Obama's New Budget

[Loki]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/11/us...g-jobs.html?hp

I'm trying to figure out if this new budget is a joke. Despite economic conditions being better than predicted last November, we're looking at deficits that are larger than the previous estimates. "Cuts" seem to consist of not going a freaking trillion in debt when the economy will be at its peak, which is to say the deficit will decrease because tax revenues will go up when the economy improves, something that would happen with or without this budget. Not only are actual budget cuts non-existent, but there are several massive spending increases. The only attempt to balance the budget is a new tax on millionaires, which will probably not be enforceable. The whole budget screams "I don't give a damn about the economy and want to provide extra goodies to everyone during election year" to me.

[CitizenCain]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/11/us...g-jobs.html?hp

I'm trying to figure out if this new budget is a joke. [...] The whole budget screams "I don't give a damn about the economy and want to provide extra goodies to everyone during election year" to me.

So, it's like every election year budget in a every modern democracy? Bread and circuses to appeal to the whim of the mob, with an extra helping of populist deficit spending because that's who "we" elected.

Uh..., yes, yes it is.

Please don't tell me you're the least bit surprised... or for that matter, try to pretend you didn't see this coming back when president Hussein was just presidential candidate Hussein.

[Loki]

I would think that at a time when everyone made such a big deal about the deficit, Obama wouldn't try to actually make it worse. We're looking at the same deficit this year as last year despite much stronger economic growth...

I'm still waiting for the "automatic" cuts from last year's agreement to kick in...pretty sure they passed by law, and a new rule would have to be passed to override them. Don't recall hearing anything about that.

[CitizenCain]

I would think that at a time when everyone made such a big deal about the deficit, Obama wouldn't try to actually make it worse.

Really, man?

Political scientist dude is surprised that populist politician is focusing on being populist during an election year, of all times.

In related news, water is wet.

I'm still waiting for the "automatic" cuts from last year's agreement to kick in...pretty sure they passed by law, and a new rule would have to be passed to override them. Don't recall hearing anything about that.

<gasp>
The government isn't following its own laws? Not like that's that been S.O.P. for decades now or anything... One law for the governed, no law for the governors, and all that.

Seems to me like you're saying your surprised that politics and politicians and "the mob" are currently behaving as they always have, predating even the Roman Republic.

Yup, democracy is still all bread and circuses, and yup, people still consistently elect leaders who mortgage their futures and make unkeepable promises about free money and yup, "popular support" is still about being popular and so on. *yawn* Hasn't changed in millenia, and won't be any different millenia from now either.

[Loki]

I'm not quite sure how "popular" it is to continue to ignore the deficit. Independents are going to punish Obama for just pandering to the base. Obama better pray that the economy continues improving, so that he can take credit for the recovery.

As for ignoring laws, I would think that at least some of the hardcore Republicans would be making waves about a lack of follow through. But perhaps the party leaders are keeping them in check to avoid embarrassing themselves.

[CitizenCain]

I'm not quite sure how "popular" it is to continue to ignore the deficit.

Very popular, as always.

Sounds like you're expecting the mob to suddenly, in the face of thousands of years of data to the contrary, demonstrate any semblance of intelligence or concern about the future. Not gonna happen. Only thing they'll care about is if/when the economy reaps the whirlwind of the deficit situation, and even then it's not that the mob gives a shit about the deficit, it gives a shit about joblessness and not having enough monies to spend on bread-and-circus endeavors.

And besides, by the time the actual long-term effects of the deficit situation are felt, it's not gonna be President Hussein up for re-election, or even in office. It's gonna be the next guy, or the guy after him, and that's who'll get blamed by the mob for economy being shit, because the mob is not intelligent enough and does not posses an attention span long enough to notice that today's economic situation is a result of yesterday's and yesteryear's policies.

So, yeah, good luck with that. Your time is much better spent organizing hunting safaris to kill the herds of invisible unicorns all over the North American continent. Same non-existent and inherently unachievable results, but at least hunting invisible unicorns lets you play with guns, and usually involves drinking, so it's much more fun.

As for ignoring laws, I would think that at least some of the hardcore Republicans would be making waves about a lack of follow through. But perhaps the party leaders are keeping them in check to avoid embarrassing themselves.

First, which Republicans might those be? (Nationally I can think of less than a handful.)

And second, no I wouldn't. It's not in the self-interest (and runs rather contrary to the self-preservation instincts) of government officials to throw themselves in jail for not following the laws they've written, or draw any attention to the fact that they basically do whatever the fuck they want, and it's only all us normal suckers who aren't government officials who have to worry about "following the law."

[RandBlade]

Even the Greek public/unions don't want to accept austerity. You think Joe and Jo Public in America will want to vote for that this year Loki? Seriously!?

It's what's right, what's necessary and the longer its put off the worse it'll have to be. It's also as Sir Humphrey would say a very brave and courageous decision for any politician to do it.

[Dreadnaught]

Predictably political document.

Though interesting to watch it covered in various media outlets.

If anything, we need to stop scoring budgets with ten year timeframes.

[CitizenCain]

If anything, we need to stop scoring budgets with ten year timeframes.

No shit. But that's the point - they're political documents, and if you put a ten year time frame on it, you can say whatever the hell you want, and then blame the other party for why it doesn't come to pass in 10 years.

Yippie, democracy!