Back to Basics

Good news: Nancy Pelosi wants the budget to be balanced. Granted she wants it done after she’s long gone and the sun has collapsed into a white dwarf, but it’s a start:

During her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill, CNSNews.com asked Pelosi if she agreed with President Barack Obama’s recent remarks that America does not have an “immediate” debt crisis. The U.S. debt as of Wednesday stands at $16.7 trillion.

“Well, I believe that we’re on a path to reduce the deficit,” Pelosi said. “And I would say that — count me as one who would say I want us to be on a path to balance the budget in a number of decades.”

“You can’t do it in one decade,” she said. “Not after what we have been through.” [i.e. a Pelosi speakership - DP]

Pelosi added that there was an “explosion” of debt during the Bush administration.

Well, naturally:

Pelosi obviously didn’t admit that Bush’s debt explosion carried over quite a bit, and then some.

Other Dems will undoubtedly find Pelosi’s clarion call to “balance the budget within a few decades” far too fiscally aggressive.

In an interview that aired this morning on ABC, President Obama told George Stephanopoulos that there is no looming debt crisis:

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:
But even the ones who’ve seen your plans say they need to see more.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:
Well– I understand. Which is why, at some point, I think I take myself out of this. Right now, what I’m trying to do is create an atmosphere where Democrats and Republicans can go ahead, get together, and try to get something done. And, y– you know– I think what’s important to recognize is that– we’ve already cut– $2.5– $2.7 trillion out of the deficit. If the sequester stays in, you’ve got over $3.5 trillion of deficit reduction already.

And, so, we don’t have an immediate crisis in terms of debt. In fact, for the next ten years, it’s gonna be in a sustainable place. The question is, can we do it smarter, can we do it better? And– you know, what I’m saying to them is I am prepared to do some tough stuff. Neither side’s gonna get 100%. That’s what the American people are lookin’ for. That’s what’s gonna be good for jobs. That’s what’s gonna be good for growth.

For ten years it’s going to be a sustainable place — in eleven years it’ll be Greece.

Imagine you’re in an airplane plagued with mechanical problems, the last working engine has flamed out, and the pilot comes on the intercom and says “don’t worry, we’ve got about 20,000 feet before this really becomes a problem so we’re in a sustainable place right now.” Something like that just happened.

In 2008, when the national debt was just over $9 trillion, that was an “irresponsible” and “unpatriotic” amount of red ink with which to be saddling future generations. Now almost $17 trillion and rising is totally sustainable?

A little more information about the non-crisis:

The estimated population of the United States is 314,584,534 so each citizen’s share of this debt is $53,119.27.

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $3.87 billion per day since September 28, 2007!

In addition to the debt discussion, if you want to hear Obama’s first-hand account of what happened the night of the Benghazi attack, don’t bother to watch the video below, because Stephanopoulos didn’t even ask:

For quite some time after the ascendency of the modern day messiah (with a small ‘m’) back in the 2007 – 08 era, I believed, along with many others, we had a brilliant scholarly minded young half-black man who was making inroads to our presidency.  I welcomed his arrival to what I thought would be a crowning achievement for our country should this man become our president.

I really don’t remember what signal event occurred that started to alert me to watch his actions and words more carefully.  I am positive that unlike Chris Matthews of MSNBC,  it was not a “tingle up my leg.”  No, it was more like a “kick upside the head” that turned my attention to his unusual and devious body language that did not match his cavalier words of deceit which proved to be eloquent prevarications.  IOW he was proving to be a damned liar, a fault he constantly practices to this day.

He must be sorry he ever heard of the word ‘sequestration’ a word that has twisted and turned not only his mind but I’m sure his soul as well.  He has, in his every waking hour, and probably many during sleep periods been avidly tortured on how to blame George Bush for that monstrosity, but unfortunately, George was a bit too early for that darned S-E-Q-U-E-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N; the monster he agreed to in order to run up the tab on his habitual spendthriftyness and IOU called the National Debt which hangs over him like a specter of doom.

This man is the epitome of the words extravagant and profligate.  He doesn’t even quiver at the word ‘trillion’ and there’s no reason for him to do so as it is OUR money that he is blowing on his mindless and careless schemes. And there’s no way you can convince me that he isn’t getting personally well endowed though cracks in the super-structure of government financial channels.  Just over four years ago he was rubbing coins together, now he is classified as a multi-millionaire.  How’d that happen?  On a presidential salary?

Now as a supposedly brilliant and educated man wouldn’t you think he could have come up with better targets for savings to satisfy his sequestration needs than our military?, our safety and security?, our visitation “rights” to the White House for our schoolchildren? You know, – cut foreign aid to countries that hate us and maybe even presidential and congressional salaries; they got us into this mess.

If he gave up a few vacations to exotic lands and luxurious accommodated foreign lands and a half dozen or more golf tours it could put a good-sized dent in the needs for that 13 lettered name totaling $85 billion (over 10 years).  But then he is too busy trying to find ways around this bump in the road to keep that National Debt Ceiling moving on upwards, like the Jeffersons.  “The president’s travel expenses alone, for the golfing outing with Tiger Woods, would pay for a year of White House visits,” Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer said Thursday.

An alternate headline comes courtesy of Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX): “The people have been banned from the people’s house.”

From Fox News:

The Obama administration announced Tuesday that it will cancel all tours starting this weekend, due to sequester cuts. The move prompted swift condemnation from Republican lawmakers, who described the decision as the latest attempt to make the sequester seem worse than it is.
[...]
The announcement is the latest from the administration about the impact of the cuts that went into effect last Friday. Congressional staffers received a terse email saying White House tours would be canceled effective this Saturday.

The email cited “staffing reductions” from the sequester.

“Unfortunately, we will not be able to reschedule affected tours,” the notice said. “We very much regret having to take this action, particularly during the popular Spring touring season.”

Regret it? Uh huh.

Knowing sequestration was looming, there was still enough money for an extra $15 million in Pakistan aid, $50 million for TSA uniforms and even hundreds of thousands for portraits. Even post sequestration they were somehow still able to scrape $250 million from under the country’s couch cushions to give to Egypt.

You can probably guess what the sequester won’t interrupt — and one of those things is the collection of Obamacare taxes. Another is the calligraphy.

Finally, the Tweet of the day:

Brad Dayspring @BDayspring

Ouch.

A shorter way to phrase the message being sent to federal agencies is “whatever you do, don’t make liars out of us”:

The Obama administration denied an appeal for flexibility in lessening the sequester’s effects, with an email this week appearing to show officials in Washington that because they already had promised the cuts would be devastating, they now have to follow through on that.

In the email sent Monday by Charles Brown, an official with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service office in Raleigh, N.C., Mr. Brown asked “if there was any latitude” in how to spread the sequester cuts across the region to lessen the impacts on fish inspections.

He said he was discouraged by officials in Washington, who gave him this reply: “We have gone on record with a notification to Congress and whoever else that ‘APHIS would eliminate assistance to producers in 24 states in managing wildlife damage to the aquaculture industry, unless they provide funding to cover the costs.’ So it is our opinion that however you manage that reduction, you need to make sure you are not contradicting what we said the impact would be.”

They break promises all the time and this is the one they want to keep?

I’m thinking of a slight alteration to the script for The Longest Yard — one where at halftime Paul Crewe writes a letter to his teammates telling them “don’t try too hard in the second half because it would contradict a promise I just made to the warden.”

J-Nap is dutifully obliging, however. Now she just needs to turn some of these green dots red.
*****

“Sorry, but the only person who could help you got furloughed yesterday. Hang in there, you’ll be down as soon as Republicans agree to raise taxes again!” 

Post-sequester TSA: You’re gonna like the way we look

*****Timing is everything:

The impending sequester did not prevent the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from acting in late February to seal a $50-million deal to purchase new uniforms for its agents — uniforms that will be partly manufactured in Mexico.

Soon after this new investment in TSA uniforms, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned Americans that the lines are already lengthening at airports due to the sequester.
[...]
On Feb. 27, the agency announced that on Feb. 22 it had awarded a one-year contract to VF Imagewear, Inc., which owns the Lee brand and Wrangler Hero, to provide the uniforms. “This contract will address the requirements of the TSA, Office of Security Operations, TSA Uniform Program,” the award states.

The TSA employs 50,000 security officers, inspectors, air marshals and managers. That means that the uniform contract will pay the equivalent of $1,000 per TSA agent over the course of the year.
[...]
Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the TSA is required to procure uniforms made in the United States. However, uniform products made in Mexico, Canada or Chile must also be considered due to the North American Free Trade Agreement and the U.S.-Chilean Free Trade Agreement.

“TSA’s contract with VF Imagewear for TSO uniforms, which has some manufacturing facilities in Mexico, complies with the law,” the TSA said.

Full story here.

J-Nap must have figured that if air travelers will be increasingly delayed as she has repeatedly warned (which is not the case so far), their moods can be enhanced if the person patting them down is wearing a snappy new blue uniform that also plays La Cucaracha on Cinco de Mayo.

And with all of President Obama’s promises to do away with no-bid contracts in mind, there’s this:

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) intends to contract using other than full and open competition for the acquisition of TSA uniform items, inclusive of an online ordering system, for a period of one year with a one year optional transition period pending award of the mandatory DHS-wide uniform contract, which is currently being competed by the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). Accordingly, the TSA intends to award a contract to VF Imagewear Inc.

In other “budget cuts” news, federal agencies posted over 400 job openings on the day the sequester kicked in, including three for “insect production workers.”

Update: TSA uniform perks more expensive than the Marine Corps.

(h/t Respublica and Kristina)

Janet Napolitano, Director of Homeland Security, claims that the Obama-initiated Sequester is causing such budget headaches that she has been forced to release illegal aliens from jail.

Oddly enough, at the same time as Nappy is releasing criminals to the streets of America because of insufficient funds, John Kerry is in Egypt giving away $250 million taxpayer greenbacks to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Just what is really going on here?

If it is true that money is just not available to keep the invaders in jail where they belong, why not simply deport them back to from whence they came? Let Mexico fed and house its bad-actor thugs for a change!

Or is the word deport no longer used in the world of PC bureaucrats?

Another thought: Why not siphon off enough of the loot headed to Egypt to at least buy one-way tickets back to Mexico for our unwelcome prisoners?

Is it any wonder that politicians are considered the lowest form on life in the universe?

John W. Lillpop is a recovering liberal. “Clean and sober” since 1992 when last he voted for a Democrat. Pray for John: He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where people like Nancy Pelosi are actually considered normal!.

The one thing the “sequester” did was to get people asking why government spending could not be reduced. Adding to the drama of the automatic cuts was the sky-is-falling, government-services-will-stop, and comparable lies the President and his cabinet secretaries told until it became obvious that the public was not buying it.

What the President did not talk about was the incredible, obscene waste of taxpayer’s money that goes on every day in every department and agency of the U.S. government. Americans are so accustomed to hearing everything described in the billions and trillions, they have lost sight of what these numbers really mean and this is particularly true in light of the nation’s huge, growing debt and deficit.

It’s not like independent organizations like Citizens Against Government Waste don’t keep watch and report the waste. It has gained some fame for its annual “Pig Book”, a list of absurd spending. To its credit, the Government Accountability Office occasionally issues a report on waste when some member of Congress requests it.

Even a casual bit of research turns up item after item that, were Americans not so apathetic and indifferent to government waste, it would result in huge rallies in Washington, D.C. calling for change. There is none.

Here are some examples, a mere handful from the many anyone can discover by simply Googling “government waste.”

# The government spends $1.7 billion for maintenance on empty buildings it owns, although some sources put the figure at closer to $25 billion. The Office of Management and Budget estimates that 55,000 properties are underutilized or entirely vacant.

# The federal government owns approximately one-third of all U.S. land. It does not need more land and it could be argued that it should not own 80% of Nevada and Alaska, and more than half of Idaho. That said, it wants to spend $2.3 billion to purchase more land and the National park Service currently has a backlog of maintenance tasks totaling $5 billion. These include parks that the Obama administration was saying would all have to be closed down because of a sequester reduction of a mere 1.2% of all federal spending.

# Homeland Security’s Janet Napolitano was issuing statements about the sequestration cuts to her department, but according to Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, the department has $9 billion in unspent preparedness funds. How much of that will be spent on purchasing more DHS ammunition? They have already purchased enough to shoot every American five times.

# Republican lawmakers in Congress took the sequester fear-mongering as an opportunity to note, as Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) said, “There are pots of money sitting in different departments across the federal government, that have been authorized over either a number of months or years.”

# Rep. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is a leading budget hawk who identified programs to fund a space ship to another solar system, funds for advancements in beef jerky from France, and $6 billion for research to find out what lessons about democracy and decision-making can be learned—from fish!

# While you’re trying to figure out how to pay your 2012 taxes, give a thought to the National Science Foundation $350,000 grant to Purdue University researchers on how to improve your golf game.

During President Obama’s “the sequester’s coming to devour your paycheck” news conference Friday morning, he made this claim:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrPmaS4VhQU

“Starting tomorrow everybody here, all the folks who are cleaning the floors at the Capitol. Now that Congress has left, somebody’s going to be vacuuming and cleaning those floors and throwing out the garbage. They’re going to have less pay. The janitors, the security guards, they just got a pay cut, and they’ve got to figure out how to manage that. That’s real.”

That’s not real. Four Pinocchios according to Glenn Kessler at the Washington Post:

Obama’s remarks continue the administration’s pattern of overstating the potential impact of the sequester, which we have explored this week. We originally thought this was maybe a Two Pinocchio rating, but in light of the AOC memo and the confirmation that security guards will not face a pay cut, nothing in Obama’s statement came close to being correct.

CNN’s Dana Bash:

despite obama claim pay cuts to begin for capitol janitors & “security guards” (aka police), SAA Gainer tells me no plans for pay cuts yet

— Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) March 1, 2013

From CBS News — note how the Capitol superintendent doesn’t refer to Obama by name, but rather as a “high ranking official.” Heh:

The president’s mention prompted Carlos Elias, the superintendent of the U.S. Capitol building and the Capitol Visitors Center, to email his employees within hours of Mr. Obama’s comment.

“The pay and benefits of EACH of our employees WILL NOT be impacted,” Elias wrote.

“There was a specific mention in the news today by a high ranking official that said ‘The employees that clean and maintain the US Capitol will receive a cut in pay’ (not specific quote but very close to it),” Elias continued.

If the sequester is going to be so horrible why the need to lie about its effects (like this) right out of the gate?

Also, don’t miss Michael Ramirez’s pie charts for a little more sequestration perspective (h/t Doug Ross).