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Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spending

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Obama Will Use State of the Union to Call for Five-Year Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spending - FoxNews.com

President Obama will call for a five-year freeze on non-security discretionary spending during his State of the Union address to Congress late Tuesday, a White House official told Fox News.

However...
PolitiFact | Obama criticized McCain on a spending freeze

Obama's Republican opponent in the election, Sen. John McCain, supported a spending freeze. In fact, what he proposed sounds an awful lot like the one Obama is suggesting...

We reviewed the transcripts of the three presidential debates and found McCain and Obama jousted over a spending freeze each time...

In the first debate... Obama replied, "The problem with a spending freeze is you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel...

In the second debate... Obama, on the other hand, said it was important "for the president to set a tone that says all of us are going to contribute, all of us are going to make sacrifices, and it means that, yes, we may have to cut some spending, although I disagree with Sen. McCain about an across-the-board freeze. That's an example of an unfair burden-sharing. That's using a hatchet to cut the federal budget."...

Finally, the third debate... Obama: "Well, look, I think that we do have a disagreement about an across-the-board spending freeze. It sounds good. It's proposed periodically. It doesn't happen. And, in fact, an across-the-board spending freeze is a hatchet, and we do need a scalpel, because there are some programs that don't work at all..."

Obama's answers, on the other hand, never gave any indication that he would embrace the idea of a spending freeze, something that he is doing now.

So we don't find Bernstein's explanation convincing.

We give Obama a Full Flop
.


I anxiously await the liberals who were horrified by an across the board freeze, to show their horror now.


cricket... cricket...cricket.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

Obama Will Use State of the Union to Call for Five-Year Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spending - FoxNews.com



However...
PolitiFact | Obama criticized McCain on a spending freeze






I anxiously await the liberals who were horrified by an across the board freeze, to show their horror now.


cricket... cricket...cricket.

Well he wouldn't have to ask for this if it weren't for Bush. ;)
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

Obama Will Use State of the Union to Call for Five-Year Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spending - FoxNews.com



However...
PolitiFact | Obama criticized McCain on a spending freeze






I anxiously await the liberals who were horrified by an across the board freeze, to show their horror now.


cricket... cricket...cricket.

Freeze? After he's spent like a drunk who won the lottery? Christ... Obama IS Mr. Creosote.

Let's get real... freeze is not enough... we need to cut and gut this megafat beast before it explodes.

Freeze... ROTFLOL. He must think he's dealing with the little league.



.

.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

I'm cool with it. I have no problem with saying that Medicare and Social Security are out of control, that we need to cut the budget, and that entitlements are the main culprit. I'd support cuts too, but it probably won't go down well with most of the public when u take away their Medicare and Social Security. However why limit it to non-security related spending? Our national security apparatus is bloated and inefficient just like everything else. Not to mention we have too many generals, and money spent on consultants and contractors by the DoD is ridiculous. I don't have a problem with cutting away all that fat, there's a lot of **** we can get rid of without decreasing national security.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

Ya know, this would be laughable i it wasn't so serious.

"I know, that were uh, spending too much, so uh, well I think. I think the best thing we could do is uh, freeze spending!"

How about a 10% across the board cut in spending for the each the next 5 years?
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

Ya know, this would be laughable i it wasn't so serious.

"I know, that were uh, spending too much, so uh, well I think. I think the best thing we could do is uh, freeze spending!"

How about a 10% across the board cut in spending for the each the next 5 years?

Wouldn't a freeze mean no cuts could be made in the next 5 yrs?
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

Wouldn't a freeze mean no cuts could be made in the next 5 yrs?

Yep. And tie the hands of our next President in 2013. Well, not really, just make it a bit harder politically.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

I think this from the story sums it up:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spokesman Don Stewart expressed cautious optimism about the proposal.
"At first blush, it appears the president has realized his budget requests have been too big. We'll wait to see the details," Stewart said.

Freeze?? I'd like to hear we're cutting or eliminating 1)gov programs that don't work. 2)Tax credits and subsidies to big energy, and farms.

And why is it just non-security? How about freezing or cutting any unnecessary or wasteful military spending?
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

LOL!

obama calls for a freeze, republicans demand return to 08 spending levels

House GOP endorses pre-Obama spending levels - Yahoo! News

we'll fight this one out on the floor and IN THE HEADLINES

we're excitedly looking forward to it

the raising of the debt ceiling is gonna be another opportunity to PROFILE our differences

as will the expiration on march 4 of the most recent appropriations, passed when reid acquiesced his obscene omnibus during the duck

the states are gonna be comin to dc one day for permission to renegotiate all their upside down obligations---more opportunity for tea drinker DEMANDS

ie, obama's WAY TOO LATE to the party, folks

he's PIVOTING

yet he's STILL way behind the curve

what do YOU think the voters were expressing on tsunami tuesday

apparently, obama heard

but he just can't bring himself to go there

besides, his base would abuse him if he did

enjoy the speech tonight, all

and remember, INVESTMENT spending is NOT the same thing as a STIMULUS

RealClearPolitics - Video - Goolsbee: "Investment" Spending Is Not The Same As A Stimulus
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

I think this from the story sums it up:



2)Tax credits and subsidies to big energy

I thought he already did that.


and farms.

If you like foreign oil, you're gonna love foreign food.

And why is it just non-security? How about freezing or cutting any unnecessary or wasteful military spending?

Along with bull**** entitlement programs, too. Right?
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

well, SEVENTEEN house dems this morning came over to support 08 spending

17 Dems join GOP in budget cut vote - David Rogers - POLITICO.com

it was 3 house dems who defected on comprehensive repeal of obamacare, then 13 endorsed republican plans to charge committees with crafting its replacement

now, 17 suggest that a freeze simply doesn't suffice

the flop foretells the appropriations war that americans will witness in the weeks preceding march 4

the president's support is sapping

just wait til THE MANDATE stands before mccaskill and mates

either they kick out the fundamental prop of the piece they RECONCILED or the voters will KICK THEM OUT

in missouri, nebraska, north dakota, wyoming, west virginia, ohio, florida, pennsylvania, wisconsin, minnesota, virginia...

all senate seats UP in 12

why did the party STILL in power FAIL even to INTRODUCE a budget for 2010

why did the white house wait practically til NEW YEARS EVE to resolve america's TWENTY ELEVEN TAX BILL

hey, if you progressives can't lead, someone's gotta

complete incoherence emanates from the PIVOTING president

where's global warming, where's housing, where's his answer to the eu...

where's gitmo, where's the policy concerning the cartels, where's the sanctions vs iran

when's he gonna meet personally with the leaders of this top facilitator of international terror

where's the mideast peace talks

what will he say about the violence and dangerous instability in tunisia, spreading this week to egypt, algeria, saudi arabia, morocco and mauretania

thru all the hi blown poetry, cheap (because disingenuous) imitation of reagan, look for answers to some of the above

you can be sure out of work americans, folks stuck in upside down mortgages, soldiers (and their families) fighting wars that he promised would be winding down by now, will
 
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Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

Eh, when you say "non-defense discretionary spending" you're talking about a very small portion of the budget. It's a start, I guess, but when the **** are we going to take a serious look at defense spending and non-discretionary spending?
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

Yep. And tie the hands of our next President in 2013.

I don't think President Obama will mind if he has to follow through on commitments from his previous term in his second term.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

it was the dullest, most subdued, most downer of a sotu in recent memory

the msnbc panel (ed, robinson, chrissy, rachel, odonnell) after the address attributed its subdued reaction to "date nite"

it's true, the reps all sitting together robbed the president of applause opportunities, occasions for ovation

and his message---odonnell (olbermann's replacement) called it "a mathematical riddle that can't be solved"

ie, the president prattled on about investment, not stimulus, while simultaneously embracing america's new cult of CUTS

"we are going to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build" the rest of the world

it's today's SPUTNIK moment

this, from the president who CUT nasa

"reinvent ourselves"

this, from the president transparently out to reinvent HIMSELF in front of the world by PIVOTING, by going CENTER

who will believe him?

his base won't want to believe

his opponents have seen too much

there's just no there there

"vague" is what odonnell called it

"meaningless"

wind, solar, clean coal, NUKES and natural gas---we must do them all

he's right

it's CLEAN energy, now, not GREEN

35 minutes into the speech he finally got to his first ACCOMPLISHMENT---race to the top

even i was stunned

this president who has done more to try to reshape his country than fdr and lbj combined can now only point to the microscopic

what else could he say?

cap and trade? wall street regulatory reform? obamacare (crammed via senate RECONCILIATION)?

they're all political LOSERS

he touts his takeover of student loans BEFORE he so reluctantly brings up obamacare

and when he does finally discuss his signature piece, which he pursued like a real life ahab, he's 75% negative

"now, i have heard rumors that a few of you still have concerns about our new health care law"

"let me be the first to say that anything can be improved, if you have ideas about how to improve this law by making care better or more affordable, i am eager to work with you"

he then trashes his own 1099's

"instead of re-fighting the battles of the last 2 years, let's fix what needs to be fixed and MOVE FORWARD"

ie, he doesn't want to talk about it

(republican ryan sure did)

and THERE'S your new political reality, the lay of the land as we look out across the landscape

he brags about his credit card reform

and start

and putting lobbyists online (LOL!)

anyone got a microscope so we can see what he's saying?

then he transitions to INFRASTRUCTURE

this president who confessed to the ny times magazine in october that he's only learned since passage of the stimulus that isn't a stimulus that THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A SHOVEL READY JOB

he has not received a standing ovation from this crowd since he mentioned gabby giffords in the first five minutes

biden's just sitting there

the prez promises to reform the tax code---simplify it and eliminate those loopholes

now there's a VISION of magnitude, laden full with how-to's and wherefore's

and on IMMIGRATION REFORM---"i am prepared to work with republicans and democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented workers who are now living in the shadows"

oh?

prepared, huh?

how assuring is our leadership

he kvetches about tax cuts for the "wealthiest 2%" mere weeks after signing them into law

and only that after PUNTING on america's central relationship with the I-R-S until some 24 hours left him completely outta duck

did you know that this country has experienced no major reorganization of govt since we had black and white tv?

obama's gonna fix that

he's gonna "merge, consolidate and reorganize the federal govt in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive america"

and he's gonna "submit" his "proposal" to congress for a real up and down vote

!!!

isn't that inspiring?

but just exactly what does he mean?

his white house leaked in advance his big bombshell---THE FREEZE!

it fell flatter than a flapjack, all know it's insufficient

not since richard nixon in 1974 has a president been so sadly received

where's the poetry, mr president, where's the inspiration?

"it sounded like the economic plan of some smaller country," commented chris matthews

it DID sound third world

to millions of americans most of what we heard is, "we're so very, very broke"

hi speed rail, hi speed internet...

amtrak?

these are the forward looking solutions to OUR TIMES?

he devoted more energy to IRAQ than AFGHANISTAN

we've kept our commitment in iraq!

a hundred thousand soldiers are coming home with their heads held hi

fewer afghans are under control of the insurgency today, and we're gonna begin withdrawing troops in july

"and the afghan govt will need to deliver better governance"

now there's a war worth DYING for

FAR MORE NOTABLE than the things this completely lost and lackluster president said are the things he didn't

no mention of the HOUSING CRISIS, the pop that precipitated all this, today careening quickly toward double dip

no solution for the states and cities begging to be allowed to go bankrupt

no remembrance of the STIMULUS which supposedly staved off the great depression

no mideast peace talks, no global warming, no cartels, no sanctions vs iran, no gitmo, no terrorist trials, no chinese currency, no answer for the collapse of the eu, no gun control for gabby

instead we hear RACE TO THE TOP and CREDIT CARDS

it was depressing, it was a downer

we are as a nation just so utterly, utterly broke

innovation, education and competitiveness, all summed up in the byword from 1957---SPUTNIK

it's as if he stumbled on this new "theme" in the wake of his most recent humiliation at the hands of hu

there's quite a bit more worthy of note in this sullen sotu, but that's enough for now

take care, all

try to stay up

President Barack Obama’s 2011 State of the Union Address Transcript
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

Obama Will Use State of the Union to Call for Five-Year Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spending - FoxNews.com



However...
PolitiFact | Obama criticized McCain on a spending freeze






I anxiously await the liberals who were horrified by an across the board freeze, to show their horror now.


cricket... cricket...cricket.

I have never had an issue with a spending freeze, due to a recession. The thing I tend to take issue with is when people try and argue that such spending is not needed in the first place. Also, I think once the recession is over and the budget is in check, we should also look at new spending again.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

I have never had an issue with a spending freeze, due to a recession. The thing I tend to take issue with is when people try and argue that such spending is not needed in the first place. Also, I think once the recession is over and the budget is in check, we should also look at new spending again.

This one single statement, shows why we should never ...ever … ever … put liberals in office again.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

This one single statement, shows why we should never ...ever … ever … put liberals in office again.

Yeah, because those conservatives have really proven to be against spending increases!
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

This one single statement, shows why we should never ...ever … ever … put liberals in office again.

And this single statement shows why we should never...ever...ever put conservatives in office again.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

Eh, when you say "non-defense discretionary spending" you're talking about a very small portion of the budget. It's a start, I guess, but when the **** are we going to take a serious look at defense spending and non-discretionary spending?

about 10 minutes into the default proceedings.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

Yeah, because those conservatives have really proven to be against spending increases!

spend in itself is not the problem, so it doesn't really matter who spends more, what matters is how effective the spending is and if it is a problem that can be solved in an affordable way. If a problem cannot be solved by today's technology and current societal arrangements affordably, we should probably just live with it until such a time there is a better opportunity.
 
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Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

When it comes times for history to judge him as a man and President I'll look at what he said and did, and how they may have contradicted over the years.

But I'm not going to say a man is wrong for doing something I like because he did something I didn't like in the past, while he's President I'll judge each action separately and give them my support or disapproval based on each individual action.

For those who like Obama's spending freeze idea, at least more than his previous spending run, please SUPPORT IT. It should be net budget reduction even if some areas are receiving more money. Even if its not perfect we can all agree tightening the government is better than nothing, even if its not done exactly how we'd like it, its still more productive to support an action which goes forward but perhaps slightly to the left than supporting standing still. And in the next election vote against if you choose to do so, but don't stand in the way of something that's productive and moves in the direction you want simply because its not perfect or the Pres is a Dem.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

When it comes times for history to judge him as a man and President I'll look at what he said and did, and how they may have contradicted over the years.

But I'm not going to say a man is wrong for doing something I like because he did something I didn't like in the past, while he's President I'll judge each action separately and give them my support or disapproval based on each individual action.

For those who like Obama's spending freeze idea, at least more than his previous spending run, please SUPPORT IT. It should be net budget reduction even if some areas are receiving more money. Even if its not perfect we can all agree tightening the government is better than nothing, even if its not done exactly how we'd like it, its still more productive to support an action which goes forward but perhaps slightly to the left than supporting standing still. And in the next election vote against if you choose to do so, but don't stand in the way of something that's productive and moves in the direction you want simply because its not perfect or the Pres is a Dem.

Absolutely. We have to do the responsible, if painful and undesirable, thing. Social spending is not automatically a bad thing, but we should never spend beyond our means.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

you guys act like you don't remember the same guy claiming health care costs is the impetus for health care reform. or that stimulus would cap unemployment at 8% or that guantanamo would be shut down, or that we'd leave iraq and afghanistan. this man claiming he's for some {qualifier} {qualifier} spending freeze only means we most likely won't see any spending freeze at all.
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

Yeah, because those conservatives have really proven to be against spending increases!

And this single statement shows why we should never...ever...ever put conservatives in office again.

The 2006 deficit .. 3.10 billion dollars ..
The 2011 deficit … 1.48 Trillion dollars
total debt end of 2006 8.5 trillion
total debt end of 2010 13.t trillion plus the 2011 shortfall
January of 2007 is when liberals started writing, voting and passion the budgets.

Considering everything, I'll take even so called conservatives over liberals … thank you very much .
 
Re: Obama Will Use SOTU to Call for 5 yr Freeze on Non-Security Discretionary Spendin

the laughable freeze:

Barack Obama's State of the Union Address (full text) - - POLITICO.com

So tonight, I am proposing that starting this year, we freeze annual domestic spending for the next five years. Now, this would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade.

Obama to call for spending freeze — but major items unaffected - Yahoo! News

But the freeze appears largely symbolic. It won't affect the major contributors to the federal deficit: Social Security, Medicare, and defense spending. It also won't apply to interest payments on the federal debt, homeland security or foreign aid -- the latter being a favorite target of small government advocates, though it represents a tiny share of government spending. The plan would save a modest $26 billion over five years, the White House says.
 
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