government back to its constitutional functions.
" it is ridiculous that this administration can't figure out a way to run the government on $2.5 trillion"
Sigh. This passes for an argument these days, I suppose.
When can we get back to the days when Democrats and Republicans argue over a 1% of spending as % of GDP and the government functions again? No one is ever going to cut $1.3 trillion from the economy during a recession. That would be insane. Are you asking for that? No, probably not. So what's the point of even saying it out loud?
As long as people are arguing this nonsense (and convincing other people of this nonsense), there's no hope. We need to come back to reality. Ron Paul's fantasy world is nice if you're stoned, but the grown ups are trying to govern.
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Obama the divider. That will probably be exactly what the historians call him if they are even making an attempt to be nice. He will go down as the worst POTUS in history eclipsing Carter and GWB. At least he's consistent.
Someone stated "Austerity". They don't even know the meaning of the word yet. Wait till another 4 years of Obama and we will have to have austerity like Greece. They are rioting because their free give away programs, retirement at 55 and other wonderful entitlements can't be paid for.
"Bread and Circuses" - superficial means of appeasement formula for the well-being of the population. Give them food and entertainment. That is Obama. Maybe they'll be gullible again.
I agree with the article. He could at least try.
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I'm not fan of Obama, but where's the GOP's budget proposal? The GOP POTUS candidates, with the exception of Ron Paul, have not proposed substantive cuts. We need deep cuts, and we need them fast.
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Christopher,
Given the recent budget history and hyper-partisanship, this proposed budget is not even worth the paper it's printed on. There will be no discussion on it until after the election; don't forget we still don't have a budget for this year and Harry Reid says we won't. After the election, discussion will take place based on the results - maybe.
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"When will this end?" Hopefully not until the economy is back near full employment and we've made the essential investments needed to prepare our country and economy for the future.
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Austerity, the antijobs plan.
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