Finally, the phony threat of a government shutdown has been avoided.
Congratulations, you lose!
The news media and politicians droned monotonously about how severe the impact of a government shutdown would be. Children would die, women would lose their rights, the elderly would go hungry, and our soldiers would go unpaid while they risked their lives. Even after the deal, the Associated Press (AP) said that we were, “perilously close to a government shutdown”.
Not to worry, your government professionals are still on the job, well, not on weekends, holidays, after 5:00 PM or during vacations…
You may have heard the President’s speech tonight about an historic deal to avoid a government shutdown! He even went so far as to proclaim the budget deal as “the biggest annual spending cut in history.” Sounds great doesn’t it? Or, does it sound like Bravo Sierra?
Who wins?
House Republicans – They made it sound like the country would spend less this year due to their tireless efforts
Senate Democrats – Senator Reid wants you to know he stood up to those mean Republicans, and the Cherry Blossom Festival will go on.
President Obama – He wants you to think his bold leadership led to this historic reduction in proposed spending.
China – China will probably continue to finance our debt, growing rich from the interest payments.
Who Loses?
The American people – While you were sleeping, eating, working, or looking for work, a big pony show went on in D.C. to fool you into thinking they were “doing something” about spending. You might think they reduced spending (the news told you so), but they will still have a budget bigger than they’ve ever had before!
Budget Numbers
2001 $1.9 trillion budget
…
2008 $2.7 trillion budget
2009 $3.107 trillion ($3,736 billion actually spent)
2010 $3.552 trillion ($4,472 billion actually spent – TARP, etc. )
2011 $3.78 trillion ($3.82 trillion proposed budget, minus the $38 billion “budget reduction” deal)
Democrats were tricked into believing their sacred institutions were threatened, when they’ll get more money than ever before. Republican politicians make it sound like they took a stand, when they made a deal to spend more than ever before. President Obama wants you to think he kept his promise from his State of the Union address to reduce spending. Your tax bill will continue to grow, as will the record deficit, and the gargantuan National Debt.
Yes, you have been swindled! A “historic budget cut” is a $228 billion dollar increase over last year’s budget.
Ah-ha-ha. Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated? Good night!*
* Jonny Rotten, lead singer of the Sex Pistols, after playing one song at a San Francisco concert, then walking off stage, ending the show prematurely.
