I NEVER saw a "spending freeze" that didn't hit the least among us the worst.

[Stinky The Clown]

This, in the short term, is far more troubling than even the recent USSC corporate coup decision.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. They go hand in hand

truly

[Skittles]

2. and they just keep coming don't they

[tridim]

3. Thankfully it's just a rumor thus far.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Actually, I think its a trial ballon. A test marketing of terminology. Spaghetti thrown against ....

.... the wall.

[tridim]

8. Probably, you wouldn't know that from reading DU though.

This place is in full on freak-out mode.

Relax people. Geez.

[Stinky The Clown]

10. There are at least twentyseventeen threads on it.

I'm glad we were out and about when it got announced. I'm betting the site was slowed by the volume of posts.

[eleny]

16. amen to that

[Fumesucker]

12. I hate to tell you this but that stuff on the wall *ain't* spaghetti..

[Catshrink]

4. Too much RW appeasement

we know how well that's turned out the past year. You know what the definition of stupid is -- doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Obama needs to get a clue that the Repugs won't negotiate and won't support him regardless of how many concessions he makes. Heck, he could give them Hillary's head on a platter and they'd still oppose him.

[eleny]

5. I don't know why so many people buy into a "revelation" by "somebody"

You know I've taken my lumps around here for disagreeing with The Barack. But I just can't get my undies in a bunch until I know more.

See you on the flip side of this latest "hair on fire" event. Hugs o' plenty to you and the sparkling one! :hug:

[Stinky The Clown]

7. As I said upthread, I think this is a trial balloon.

The OP title, however, is what I think of the idea.

:hi:

[eleny]

15. That sounds plausible to me

Steering the ship of state into a real Depression is begging for torches and pitchforks.

Earlier today someone repeated the thought that he's willing to be a one term president but I didn't catch the context. So I now conclude that sanity insists I wait a day or two to learn more and digest what it means.

[nadinbrzezinski]

Austerity Plans are not floated

they are usually announced this way.

[DJ13]

9. Jared Bernstein, VP Biden's own economic advisor debated it with Rachel tonight

I doubt he would debate a fiction on national TV.

[eleny]

13. I watched the interview and he said that what people are assuming is wrong

:shrug:

So like I said, I'm waiting to learn more. It's just too strange right now.

[DJ13]

14. But he didnt deny that they will announce a spending freeze, did he?

[eleny]

19. Right - And what if he chooses to freeze Republican pet programs?

That's why I'm going to wait before I let my hair burst into flames.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Oh they will, I was like listening to the Mexican Finance Minister

in 1985....

As I keep telling people, I have seen this movie.

[verges]

35. To me it sounded more like

targeted cuts and calling it a freeze. I need to learn more..

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

20. This is an authorized info release from the WH

For good or ill, this is how policy is announced in the modern world.

The WH disseminates a story to 5 or 6 major news outlets, anonymously sourced.

very president does things this way. Then you get a preview of reaction before announcing details and can tweak the thing.

[FrenchieCat]

11. This spending freeze is not across the board, is it?

IT doesn't lock in every single program at the prior year's numbers.
It only locks in the total to be spent.

Why is this troubling to you?
Obama increased the last budget by quite a bit.
We are not dealing with freezing the spending on each department,
and then freezing it to the priorities made by Bush.

Do you actually know what the last budget looked like?

[tridim]

17. Good points.

I didn't realize that was the case.

Let's see what happens tomorrow.

[Stinky The Clown]

18. What are you talking about?

You know, if you clap louder, you're easier to hear. Turn it up to eleven on the clap-o-meter. Just be careful. One handed claps tend not to be very effective. So turn the dial with your toes.

Just a friendly suggestion.

Unless you're left toed. But not in a complimentary way, because that would be bad, don't you agree?

So hammer that home. But don't toe it. Hammer toes are painful.

Dr. Scholl's helps out in that department. They can be illuminating, too.



Just let the Illuminati do the illuminating.

Or aluminating. Or ruminating. Or even radiating.

Okay?

[eleny]

25. Lol!

[FrenchieCat]

26. Here is the 2010 budget.......by department (the total would be frozen for 3 years)

The + or - sign next to each department is how much
the Budget for that department grew or shrank
going from Bush to Obama.

Now, tell me, do you notice anything?


$78.7 billion (-1.7%) - Department of Health and Human Services
$72.5 billion (+2.8%) - Department of Transportation
$52.5 billion (+10.3%) - Department of Veterans Affairs
$51.7 billion (+40.9%) - Department of State and Other International Programs
$47.5 billion (+18.5%) - Department of Housing and Urban Development
$46.7 billion (+12.8%) - Department of Education
$42.7 billion (+1.2%) - Department of Homeland Security
$26.3 billion (-0.4%) - Department of Energy
$26.0 billion (+8.8%) - Department of Agriculture
$23.9 billion (-6.3%) - Department of Justice
$18.7 billion (+5.1%) - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
$13.8 billion (+48.4%) - Department of Commerce
$13.3 billion (+4.7%) - Department of Labor
$13.3 billion (+4.7%) - Department of the Treasury
$12.0 billion (+6.2%) - Department of the Interior
$10.5 billion (+34.6%) - Environmental Protection Agency
$9.7 billion (+10.2%) - Social Security Administration
$7.0 billion (+1.4%) - National Science Foundation
$5.1 billion (-3.8%) - Corps of Engineers
$5.0 billion (+100%) - National Infrastructure Bank
$1.1 billion (+22.2%) - Corporation for National and Community Service
$0.7 billion (0.0%) - Small Business Administration
$0.6 billion (-14.3%) - General Services Administration
$19.8 billion (+3.7%) - Other Agencies
$105 billion - Other
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_States_federal_budget

[Stinky The Clown]

29. So you're going to just ignore .....

.... the scourge of hammer toes?



Or frantic hammer blows?



Or maybe Arm & Hammer



But never Hammer and Sickle



But a scythe is nice

[eleny]

22. That's how I heard it...

And it's not the first time the administration has talked in terms of scalpels making precision cuts.

I'm hoping there's sanity behind all this. God knows I haven't always agreed with the White House. But some well chosen cuts to Republican pork would make my day.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. It will take time to sink in

but you will see just how damn fucking damaging an austerity plan is...

Lets just say the US is about to learn in the flesh the meaning of Disaster Capitalism and though this is not the IMF, IMF style programs.

Most people did not get it in 1985 either... or in Chile either, or for that matter Nicaragua... or a few other places around the world.

It also marks the end, effectively, of US status as a super power. Somebody is forcing our hand on this. The US Government would not use this on the US, if they were not forced.

Call it knowing a little about how the world actually works.

[Catshrink]

27. Who's forcing our hand?

Our creditors the Chinese? Who? Just curious.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. Yep, the Chinese

i am willing to bet on it... all that noise about forcing the US not to be a reserve currency...

:-)

[Odin2005]

23. Obummer is looking more and more like he's owned by the Corporatists.

[eleny]

28. That, in a nutshell, is the history of the USA

Remember the pictures of child laborers? The corporations long for a return to their good old days.

We made some strides and I appreciate growing up during that sliver of time, post WW2, when unions gained strength and my dad could pay for my college on factory wages. Seems like it was all a dream.

[proud patriot]

30. Welcome to California

x(

[Dappleganger]

36. That's what scares me the most. :(

[Edweird]

31. "Fuck the workers" is a recurring theme with him.

I remember him meeting with the 'captains of industry'... and then telling us how there's no money for jobs. We should go beg the private sector.

Of course, there's billions and trillions for bankers.
Their bonuses were 1% of our GDP.
Meanwhile people don't have work, are sick and are losing (or, like me, have already lost) their homes.

The HCR that he pushed fucked the workers. Of course, what he campaigned on was the opposite of what he wanted. That was THEN. Now, he wants us to give all our money to the insurance companies. And, if you happen to have a halfway decent plan, well, you get punished for it.

Now, it's the same thing, only from a slightly different angle. I guess he wants to make DAMN SURE we know that he feels we are unworthy. Now that all the already wealthy have gotten their turn, it's time to turn off the spigot. Fuck the workers. Here, have some more tax cuts.

Things have seriously gone off track.

[WillyT]

32. K & R !!!

Yep...

:kick:

[liberal_at_heart]

34. The social programs that help the least among us are always the first to go

Big corporate executives get mult-million dollar bonuses, bailouts from our government, no regulation, and they get to write our healthcare legislation, but we have to freeze government spending on social programs that help the ones that need it the most. WTF is wrong with their priorities? Why do they keep putting corporate interests above the interest of the people? If they keep this up I will not vote for a single democrat in 2010 or 2012. It is time for a populist revolt.