The President’s “balanced” misdirection

Keith Hennessey Blog ^ | 09/19/2011 | Keith Hennessey

[PhxRising]

The President argues that “balance” between spending cuts and tax increases is good. He further argues that he achieves this desired balance by both cutting spending and raising taxes. I think balance between spending cuts and tax increases is a negotiating concept rather than an objective measure of equity. It defines fair as “each of the negotiating parties has to accept things they don’t like.” That’s a relativist concept based on how one defines what one likes or will accept. Further, the President’s definition of “shared sacrifice” exempts the largest entitlement spending program (Social Security), his biggest legislative achievement (the new health entitlement created two years ago), and tax increases for more than 99% of the population. That is an odd definition of “shared.”

Thanks to the help of a budget expert friend, I’m going to strip out the optical gimmicks from the President’s proposal and show you the new fiscal policy changes he is actually proposing. All numbers below are 10-year totals (in billions of $) from OMB’s new document released today. I put spending “cuts” in quotes because they’re really reductions in the rate of spending growth.

[PhxRising]

Not so much cutting in the President's "balanced" deficit reduction plan, unless you consider 15x higher taxes than cuts balanced.

[newheart]

"You all know the okey-doke, when someone's trying to bamboozle you, when they're trying to hoodwink you."

Barack Obama, March 11, 2008

[scooby321]

Most of his cuts are to 3 Wars that are ending.

Gezz he has to go.

[CoastWatcher]

Only a mind-numb media sycophant can calculate any cuts with an ever increasing National Debt. Obama is a lying swine and the media are the Demonic-rats complicit enablers.

Americans must elect Republicans if for no other reason the media hounds them like criminals, reporting any action that anyone in any part of the world my find offensive.

Republicans are forced to meet a higher standard, while the Demonic-rats only standard is their ability to win the next election.