Bernie Sanders on MSNBC re: the spending freeze: "There are some programs we can cut substantially"

berni_mccoy

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Tue Jan-26-10 07:09 PM
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Bernie Sanders on MSNBC re: the spending freeze: "There are some programs we can cut substantially"

Edited on Tue Jan-26-10 07:37 PM by berni_mccoy

On Morning Joe, Sen. Sanders was asked if Obama is headed in the wrong direction with a spending freeze ( video link here, relevant part around 4:07: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/vp/35077482#35077482 ).

His answer: "It depends on what programs you are talking about. There are some programs we can cut substantially. There are some programs you're going to have to increase. If we're finding that the people of America are going hungry or sleeping out in the streets, you're going to have to respond to that. If you're finding programs where there are lot of waste and bureaucracy, I think you can cut them."

In other words, No, Obama is not headed in the wrong direction with a spending freeze. A Spending Freeze can be appropriate. And, according to Sanders, "there are some programs we can cut substantially".

Putting this freeze into perspective with the facts:

- All we know about the freeze is that it is for $25 billion over 3 years. (source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/25/AR2010012504052_2.html )

- The 2009 Budget of the United States of the U.S. was $3,100,000,000,000. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_United_States_federal_budget )

- After the cut of $25 billion, that's $3,075,000,000,000. Or, in other words, the freeze would trim off approximately 0.8% of the entire budget.

- During Bush's first 3 years, Bush raised Discretionary Non-Defense spending by over half a trillion dollars (http://journals.democraticunderground.com/berni_mccoy/894 ). Over Bush's entire term, he increased Discretionary Non-Defense spending by over $1 trillion.

It explains a lot that many here would rather believe that The Republican Spending Explosion of George W. Bush would be totally worthwhile spending than to think President Obama could find at least $25 billion in the wasteful spending generated by the worst Administration in the history of the U.S.

Maybe those focusing their attacks on the President should take a listen to Bernie Sanders, who, in the very same interview this morning on Morning Joe, and I quote, said, "I'm a supporter of Obama".

DUers should be ashamed of the reactionary and uninformed attacks on President Obama on this site. I can't say it any better than the top-rec'd post at Daily Kos: (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/1/25/830272/-This-place-has-lost-its-mind)

This place has lost its mind.
...
Oh Dear G-d... shut the shops, get the kids home, call in the dog and get all the canned goods you can, the world is about to end.

The President wants to freeze spending that amounts to less than 1% of the entire budget. You don't think that there isn't $25 billion of duplication, waste, unnecessary costs somewhere in that three and half trillion dollars?

Stop the insanity!

Stop attacking the President like a bunch of Red Staters.

You wonder why we always seem to lose the media game- go look in the fucking mirror.

In 2008, we helped to elect a President because we stuck together and stuck by the message of the campaign. That message has not changed. We have. We've become like a twitching finger on a hair trigger. We don't get everything we want, we're ready to toss every Democrat over the side, impeach the President, and other stupidity.

Heaven forbid we wait 48 hours to hear what the President actually wants to do. No, can't do that. We have to go off half-cocked, based on tweets and other rumor, and decide that the President has switched parties, found his inner Cheney and plans on invading 27 more countries by tomorrow all while cutting taxes on millionaires.

Enough of the insanity.