Thursday, April 14, 2011

More on the Incredible Shrinking Republican Budget Cuts !!!!

Tuesday morning, I linked to something that claimed the Republican budget miserable defeat compromise was down to $14 billion dollars. 

The numbers just keep getting smaller, don’t they? Republicans started the year demanding $100 billion in cuts. But it quickly turned out that when they said $100 billion, they were just talking hypothetically. Instead, they meant $100 billion on an annualized basis. The next we heard, Republicans were aiming to trim $61 billion. And not one penny less! Eventually, they agreed to a deal that they claimed cut $38 billion. But of that $38 billion, it turns out, the real cuts only add up to about $14 billion. Any bets on how many days before the cuts disappear entirely?

I shouldn't have linked to that piece by the otherwise reliable folks at Reason magazine.  The Republicans aren't going to cut $14 billion dollars from the budget.  The Congressional Budget Office reports that the real cuts only amount to $352 million.  That's million, not billion. 
Fool us once, shame on them.  Fool us every election cycle since electing budget-bustin' Ronald Reagan, shame on us. 

A new budget estimate released Wednesday shows that the spending bill negotiated between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner would produce less than 1 percent of the $38 billion in promised savings by the end of this budget year.



The Congressional Budget Office estimate shows that compared with current spending rates the spending bill due for a House vote Thursday would cut federal outlays from non-war accounts by just $352 million through Sept. 30. About $8 billion in immediate cuts to domestic programs and foreign aid are offset by nearly equal increases in defense spending.


When war funding is factored in the legislation would actually increase total federal outlays by $3.3 billion relative to current levels. 

....The budget deficit is projected at $1.6 trillion this year.


So instead of any type of cut, we'll probably spend 3.3 billion more than anticipated. 

Sorry for posting the inaccurate info on Tuesday.  Gotta remember....  Republicans don't cut government.  Republicans don't cut government.  Republicans don't cut government.  Republicans don't cut government.  Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government.  Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government.  Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government. Republicans don't cut government.


There.  I almost have it internalized. 

Big Government pic came from here. 

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