$100 million

That my friends is a lot of money! No question about that, so why am I so outraged that the President has called for his cabinet to save $100,000,000? It is simple really, it is a disingenuous effort whose sole aim is to sooth an outraged electorate with a mere token of an effort.

Let's put this in perspective. Let's say your family spends $60,000 a year on "stuff". Things like your house, cars, clothes, food, you know stuff. Now, as the head of the family you announce that things are really tough. We have to make sacrifices and cut back. We are going to go through our budget "line by line" and come up with some savings. We are going to target wasteful spending. We all know we have some wasteful spending, right? Now here is our goal, $6. That's right we spend $60,000 a year on stuff and all I am looking for in savings is $6!

Based on the Federal budget that the President has submitted, and passed, that is what we are talking about. Congress this year gave themselves an additional $400 million to run congress. Are we so naive that we can accept this as a real effort to curb spending. I hope not, but I wonder. I guess when the Cabinet members come back in 90 days that they will give us way more than was asked for, and they will be lauded for their efforts. Let's say they come up with $250 Million. Our politicians will slap themselves on the back , march on TV and tell us what a great job they are doing for us "the people".

When that happens, just remember that is like taking 15 bucks out of a $60,000 budget.

The President has just asked for 100 BILLION dollars for the International Monetary Fund. He said the funding "does not represent a budgetary expenditure or any increase in the deficit since it effectively represents an exchange of assets." The last time I heard this kind of garbage, somebody was trying to explain to me how a "credit default swap" was a good tool for financial institutions. The only thing I got out of that was the "default" part. We all know how that worked out, right!

This money is to loan to countries in "Emerging Markets". You know what an emerging market is don't you? It is a country with bad credit that can't borrow money form anyone who expects to get it paid back. Kinda like a sub-prime home loan! As I remember, didn't that turn out bad for all of us? You think we could take a billion or two out of that "asset exchange"?

If we don't wake up, will will qualify for one of these loans from the IMF ourselves. Maybe we can take them our budget where we saved the $6 as proof that we can be trusted with their money.

I love my country, and I want to support our President. We all need for him to be successful. It disappoints me to see him play these kind of games aimed at a public which he believes can be manipulated so easily. Such action is beneath the dignity of the office, and speaks volume about what he thinks of our intellect. I guess he has a right to expect us to be naive, after all we elected a first term senator with less than a years experience before he started his run for the presidency. I don't think I would go to a heart surgeon that had only been to medical school for only 1 year before he hung out his shingle. But then again that is an important job.


For the sake of your children and grand children, hold your elected officials responsible. Let your voice be heard before it is to late!