44 Comments

1. George  •  Feb 3, 2010 @2:49 am
   

   Eric… yes he “froze” the spending for a few programs - Next Year… the problem is he increased the spending on those programs This Year by an average of between 20% - 35% depending on the program - raising the baseline so when the proposed freeze goes into effect it will freeze the budget at the increased amount. Just more Liberal Marxisgt Democrat Fraud!!!!!

2. Joe  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:25 pm
   

   ERic, regarding your attacks on Obama, I’m increasingly dismissing them, for two main reasons. First, some attackers are mum when exactly the same thing can be said about BUSH. Second, a shocking number of people I know have finally burst out with their REAL objection to Obama: he ain’t white. Well, not 100%, good-ol’-boy white, that is.+++What crap. And I’m a white guy who grew up on a small ranch in northeast Texas; the nearest little incorporated spot in the road didn’t, and doesn’t, have a single Black person living there — so I’m not some high-faluting, meddling Yankee.

   Joe

3. MekongDelta  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:26 pm
   

   Eric, in a way, I don’t care … my concern is with the ever-increasing debt. But you do admit to adding about 100 billion per month to the debt on “the Obama budget” so far, or are we still blaming that on Bush too? At some point, maybe Obama will “Man Up” and start taking some responsibility. Just tell him to start reducing the debt, and I will like him. Don’t talk to me about surpluses … we already know they are meaningless.

   MekongDelta

4. Jay Smith  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:28 pm
   

   Obama added 358 billion$ to the debt since his FY 2010 budget was enacted. I hope it brings a little smile on the face of you damm liberals

   Jay Smith
   Oklahoma

5. Nancy Blackwell  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:29 pm
   

   Don’t bother with those foolish Liberals, Eric. Budget responsibility for Obama started Oct.1 2009, anything after that is his fault, anything before his the previous presidents, note the “s” not only GWB… responsiblity.

   Nancy Blackwell

6. Tre Steel  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:30 pm
   

   So Eric and George, Obama only added 1.65 Trillion to debt. Feel better?

   Tre Steel
   San Francisco

7. Rosemary  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:32 pm
   

   Eric, Obama could not re-write the budget in January ‘09, because the money is already attributed to agencies and programs, which in turn, make capital expenditure plans, hire people, buy equpment and make commitments. It also takes some time after the investiture to choose a cabinet and department heads, create a budget committee and so on… This being said: — OK, you and George don’t like Obama and/or the Democrats for you own personal reasons, and no sensible argument or verifiable numbers - Even those you post yourself! - will change that. As much as I respect the right for everybody to have his/her opinion, I disagree on your analysis of the facts. Take care!

   Rosemary

8. Tony  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:38 pm
   

   Eric, fiscally conservative Democrats in the House and Senate have urged Mr. Obama to support a freeze, and it would suggest to voters, Wall Street and other nations that the president is willing to make tough decisions at a time when the deficit and the national debt, in the view of many economists, have reached levels that undermine the nation’s long-term prosperity. Perceptions that government spending is out of control have contributed to Mr. Obama’s loss of support among independent voters, and concern about the government’s fiscal health could put upward pressure on the interest rates the United States has to pay to borrow money from investors and nations, especially China, that have been financing Washington’s budget deficit.

   Tony

9. Jerry Saxz  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:41 pm
   

   President Obama said, “Just as it would be a terrible mistake to borrow against our children’s future to pay our way today, it would be equally wrong to neglect their future by failing to invest in areas that will determine our economic success in this new century.” What is so wrong with that? Why not give the man the chance to show his abilities? Why are guys so angry all the time?

   Jerry Saxz
   Ohio

10. Amy Ryan  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:45 pm
    

    I am very excited about the fact that the President’s budget includes an increase of $989 million for Head Start. These funds will be used to maintain the gains made under the recovery act and ensure that programs will not have to reduce the number of children they are serving. Across the country 64,000 children have benefited from the recovery funds. These are children who would have been shut out of Head Start and Early Head Start programs but now get a chance to climb the ladder of opportunity. Way to go Mr. President!

    Amy Ryan
    North Dakota

11. Rehana R  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:48 pm
    

    Dear President Obama
    Very good evening .I mrs Rehana Roual from Pakistan but presently I am here in London.I like you and prayer for you that God bless you. And give you a long life. Save you.

    Rehana
    London

12. Wayne Willis  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:52 pm
    

    There are but 2 primary causes to the structural deficit the US faces; 1) social security 2) medicare. As for social security, we can either move the retirement age closer to 80 - 84 years with today’s level of benefits or reduce benefits, there is no other option here. Medicare can only be salvaged by prorating federal health care benefits according to age. End of life care is bankrupting us, period.

    Wayne Willis

13. Charles  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:53 pm
    

    Talk about a spending freeze at the SOTU, then raise the budge 100 billion. Include 65 billion in revenues from cap-and-trade which hasn’t even passed so it’s actually an increase of 165 billion. It’s typical Obama, say one thing and do another. YOU LIE!

    Charles
    Bellaire, Ohio

14. Freda Boyington  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:54 pm
    

    Eric, the idea that some form of government belt-tightening can be found within $800 billion dollar deficits is totally oxymoronic.

    Freda Boyington
    Albany, New York

15. Valerie Matt  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:55 pm
    

    Freezing the non-defense budget means that it is the communities and the same people who have already lost their retirements in the depression to tighten their belts while the fat bankers and the Pentagon will keep filing their bellies. Apparently Gates for the Pentagon will be asking $708 billions, 44 billions more than the previous budget. http://www.cnn.com...

    If we want to reduce the deficit then we must end all the wars and conflicts. And let’s transfer some of that money to create jobs, to lead in the development of clean energy technologies, and to revamp an educational system which is “dumbing us down”.

    Valerie Matt
    Durham

16. Kay  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:56 pm
    

    The GOP is in full dishonesty mode now.

    You can tell because they’re calling for cuts in military spending — even though many GOP members of Congress defend every military spending project, no matter how wasteful, as jobs programs for their districts. I mean we can all remember them fighting to waste taxpayer money on the F-22 last year, can’t we? Pork barrel spending brought to you by Saxby Chambliss?

    Unfortunately, the only way the GOP will reduce the debt via military spending will be to return to one of their favorite accounting tricks: moving the costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts off-budget with their funding paid for through ’supplementals.’

    And I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask John Boehner: Why do you hate our troops?

    Kay
    Ann Arbor

17. Carlton  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:57 pm
    

    Eric, I’m having a hard time figuring out what would be wrong with a simple 25% across the board spending cut. The bottom line is that government employees need to earn less money, the government needs to leave more resources to the private sector, and we need to take greater personal responsibility for our lives.

    Carlton
    Laguna Niguel, CA

18. Sue Marriotti  •  Feb 6, 2010 @9:59 pm
    

    The wise thing to do is to stop blaming others and do our math, we have to learn how to balance the budget just by spending recklessly without having savings, That means credits ,credits nothing but credits, where is the revenue to balance the deficit, if it adds more to it ,where is the recovery plan? Before proposing spending we need to look at recovery plan in details. Then we can start throwing mud on each parties . it’s our responsibility to see this country not broke.Obviously this government doesn’t seem to have concern about future which leads to more deficit because of their over spending. They want to keep their image by all means even it means destroying the economy .people trusted to have a change in economy for betterment, all the promises made during the campaign proven to be not working except to blame the previous government. Bush is the reason for Obama to be in white house, You are not the one supported Obama, but people who have chosen him gone beyond differences just to build up healthy economy hoped to be in different path, hoped for peace, hoped for true patriotism without minding the color,
    hoped for ego free charisma and dynamics. But what happened ,creating a mess getting into dirty politics business, change in personality ,anger in transition. What a mistake.Who is thinking global!!

    Sue Marriotti
    Brooklyn

19. Steve  •  Feb 6, 2010 @10:01 pm
    

    Obviously democracy breaks down when everybody loses sight of the need to negotiate laws that treat everyone equitably. This has happened in the US, where a culture of taking every advantage for personal gain has invaded the negotiation of the country’s social contract.

    (I suspect that some people call it “socialism” merely to stipulate that the law of the land is a continuously negotiated social contract, not an immutable divine revelation attributed to a putative immortal creator of the whole universe.)

    Steve

20. Dianne  •  Feb 6, 2010 @10:02 pm
    

    To all readers:

    There is nothing we can do about last year, or the last 10 years. Let’s focus on where we are, and what options are available.

    Our debt is approaching $14 trillion, which is about equal to the value of all goods and services produced by our economy. The interest on the debt will soon be the biggest item in the federal budget. We owe China and Japan close to $1 trillion each.

    Every spending category, including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid must be examined. Tax increases must be considered.

    The national debt has reached a level that must be addressed NOW.

    Dianne
    New York

21. Ben Atkisson  •  Feb 6, 2010 @10:04 pm
    

    Dianne — The fact that we owe China and Japan a trillion apiece shows that they have more troubles than we do.

    These countries are essentially propping up the value of the dollar. If the value of the dollar falls, the American consumer will buy more American made products and hire more American workers, instead of products priced higher because they are valued in yen and renimbi. The whole world will do the same. The export based economies of Japan and China can not allow that to happen. Neither country can face the upheaval inherent in a US currency collapse.

    If you’re worried about US debt levels, you should take heart. Japan’s debt far exceeds ours as a percentage of GDP. Credit default swaps on Japanese debt are available at 63 basis points. On US debt CDSs are available at 22 basis points. As seemingly high as it is, ours remains one of the most secure debts in the world.

    It’s amazing that you would say we shouldn’t learn from the last ten years. The $2 trillion we owe China and Japan are the cost of the Bush tax cuts. The GOP wants to leave them in place. Your comment above is a tepid call to ‘consider’ tax increases. If that’s your call to arms, I’ll clap with one hand.

    Ben Atkisson
    Nebraska

22. Dianne  •  Feb 6, 2010 @10:05 pm
    

    Ben, my position is every kind of spending must be on the table, as should every source of revenue. I am equally disgusted with liberals who refuse to consider cuts in social programs, and conservatives who refuse to consider tax increases.

    I am really frustrated with those who want to focus the debate on blaming the previous administration. It is absolutely irrelevant, and time spent on that is taken away from useful discussions to solve the problem.

    Dianne

23. Ben Atkisson  •  Feb 6, 2010 @10:06 pm
    

    Dianne — I heartily disagree with your assertion that a look back is irrelevant.

    I will repeat: The GOP leadership has stated in no uncertain terms that they intend to fight to keep the Bush tax cuts in place. That is not in keeping with your statement that ‘every source of revenue…must be on the table.’ The GOP is fighting to keep a huge source of revenue off the table. How is that not relevant?

    I will be frank: Your push to not look back strikes me as nothing more than a way to deflect criticism from past policies that have failed — past policies that the GOP wants to maintain. In doing so, you enable the GOP to go about its budget-busting business as usual.

    Or should we ignore a political party’s track record and blindly believe their talking points?

    Ben Atkisson

24. Dianne  •  Feb 6, 2010 @10:07 pm
    

    Ben, once again, I do not represent GOP policies. I do not watch Fox, or any of the other shouting matches on TV. I do read as much as I can and find the search engines a really useful tool.

    I post my thoughts, not conservative or liberal orthodoxy. I agreed with Bush on some things, and strongly disagreed on others, including the tax cuts. I agree with Obama on some things, but strongly disagree on others. I think he is pressing on the spending accelerator as we approach the “bridge out” sign.

    If you want to argue about the past, go ahead. The boat is sinking, and you guys want to spend your time pointing the finger of blame. It might be more useful to try to plug the hole or at least grab a bucket and start bailing.

    Let’s hope our elected representatives are mature enough to forget about the last administration and deal with the situation as it stands.

    This conversation is finished.

    Dianne

25. George  •  Feb 7, 2010 @9:00 pm
    

    Ben & Diane… tax cuts result in increased government revenue; increase in taxes results in decreased government revenue. Reagan and Bush - among others - proved it. In 2006 the Bush deficit was 169 billion - after 2 years of Democrats running congress and Bush trying to get along and not vetoing their budgets he had a $469 billion deficit at the end of his term… the Marxist messiah and his liberal enablers have given us over a trillion dollar deficits each year for decades to come - unless we reverse liberal fiscal policies

26. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:13 am
    

    Joe

    Obama tripled the deficit in ONE year…and for nothing but paying back the special interest groups that financed his campaign.

27. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:17 am
    

    Mekong Delta

    Memories…fast boats on the Mekog, low or high flying choppers all over Cambodia, Angkor temples…seven crazy months…in 93

    Obama always states: I am the prez, therefore I am rseponsible…with that phrase he has covered up all the mistakes of his administration…all the way to the Underwear bomber! lol

    Taking responsibility is easy…doing the right thing seems harder for his administration.

28. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:20 am
    

    Tre of SFO

    Not sure you pay taxes or have kids but NO, it does not feel good..and what has he achieved beside protecting his buddies of Wall Street, the banks and the unions?
    How many jobs created, mortgages refinanced?
    Nada..

    Oooopsss…sorry…the famous “created or saved”! lol
    Beside union members @ GM, new Federal and State employee jobs…what was created again…or saved?

29. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:26 am
    

    Rosemary

    He takes him a long time to choose his guys…because he screwed up so much that he does not dare putting any of his buddies through a congressional scrutiny again….instead, all his tax cheats, pedophiles, racist, activist lefty buddies have been made CZARS…not elected and not scrutinized.

    What was it again…i wrote about it here earlier…my notes…here we are!
    In August last year, about 43% of the seats were still empty!
    WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) — U.S. President Barack Obama is still struggling to get top appointees confirmed by the Senate, seven months after his inauguration, officials said.

    Key positions such as secretary of the Army and director of the Agency for International Development are still vacant, The New York Times reported Sunday. Overall, 43 percent of the top policy-making jobs requiring Senate approval are still empty.

    Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was critical of the confirmation process when she talked to AID employees last month.

    “The clearance and vetting process is a nightmare and it takes far longer than any of us would want to see,” she said. “It is frustrating beyond words.”

    Clinton said the process “gets worse and more cumbersome” with each new administration.

    In the meantime, acting officials are running many important agencies, the Times said. Paul Light, a government professor at New York University, said they do not have the same clout.

    “They don’t feel the same loyalties or freedom to exert control,” he said. “And what you get is drift in the agencies.”

30. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:31 am
    

    Tony

    Americans are making the tough decisions, between saving a job, or the house, paying for health or school, fod or books.

    Ask Mrs First Lady if she has laid off any of her 23 “servants” paid from 40k to 200k to keep her agenda, run her schedules, and whatever else she needs them for..after that, try to make me cry again….lol
    I guess she created some jobs!

    1. $172,2000 - Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)
    2. $140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)
    3. $113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary)
    4. $102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the First Lady)
    5. $102,000 - Winter, Melissa E. (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
    6. $90,000 - Medina, David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
    7. $84,000 - Lelyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the First Lady)
    8. $75,000 - Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady)
    9. $70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for the First Lady)
    10. $65,000 - Burnough, Erinn J. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
    11. $65,000 - Reinstein, Joseph B. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
    12. $62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator For The First Lady)
    13. $60,000 - Fitts, Alan O. (Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director for the First Lady)
    14. $60,000 - Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)
    15. $52,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary To The First Lady)
    16. $50,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide To The First Lady)
    17. $45,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence For The First Lady)
    18. $45,000 - Tubman, Samantha (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)
    19. $40,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
    20. $36,000 - Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)
    21. $36,000 - Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)
    22. $36,000 - Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)

31. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:32 am
    

    Whatever Jerry.

    We had a good laugh for a year….give us our money back now!

32. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:37 am
    

    Amy
    NHSA is pleased to announce that the budget provides critical support for young children and their families and will keep the Administration’s commitment to preserve the gains made by our recent ARRA increases. According to the budget supporting documentation, it provides “an additional $989 million for FY 2011 for Head Start and Early Head Start to continue to serve 64,000 additional children and families funded in ARRA.”

    That is 15k per kid.for 2011…some people are going to cash in BIG!
    For 20k, my kid can attend the University of Santa Cruz…and I cannot afford that!

33. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:39 am
    

    Rehana.

    I like the Queen and your President too,
    Thank you for your support.
    I hope it is working for you.
    It is not for me but oh well…

    Eric

34. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:39 am
    

    Wayne

    Old people should be exterminated at birth. That would solve the benefit problem.

35. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:42 am
    

    Charles.

    You are not fair: you use your head, facts and figure when these drive by bloggers fly by and drop ….droppings hoping that some will stick.

    You should be closer to your emotions, more “metro-sexual’ about the debate.

    Bad bad person! :-0

36. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:46 am
    

    Valerie

    What do you expect from a war president?
    And lookup US/Somalia, US/Djibouti, US/Yemen,US/Taiwan….this administration is increasing its war mongering all over ….and the left is silent!

    I love it….in two years, a conservative will run against OBObama for an immediate end of all this interventionism and OBObam will have to DEFEND the wars. It will be hysterical!

37. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:50 am
    

    Kay

    Once you agree with me that your Messiah and his sidekicks are corrupt professional politicians, I will meet you in the middle and support the removal of the liars, robbers and other crooks from all parties that serve themselves and their buddies but not the American People.
    They are all rotten but you guys pretend to be the one on the white horse and defend the people….and that is a lie!

38. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:52 am
    

    Carlton

    Amen to that….but unions have their hands shoved deep within our politicians and they are all about serving themselves.
    I am so happy that I will have to work until my seventies so the Californian prison guards, teachers, , cops, or other state workers can retire at 55 with most of their salaries and full health care ON MY DIME!

39. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:55 am
    

    Sue

    You are right but we the people can only change things dring local elections first…and we the people crave for demagoguery, shiny things and entitlement…look at most of our states….they are carbon copies of our governement. We the people get what We deserve, what We vote for!

40. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @5:57 am
    

    Steve

    Whatever is happening to this country is legal or legalized…no recourse there.
    As far as greed and power…no comment.
    That is why only rich people run for politics….they want and get more….on our back!

41. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @6:00 am
    

    Dianne

    You make too much sense to be a liberal, even if you are not a right winger.

    What you advocate makes sense in your house….but for the Federal Gov? Limitation? Cutting the pork?
    No way….they would die rather than give away an ounce of bacon.

42. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @6:03 am
    

    Ben

    The whole Western hemisphere is leaving beyond its means. So is Japan….and the Chinese and Indian economic booms are fueled by credits….virtual money all over….
    European countries today voiced their concerns on the US debts and are fearing a world melt down….not just a housing bubble bust in the US with banking collateral damages….nope….the big thing that will take us all to the stone age!

43. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @6:06 am
    

    Ben

    The tax cuts were working…the only part that failed was the big waste…giving tax cuts to people that did not pay taxes!

    Thanks to Bill Gates, I have a job….don’t make him move his money and business to India…and show me a homeless in San Fransico that has created jobs and generated billions in taxes, salaries, wealth…
    I am fine with the rich….be all you can be and be one if you want….they made it!
    Don’t be jealous and try harder!

44. eric  •  Feb 9, 2010 @6:11 am
    

    In the meantime, while we watch our expenses at home, look at what Nancy Pelosi bills us….

    Go ahead, make my day, start from the site below and dig deeper, follow the other links: famillies and friends, expense bills for beers, booze, candy bars and chips…
    You must be so proud!

    http://www.judicialwatch.org/news/2009/mar/judicial-watch-uncovers-documents-detailing-pelosis-repeated-requests-military-travel

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