Obama to Cabinet: Show Me Your Cost Cuts

I don't even think $100 million will cover the interest on the $4 trillion for a single day. Obama is con. Get rid of him.

Where we have yet another example how dishonest and manipulative Obama is. He quadruples the debt spends trillions $$$$$, but then claims he is cutting spending when he asks his cabines to cut 100 million. Does he really think that the American people are to stupid to see him and his lies for what they are?

idahogirl; Some infrastructure spending is not only beneficial, but wise. The states should maintain what they've built as should the federal gov't. The purpose is to deter the high costs of completely rebvuilding as opposed to maintaining what is already in place. There's also need for improvements of infrastructure, but you missed my point. This administration is going into deep debt. We're talking TRILLIONS of dollars we don't have that are being spent. Even with a healthy economy which we don't have, every penny earned by every American and every American business for the next twenty years is currently obligated to our creditors. I'm questioning the wisdom as well as the math. A bullheaded plunge into doing "what's right" and "what's been promised" when we are broke doesn't seem like level headed leadership to me. Sorry Obama inherited a global recession, but he did. More mismanagement of the US dollar won't make things better. Now is not the time for pursuit of his ambitions or fulfillment of his campaign promises at the expense of already overstressed taxpayers. As it has always been, there's a time to spend and a time to tighten the belt. In my opinion growing the government will only lead to more debt. Besides, the only thing the federal government has ever done well is provide national defense. They should concentrate on what they do well and leave the rest to the states.

idahogirl-- interesting post.. first, no one including conservatives are opposed to all infrastructure spending, we just don't believe that it is the right "remedy" to bail a sinking ship. You mentioned that Oregon used infra spending to stimulate their economy.. but since the tax cuts were federal, how can you be sure that it was the state infra spending and not the tax cuts that improved your economy? Interesting that your economy has been using infrastructure spending along with the tax cuts coming from the fed and yet your unemployment is still above the average for the nation (who only had the benefit of the tax cuts). If the additional spending was so beneficial, then why didn't Oregon who utilized both the spending AND got breaks from tax cuts not have an even MORE robust economy than the rest of the country??

Most of the spending you mentioned is temporary at best (as with most stimulus spending) could it be that your poor employment (12%) is due to the fact that most of the jobs created by spending are temporary and that the jobs created by tax cuts are permanent.

Posted by: mmonroeliveson | Apr 19, 2009 12:47:55 PM: "Do you still think deficit spending to the tune of trillions of dollars annually is going to make life better for us and future generations?"

I can only speak from experience on the state level. To be sure, not everyone agrees with borrowing to stimulate the economy, but I live in Oregon, a state that's used this strategy during the last 2 economic downturns, and it worked.

Our state issued bonds (borrowed) to create jobs and we also opened wider eligibility for federal food stamps. The money circulated throughout the state, helping build jobs. We rebounded, attracted new employers like INTEL, and even built a rainy day fund - this growth has not compensated for ALL the borrowing, but it has not broken the backs of our children either. We don't even have a state sales tax and car licenses are a flat fee of around $20 bucks.

It is true that borrowing can be a double edge sword. In the past Oregon was forced to borrow to build new prisons due to tougher sentencing laws and one year our legislators even borrowed to balance its budget. IMO, that's the kind of borrowing that backed California into a serious deficit.

Oregon's economy is also heavily dependent on forest products, so the housing bust hit us hard. With unemployment over 12%, Oregon has once again borrowed to help our economy while we wait for federal stimulus money. We already started spending this month for every local County's economy on infrastructure projects to eventually have 3,000 people working and off unemployment.

The key focus has to be long term jobs. We'll be using upcoming federal money to help build healthy new tax payers by investing in school districts, summer jobs for low-income teens, training and community college scholarships.

Building healthy new jobs helped pay down borrowing in the past. Now, I don't agree with everything our President has advocated, but think it is worth stepping outside failed patterns to discover whether or not certain proposals have value.

I've learned it's not clear cut Republican OR Democratic policies that work. And tax cuts are not the only solution when kids go hungry today and we need to build new jobs for tomorrow's taxpayers.

Reality check. When there is an obsessive compulsive spending spree disorder abounding, talking about a little cost cutting is being in denial.

Jake, it's now Monday morning. After waiting with baited breath for the cost savings inputs from their budgets to be made by our department heads, I guess we can all exhale......the numbers I am hearing seem to make the process another meaningless one to the taxpayer...of course, they will be the ones to suffer if something can be cut 'cuz perish the thought if we should ask the leader of our Executive branch just how much has been added to his own staffing costs so far in the first 100 days.........including a bunch of "behavioral economists" figuring out the best ways to get folks to do what they want.....I guess they will attempt to save paper in the West Wing by getting Congress to ok whatever it is that Obama has in mind for his Health Plan as no one has seen a P-L-A-N
yet. (Isn't it fun to jam big ticket items through the legislative branch ( the one which "speaks for the people" down on the Potomac.....the beat goes on!

Not only that but Donaldson seems to think that we should be worried about going over a cliff. No dude, your the one worried about going over a cliff so you're willing to spend our grandkids future. The rest of us are already over that cliff. We don't want our kids and grandkids keeping you afloat. T.E.A. it's the new coffee. Get real. Another post for review

As a society we should ask the simple question of citizens; are you a contributor or producer or are you a continual drain and liability on society? Many not including the elderly, retired and disabled are simply a burden and will always be a burden and have absolutely no desire to contribute. What to do with them?

It sounds to me like everyone is right. The percentages quoted by Sandcrab1612 are no doubt right and the fact that Bush left this biggest deficit is also right. One is percentages and one is actual dollars.

Olivia - Since it is data taken from an official government website I figured that anyone could find it. If you google government debt you will be lead to an area where the data can be found on these two pages

In the interest of public perspective here are some stats that NPR, an unbiased news reporting station, has put out over the last several months. One trillion one dollar bills would occupy as much space as 103 Nemitz class aircraft carriers. Housing one trillion goldfish would require enough water to fill over 1000 pro football stadiums. The light put off by 4.3 billion fireflies would equal the light emitted by our sun. therefore, one trillion fireflies would give off as much light as nearly 250 of our suns. The annual GNP (Gross National Product)of all the US is only slightly larger than our current national debt. Footnote: This nation's GNP yields less than a 5% profit, so our current indebtedness equals about 20 years worth of the profit earned on all the goods produced the US annually. Do you still think deficit spending to the tune of trillions of dollars annually is going to make life better for us and future generations? Is the US getting stronger?

Nick- RIGHT ON!

Sandcrab1612 - I read your posts and my question is - where is your source? Print the link - I always want to see from whence it came.

Olivia...

Your spewing does nothing for me at all...

I am not from the far right and have no problems viewing all opinions, even those that I do not agree with.

Tone down your hostility and get a grip, you look desperate for approval

IM- Great read? You mean another member of the far right righteouos spewing. Please don't quote anyone from FOX and expect it to be taken as serious reporting. What a joke.

Jason "Get the bailout money back before it's too late!!!"

Jason, do you realize that the Obama administration has refused bank repayments because they want to maintain control over some banks? We have quite the little petulant dictator in Obama.

ya know, all of this would make more sense if we had a clue as to what obama's really all about. No track record except community activism. What is it the man really wants to do. He seems to hate all that we are but loves all that we should be. But what is that? And who is he to decide what that is.

Get taxpayer's bailout money back from the Wizards of Wall Street before it disappears.

why isn't ABC reporting on how the Obama administration is fighting over how much info to release to the public on the banks stress tests....

How the banks are restructuring their books so that investors will not be scared off and not buy up their toxic assets.

How the unemployment rate is surging past 10 percent in most states and even more economists are saying that we are not even close to being out of the woods yet.

No those only do half their job.

What a shame that you have to watch NBC or other media to get the whole news.