Q - The Purpose of a threat of a Government Shutdown is:
A- To allow enough time to create a shell game out of imaginary budget cuts that fools Americans into believing that both sides are cutting spending, when in actuallity the majority of a proposed $38 B budget cuts is just plain B.S.
ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press – Tue Apr 12, 8:49 am ET
WASHINGTON – The historic $38 billion in budget cuts resulting from at-times hostile bargaining between Congress and the Obama White House were accomplished in large part by pruning money left over from previous years, using accounting sleight of hand and going after programs President Barack Obama had targeted anyway.
....
Instead, the cuts that actually will make it into law are far tamer, including cuts to earmarks, unspent census money, leftover federal construction funding, and $2.5 billion from the most recent renewal of highway programs that can't be spent because of restrictions set by other legislation. Another $3.5 billion comes from unused spending authority from a program providing health care to children of lower-income families.
....
About $10 billion of the cuts already have been enacted as the price for keeping the government open as negotiations progressed; lawmakers tipped their hand regarding another $10 billion or so when the House passed a spending bill last week that ran aground in the Senate.
For instance, the spending measure reaps $350 million by cutting a one-year program enacted in 2009 for dairy farmers then suffering from low milk prices. Another $650 million comes by not repeating a one-time infusion into highway programs passed that same year. And just last Friday, Congress approved Obama's $1 billion request for high-speed rail grants — crediting itself with $1.5 billion in savings relative to last year.
Hey, Johnny Boy! I think that pledge mentions something about $100B in cuts in the first year and three days for congress to review proposals before voting.
What? Oh .... you're reviewing footage of Newt in '95 when he was blamed for the shutdown? Hey, isn't that you standing behind Newt?
So the Pledge .. it's just some B.S. that you used to get votes back in November and you didn't really intend to follow through on anything???
(I don't want to see people lose their paychecks - other than the politicians - but the point is that the government is so out of control it's almost incomprehensible).
if the government is out of control, and the the government represents us, does that mean we are out of control? or that the government we elected doesn't represent us?
1998 - STL; 2000 - CIN, CLB, STL; 2003 - LEX, STL, CHM; 2004 - STL; 2006 - CHI #2; 2009 - CHI #1; 2010 - STL; 2013 - CHI; 2016 - CHI #2; 2018 - CHI (1,2)
Comments
A- To allow enough time to create a shell game out of imaginary budget cuts that fools Americans into believing that both sides are cutting spending, when in actuallity the majority of a proposed $38 B budget cuts is just plain B.S.
ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press – Tue Apr 12, 8:49 am ET
WASHINGTON – The historic $38 billion in budget cuts resulting from at-times hostile bargaining between Congress and the Obama White House were accomplished in large part by pruning money left over from previous years, using accounting sleight of hand and going after programs President Barack Obama had targeted anyway.
....
Instead, the cuts that actually will make it into law are far tamer, including cuts to earmarks, unspent census money, leftover federal construction funding, and $2.5 billion from the most recent renewal of highway programs that can't be spent because of restrictions set by other legislation. Another $3.5 billion comes from unused spending authority from a program providing health care to children of lower-income families.
....
About $10 billion of the cuts already have been enacted as the price for keeping the government open as negotiations progressed; lawmakers tipped their hand regarding another $10 billion or so when the House passed a spending bill last week that ran aground in the Senate.
For instance, the spending measure reaps $350 million by cutting a one-year program enacted in 2009 for dairy farmers then suffering from low milk prices. Another $650 million comes by not repeating a one-time infusion into highway programs passed that same year. And just last Friday, Congress approved Obama's $1 billion request for high-speed rail grants — crediting itself with $1.5 billion in savings relative to last year.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110412/ap_on_re_us/us_spending_showdown_details;_ylt=Al8rHSMCwA7iQ03w9hvteutG2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTMzcXVybW03BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNDEyL3VzX3NwZW5kaW5nX3Nob3dkb3duX2RldGFpbHMEcG9zAzEyBHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA2J1ZGdldHRyaWNrcw--
What? Oh .... you're reviewing footage of Newt in '95 when he was blamed for the shutdown? Hey, isn't that you standing behind Newt?
So the Pledge .. it's just some B.S. that you used to get votes back in November and you didn't really intend to follow through on anything???
Oh, OK. Just wanted to be clear on that.
Fuck it, dude. Let's go bowling.
if the government is out of control, and the the government represents us, does that mean we are out of control? or that the government we elected doesn't represent us?