What Democrats Want, Day 36, Countdown to Oblivion? SPENDING

As of today, there are 36 days until the most consequential election in American history. This is what they say about many past elections, but this is really it. For if the Democrats seize power – control of the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate and the Presidency – and doing it by hook or by crook (the justifies the means, you know) America as we know it will be forever changed. America envisioned and created by the Founding Fathers will disappear into the shadows of history.

The ungodly secular-humanists/Marxists slow march through America’s institutions over the last 100 years or so will have reached a crescendo – fulfilling Mr. Obama’s fundamental transformation of control of the masses.

Envision with me what a Socialist Democratic Party, takeover, a bloodless coup, a regime change, would look like. This is one in a series of daily articles leading up to the 2020 General Election 

SPENDING like there’s no tomorrow, spending like a drunken sailor, using taxpayers as an ATM. That pretty much describes the Democratic Party. Mr. Trump asks for a trillion to deal with COVID (which is too much), but San Fran Nan Pelosi asks for 3 trillion. Never the twain shall meet. But the Republicans are not too far behind.

 

What a Waste!

President Reagan made this wise observation, “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!” This fosters a lot of redundancy and waste. Smaller government is always better. It minimizes waste and maximizes accountability.

 

Budgeting 101

Omnibus bills are all the rage in Washington, D.C.  Not wanting to deal with tough budget decisions, Congress often waits to the last minute to avoid a government shutdown and then is forced to pass an appropriation bill that continues the status quo, it perpetuates the outrageous spending patterns of yesterday into the future.

 

Federal Fumbles

On his government website, U.S. Senator James Langford (R-OK) notes that “In order to address America’s outrageous $23+ trillion federal debt, we need a growing economy and responsible spending reductions in the federal budget. Senator Lankford’s Federal Fumbles: Ways the federal government dropped the ball report is a collection of specific examples of wasteful federal spending and negative regulations that impact the economy. Lankford believes he has an obligation to solve the troubles of our nation, not just complain, which is why for every problem identified there is a recommended solution. There is a way to eliminate wasteful, ineffective, or duplicative program spending; develop oversight methods to prevent future waste; and find ways to get us back on track.” In his annual report Senator identifies specific areas of wasteful government spending and offers a solution. One example from his most recent report, which are found on his website, is what he calls, “$11.6 Million for Zombies COST: $11.6 million.”

His report explains,  “In an effort to identify and prevent payments after death, the Social Security Administration (SSA) established a program under which states and US territories can voluntarily contract with SSA to provide the agency with death data to compare with its records. States electronically submit death reports to SSA, and SSA automatically posts the state death information and terminates payments to deceased beneficiaries. Unfortunately for taxpayers, Puerto Rico does not have such a system in place, which has led to millions of overpayments to dead people. The Puerto Rico Department of Health provided SSA’s watchdog, the Office of Inspector General (OIG), with the vital records data of approximately 568,000 Social Security number holders who died in Puerto Rico from January 1992 through December 2016. OIG matched the data against SSA payment records, and their findings were incredibly concerning. OIG found that SSA issued approximately $11.6 million in posthumous payments to 149 beneficiaries who died in Puerto Rico during that time period. OIG also identified 33,258 non-beneficiaries who were deceased according to vital records at the Puerto Rican Department of Health but whose death information was not in SSA’s system, which could potentially lead to further improper payments.”

More of our representatives need to take an interest in identifying waste in government expenditures.

 

Public Broadcasting

Speaking of egregious wasteful expenditures, expending limited resources to prop up national public radio (NPR) and public broadcast service (PBS) is mind-boggling.  These entities receive federal taxpayer dollars to present highly biased, Leftist-orientated programming. They along with the mainstream media function as public relation or marketing firms of the Democratic Party and all Leftist causes. The Party and not the People should be paying for these propaganda machines!

 

Some Solutions

 

Balanced Budget Amendment

A balanced budget amendment to the Constitution would require that expenditures should not exceed revenues. It is a proposal which has been introduced in Congress almost every two years, without success, that would limit the federal government's spending to no more than it generates in revenue from taxes in any fiscal year.

 

Zero-Based Budgeting

TheStreet.com’s website defines Zero-Based Budgeting as “a concept where the budget for the next budgeting cycle for an organization, often a calendar or fiscal year, starts from a zero base as opposed to an increase off the current spending levels. Under this process, the budget amount for a department or even a line item must be justified both in terms of the purpose of the budget and the amount to be included in the budget.” Some form of this kind of budgeting should be implemented throughout government.

 

Benefit-Cost Ratio/Analysis, or Just Say ‘No’

Members of Congress need to start saying no to unaffordable, unnecessary, and those expenditures where costs outweigh any benefit. They could use the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) and analysis which is an indicator showing the relationship between the relative costs and benefits of a proposed project, expressed in monetary or qualitative terms.

 

Conclusion

We finally have a businessman in the White House. He has dealt with the real world. Routine concepts like the need to operate at least on a breakeven (expenses not exceeding revenue) basis and the need to justify all expenditures are sound business principles that could and should be applied to the government enterprise as well.

The Democratic Party will maintain the status quo, which is spend, spend, and spend. The Republicans under President Trump if he can reign in the rogue Deep State undermining could implement some practices that will better control spending.

Vote Democrat for more waste and more resulting taxes. Vote Republican for less spending and less taxes.

 

 

Questionable Reporting of the Shutdown Protesters

(Columbus, Ohio)  The local and national oriented news stories insist on painting a very skewed picture in their reporting of the feed-up citizens and patriots, who are showing up the half-dozen or so times the last few weeks at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. You could label the coverage as #FakeNews with distortions, non-reporting, misrepresentation, omissions, etc.

The overwhelming majority of protesters attending the government's self-inflicted economic downturn in Ohio and across the nation have been common folks, average Americans and households, families, mothers and fathers with their children, youth, adults, veterans and elders.  These people are seeking a redress of their grievances at the symbol of state power in Ohio, the Statehouse.  They are not typically or necessarily Trump-supporters or anti-vaccine or other special interest or cause groups.

Saturday, April 25, 2020 Part of the Crowd from the Statehouse Steps

Taking it to the Street

The concerned citizens’ signs tell the story, “Open Ohio Now,” “Unlock Our Economy,” “People Are Essential,” “Jobs Are Essential,” and even “Give Me Liberty or Give Me  COVID-19.” 

The only hate that I observed was the deep disgust and dissatisfaction with Ohio’s leadership, the Governor and the Director of the Ohio Department of Health who carelessly insist on issuing edicts which have had the affect of killing small businesses and jobs of Ohioans. Their orders are seemingly based on questionable guesstimates, which have proved to be based seriously flawed mathematical models.  

Apparently, Ohio’s leaders continue to rely on these unrealistic models using them in making their plans to reopen Ohio. 

What is hilarious to me is that the writers of one of the stories said that reporters were afraid for safety reasons to attend the protests, yet young children as young as 4 and 5 hold signs protesting the future ramifications for them as the economy is crushed and the debt skyrockets.

A Protester is a Protester No Matter How Small

The GOP Can Now Only Be Described As A Team of Looters!

Today the U.S. House of Representative under the ever compromising and traitorous eye of its inglorious Speaker John Boehner introduced a horrible bill that aims to continue to fund this obese and growing government colossus set on advancing radical leftist policies.

John Boehner: No ripple but Ripple?

Come hell or high water Speaker John Boehner is determined not to cause a ripple of resistance to the Progressive tide that is the scandal plagued Obama Administration’s agenda! Is the only ripple John knows is the kind that comes in a bottle?

Seriously, why are the Republicans betraying those who helped them win election after election not even two months ago? Are they so drunk with power now they can do whatsoever their spending-addicted little hearts desire? Why are they so easily surrendering to, and compromising with the Democrat Party elitists, who consist of radicalized ideologues like Obama? What does the GOP stand for now, besides using the power they deceptively gained and going all out to preserve the status quo? John Boehner, his RINO disciples and his gal pal San-Fran Nan Pelosi don’t give a Red Rip or a plug nickel about what the American people want, need, think, or desire.

Republicans: Losers and/or Looters

So what does the latest spending bill offered by the Republicans do?

·         Pages 958 and 959 of the 1,603-page omnibus spending bill from House Speaker John Boehner include a provision that gives Social Security benefits to illegal aliens under President Barack Obama’s executive amnesty. Read more here.

·         Fully funds departments helping those illegally crossing our borders. $948 million for HHS illegal immigrant assistance, for example. An increase of $80 million. Another $14 million goes to schools taking in illegal immigrants and State Department gets $260 million to assist central American countries where the illegals are invading from. 

·         Fully funds ObamaCare.

·         Funds a pork project for ousted Republican Eric Cantor. 

·         You like your mail on Saturdays? You'll keep your mail on Saturdays. The bill requires the mail service to continue six-day deliveries, despite a years-long attempt to cut back on service to save money. You can read more in the recent spending analysis of the House’s CROMNIBUS bill in this Washington Post article. Click here.

Hat tip goes to the Patriot Action Network for their special alert sent in regard to this newest challenge to our republic.

Jeff Foxworthy’s Wit and Wisdom: “If … then you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots…”

Hat tip goes to Jeff Foxworthy and to AmyElizabeth who posted his article on the GOPtheDailyDose.com website today. In Foxworthy’s list he illustrates in a very ironic and humorous way the shortcomings (insanity tendencies) of the liberal mind. He broaches the following areas:

·         Illegal immigration

·         Bypassing Parental Notification for a Child’s Abortion

·         Resistance to Voter Identification

·         Gun Control

·         Food Nazism

·         TSA and Profiling

·         Sexual Exploitation of Children

·         Government Spending

·         Government Encouraging Dependence

·         Welfare Culture

·         Bailouts

·         Opposing Self Defense

What Foxworthy exposes is the outright lunacy of liberalism as it has increasing got a stranglehold on society and its institutions. Political correctness is the clarion call of the Left. All of Foxworthy’s statements illustrate a particular aspect of political correctness.

PRICELESS!! A Country Founded by Geniuses but Run by Idiots

Posted on 12 October, 2014 by AmyElizabeth

By Jeff Foxworthy

If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for entering and remaining in the country illegally — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
…
If  you have to get your parents’ permission to go on a field trip or to take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion — you might live in a  nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If you MUST show your identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor, or check out a library book and rent a video, but not to vote for who runs the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If the government wants to prevent stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds, but gives twenty F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If, in the nation’s largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not one 24-ounce soda, because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat —  you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by  idiots.

If an 80-year-old woman or a three-year-old girl who is confined to a wheelchair can be strip-searched by the TSA at the airport, but a woman in a burka or a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched — you might  live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If a seven-year-old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher is “cute,” but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school is perfectly acceptable — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government regulation and intrusion, while not working is rewarded with Food Stamps, WIC checks, Medicaid benefits, subsidized housing, and free cell phones — you might  live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If the  government’s plan for getting people back to work is to provide incentives for not working, by granting 99 weeks of unemployment checks, without any requirement to prove that gainful employment was diligently sought, but couldn’t be found — you might live in a nation that was founded by  geniuses but is run by idiots.

If you pay  your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big-screen TV, while your neighbor buys iPhones, time shares, a wall-sized do-it-all plasma screen TV and new cars, and the government forgives his debt when he  defaults on his mortgage — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

If being stripped of your Constitutional right to defend yourself makes you more “safe” according to the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.

What a country!

President Obama is really good at math...

Hat tip goes to Mike Beacham (@Mike_Beacham), who recently tweeted the following...

"Obama is great at math. He divides the country, subtracts jobs, adds debt and multiplies misery.”

America's Unsustainable Debt Must Be Stopped - Senator Ted Cruz

It's time to stop our unsustainable debt. RT if you agree! http://t.co/DMU7jjQpYf" title="http://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/337595706518937600/photo/1">twitter.com/SenTedCruz/sta…
&mdash

; Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) May">https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/337595706518937600">May 23, 2013

Congress Austerity and Budget are not Four Letter Words

Congressman Connie Mack's “Penny Plan”, is a plan which will reduce the budget (when Harry Reid finally produces one!) 1% for each expenditure across-the-board. In 7-8 years the budget would be balanced. This is the best solution for long-term economic recovery and stability.

Also, it would be helpful to eliminate base-line budgeting and adopt zero-based budgeting making each department and area justify each expenditure. Programs should be eliminated that are no longer effective.

Entire departments, like the EPA and the Department of Education, should be scaled back or eliminated. Force the government to do its primary job, national security. Secure the borders.

Austerity is not a four letter word.

Get the government out of the way and let the private sector breathe and thrive. Now the government unwisely stifles the economy. They say they are here to help, but they are doing the opposite; they hinder. They hinder through burdensome taxes and regulations.

 

The shrinking (?) still stinking (!) Federal deficit

 

This morning, I read an article, “Everybody Listen Up! The Deficit Is Actually Shrinking, Despite Beltway Propaganda, 94 percent of Americans don't know the deficit is falling,” on Alternet.org to see what the other side (Left-wing) is saying about the economy, the deficit, etc.

Below is my response to that very leftward slanted article. It is interesting that the article mentions nothing about the deficits prior to 2009.  Prior to that year deficits were much smaller. The article talks about “beltway propaganda,” when the article itself is deceitful socialist, Keynesian propaganda.

The trillion-dollar deficit may be shrinking, but we still have a major spending problem, which you, Mr. Johnson (the article’s author), seem to overlook!

NYT, 10/12/2012 : "The federal deficit fell to $1.1 trillion in the 2012 fiscal year, down from about $1.3 trillion a year earlier...That is the smallest deficit since 2008 but represents the fourth year in a row that the deficit has exceeded $1 trillion."

The Federal Debt, the accumulation of all those “shrinking Deficits” total to the tune of nearly $17 TRILLION DOLLARS and growing... Now that is just the tip of the iceberg. Medicare and Medicaid entitlements are adding to the future economic catastrophe.

We are borrowing more than $.40 on the dollar from China and others to feed our spending addiction. Houston, we have a problem if we think we can live with trillion dollar deficits.

We need to get to a balanced budget sooner, rather than later. But Obama and the Democrats and many Republicans won't even consider that. We need to live within our means, beginning NOW. Any talk of acceptable deficit levels is pure bunk. Washington, GOP and Dems refuse to deal with reality and refuse to acknowledge their spending ADDICTION, which as bad as that of any heroin or cocaine addict.

What you write, Mr. Johnson, is Leftist, keep the status quo, keep-kicking-the-can-down-the-road PROPAGANDA, which you accuse others of doing...

Finally, the sequester must happen. It is not really a spending cut; it is merely a reduction in the rate of spending.

The solution is simple. Demand Congress and the President come up with a BUDGET (which Harry Reid and the Democrat-controlled Congress have refused to do for the past four years) where expenditures equal or are less than revenues. That is what households must do. That is what businesses must do... That is what Americans (with the exception of the many low information voters) expect their government to do, live within its means. Is that so radical?

One poster replied to what I had written:

“Far too many who remain deficit hawks despite the evidence that proves their position false have absolutely no clue how macro-economics works. Everything they understand is based on their perceptions of their own household economics and totally not applicable to a large central federal government…”

I offered in part, the following rebuttal:

…I disagree with your premise that "Our national debt is NOT the same as your household debt..." A budget is a spending plan that you decide upon. It is based on how much you make in income and what your monthly expenses are. And Debt is an amount owed to a person or organization for funds borrowed.

Households, businesses, governments to be successful must create and be guided by a sound financial guideline, which a budget is. Without a clear budget,  households, businesses, governments would flounder, which many do. Simply no entity will long survive if it continues to spend more than its income, revenue, taxes (Deficits, Debt) ... It is basic accounting or economics for all entities.

I like the following explanation found at http://www.politifact.com/trut...

"It's like a family that earns $60,000 per year, but is spending $100,000. How are they doing it? By getting a new $40,000 loan every year to cover the difference," said Brian Riedl, a budget expert with the conservative Heritage Foundation." Just add 10 zeros after those numbers and you have a idea of the size of our government... We must stop this insane level of spending and borrowing or we will face real economic collapse...

Support the 'Prioritize Spending Act of 2013' (H.R. 149)

Both H.R. 149, introduced earlier this month in the House of Representative by Representative Daniel Webster of Florida, and a similar bill introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator Pat Toomey, are a good first step in the upcoming and newest "DEBT CEILING CRISIS" battle. This idea of prioritizing key government expenditures will force the current regime in Washington to deal once and for all with its long-term, grievious, uncontrolled addiction to spending beyond its means.

Every effort should be made in both the House and Senate to pass this bill. In the likely event that the debt ceiling is not approved at the last minute again, this bill clearly outlines what items should be paid with the funds that come in each month.

Here is a letter I recently wrote to my representative in support of this legislation:

Re: H.R. 149: To specify the priority of the obligations of the United States Government if the debt ceiling is reached.

Dear Representative:

I strongly support Rep. Daniel Webster's bill, H.R. 149, because I do not to see America in the position of having to accept more debt, increasing the Debt Ceiling, without any reductions or curbing of the current spending. I would rather see the government shut down after these priorities are taken care of each month:

(1) Payments of interest owed to creditors

(2) Social Security Payments to Seniors

(3) Payments to Active Military Personnel

Further priorities of remaining funds should be a joint effort of Congress and the President...

We must start to live within our means. The President and Congress REFUSE to address the problem of OVERSPENDING, so something drastic must be done - like saying NO to increasing the debt ceiling without SUBSTANTIAL, CONCURRENT reductions in 2013 SPENDING not the PROMISE of spending reductions on Tuesday, the first week in January in 2023, the next decade!

In addition we must move away from base line budgeting and implement a real across-the-board spending reduction plan such as the Mack Penny Plan, where spending is reduced by 1% each year until the budget is balanced.

We demand that Congress submit and approve a budget before any debt ceiling is even considered!

The Fiscal Cliff in Terms of a Family Budget

Hat tip goes to David Limbaugh and Ken Gardner @kesgardner who tweeted the following picture, which is a clear depiction of the fiscal situation existing in America today under President Barack Obama.

What household could sustain such irresponsible management of its finances? Then why do we accept such mismanagement by our government?

The simple solution is to cut spending, stop borrowing, and live within our means. For nearly four years the U.S. Senate has refused to submit a budget. They do not want to make the tough decisions that are necessary to balance revenues and expenses, like any credible organization or individual household must.

The President and both political parties in  Congress lack the courage to deal with the problem. They continue to postpone the actions and steps necessary to deal with the problem and avoiding any repercussions that may result from those decisions. They want to maintain their cushy jobs, power, and prestige.
.
 

Is the Tea Party is 'the most destructive political entity ever seen'

I try to visit and participate in the Cleveland.com Politics Forum as often as I can. Today I responded to this post by someone named TheHitman85:

The Tea Party is the most destructive political entity ever seen in this country. The Nullifier Party runs a distant second. Sad really. When will Boehner and the majority of moderate republicans dump these bozo's before a total dismantling of the party.

Here is how I responded:

Sorry, Hit, but the Democrat Party is the most destructive …

The Democrat Party has not passed a budget in nearly 4 years. They run up unsustainable deficits year after year. They demand more ‘revenue’ or taxes; yet refuse to deal with excessive, wasteful government spending.

The ‘destructive’ TEA Party demands that both the ‘moderate’ Republicans and the leftist Democrats balance the government budget.

They want entitlements reformed, including the repeal of an unsustainable new entitlement, ObamaCare. They want the American Health Care System reformed, not transformed into a socialized/state controlled enterprise.

They want their government to do the one duty it is supposed to do – national security – to recognize our enemies (Islam and Islamic Terrorists states and groups) and to treat them as such and not to kowtow and to continually appease them.

They want our porous borders secured. They want the laws of the land enforced.

They demand that the principles of the Declaration of Independence – God given rights of Life, Liberty and Property be preserved and protected.

They want God, the Bible and Judeo-Christian ethics and values restored to the public financed classroom instead of the secular humanistic religion that replaced it and now rules the day…

If this is destructive, call me a destroyer!

President Obama's Unofficial Christmas Greeting, "Let It Grow"

Hat tip goes to Western Journalism @WestJournalism for their tweet of the timely video greeting from our President, "OBAMA SINGS "LET IT GROW."   It's a funny parody song that describes so well the state of our nation today and our political 'leaders' response to the so-called upcoming 'Fiscal Cliff.'

Here’s Why Keynesian Obamanomics Doesn’t Work

Hat tip goes to www.JoeMiller.us, where I first saw the video below which is titled, “Taxpayer Dollar Recipient Creates More Jobs Overseas Than In America.”

Barack Obama’s Magical Misery Tour Video, An Update

Hat tip goes to the PatriotActionNetwork for posting the following video:

Hopefully, Tonight Will Be President Obama’s Last SOTU Address!

I googled this question, “Is this President Obama’s Last State of the Union Address?” The first response that I received was an RT.com article, “Obama's last State of the Union?” In part the answer I received embedded in that article was, “

Pending the outcome of the presidential election in November, Tuesday night’s State of the Union address could very well be Barack Obama’s last.

Will President Obama bring up the federal budget tonight? This is really one of the key failure that the President shares with his fellow Democrats in the Senate. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), made the following key criticism in his op ed, “Obama needs fiscal 'courage'” in the 1/24/2012 edition of the U.S.A. Today.

The President ignores the scandal plaguing the Democrat Senate. His State of the Union actually marks a milestone:  1,000 days since we last saw a budget plan form the Senate’s Democrat majority.

On their website the U.S. House Republican Study Committee (RSC) posted this video:

My congressman, who is the Chairman of the RSC , Jim Jordan suggested that Americans will be looking for answers to three big questions when listening to President Obama's SOTU and revved up campaign stump speech tonight:

1.   Where are the jobs?

2.   Why aren’t we using all the energy resources we have available?

3.   How can we stop this crazy spending and borrowing?

I, along with Representative Jordan and many other Americans, especially conservatives, think that the President is more interested in campaigning against House Republicans than in any bipartisan problem-solving. Will we merely hear more campaign rhetoric and empty, flimsy promises? Will there be anything substantive in the President’s TelePrompTed words? Will Valarie Jarrett and his speech writer give us anything for the good of the nation as a whole, or continue to provide assurances to the Democrat Party’s and President’s radical base and to giving sole support for his re-election effort?