Holy Hyperbole, Batman! [Reader Post]

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Democrats are pulling out all the rhetorical stops in attacking Republicans regarding the debt ceiling debate:

The irrepressible Van Jones

Any faction in America that would put a gun to the head of 310 million people and say ‘If you don’t do it our way, we will blow your dreams away, we will blow a hole in the American economy’, that is un-American. That is not how we do business, and we refuse to bow down to those tactics.”

Nancy Pelosi:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi dialed up the rhetoric before Speaker John Boehner’s plan to raise the debt limit heads to the House floor for a vote, declaring it a “job-killer” and saying seniors could “kiss their Medicare good-bye.”

“If you believe in that the education of our children, the retirement of our seniors, the creation of jobs in a fiscally sound way, you couldn’t possibly vote for the bill that the Republicans are bringing to the floor today,” Pelosi said Thursday.

James Clyburn turns in the race card:

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) cited major civil rights victories as examples of successful presidential executive orders as evidence President Barack Obama should invoke the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling if Congress fails to do so.

“He could do that [an executive order] with a stroke of a pen. We have seen many big things done in history that way,” Clyburn said on MSNBC’s “Jansing & Co.” “I was joking to my staff the other day: ‘Tell me the bill number for the Emancipation Proclamation.’ It was an executive order. We integrated the armed services by executive order. We integrated the public schools by executive order. Sometimes executives must order that things get done.”

Keith Ellison: Forget you, Constitution!

The other thing, the 14th Amendment, I believe, authorizes the president to raise the debt ceiling, of course, I think he’ll draw some legal challenges, but so be it. If they — I think at the end of the day we swear an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, the 14th Amendment says the debt ceiling should not be questioned. I think the president has authority to raise it and move forward that way. I prefer to have the legislative body to operate and function, but if push comes to shove, I think that he needs to just invoke that Constitutional option.

Hairy Reid shows his bipartisanship:

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if Speaker Boehner’s bill passes or fails. The way to resolve this crisis is to ignore the extremists and meet in the middle of the road,” Reid said. Boehner’s plan “is not a solution. It will not pass. Every Democratic senator will vote against it.”

Tom Friedman:

Tea partiers are the GOP’s “Hezbollah faction.”

The predictably idiotic Wasserman Schultz:

“Aren’t we at the point where the closer we get to chaos, the more concern that there should be about coming to the table and compromising with Democrats?” Wasserman Schultz asked. “This is not leadership. This is almost like dictatorship. I know they want to force the outcome that … their extremists would like to impose. But they are getting ready to spark panic and chaos, and they seem to be OK with that. And it’s just really disappointing, and potentially devastating.”

Hairy Reid again- Tea Party members are not Americans

Michelle Bachmann made kids commit suicide:

An article in the liberal magazine Mother Jones criticizes Rep. Michele Bachmann(R-Minn) for her silence on a tragic string of nine suicides over the past two years in her district. The writer argues that Bachmann’s refusal to support antibullying legislation in the state in 2006 and the agenda favored by some of her anti-gay allies in Minnesota may have contributed to a harmful environment. And that climate, Mother Jones reporter Stephanie Mencimer suggests, could have played a role in the teen deaths in the troubled Anoka-Hennepin school district where Bachmann herself had once attended high school.

Obama flack Jay Carney:

From today’s back-and-forth between FOX News’ Ed Henry and White House press secretary Jay Carney.

Carney says the GOP is being “incredibly juvenile” for trying to force his plan through the Congress to the President’s desk. Carney claims they are “trying to stick the President with default.”

Carney calls the House GOP proposal “more Draconian” than the [Rep. Paul] Ryan budget bill.

Pelosi again.

“What we’re trying to do is save the world from the Republican budget. We’re trying to save life on this planet as we know it today.”

Republicans plan to ruin the holidays:

“Happy Holidays America: Boehner plan would have the debt ceiling all over again during the holiday season, which is critical for the economy,” White House deputy spokesman Dan Pfeiffer declared today at 9.50 a.m.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6I_8HXcO54[/youtube]

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The Democrats seem to think we are being obstinate when we refuse to do it their way.

Life as they know it is about to change forever. Life as Republicans knew it is about to change forever.

I don’t think that the general public really understands the entire issue here. And much of that is due to the rhetoric and commentary from both the left and the “right”.

The current deal, scheduled to be voted upon, is stated to cut spending by $2.5 Trillion over the course of a decade. Sounds ok, right? I mean, it sounds like it will actually cut current spending from programs and reduce their actual budgets, from what they have spent this year, to less in the future.

The problem is, that isn’t close to being the actual truth of the matter, and it is due to a little thing called ‘baseline budgeting’. What is that, you ask? Well, basically, it has the government set a budget and then projects the course of spending for the government, over the course of a decade. And that course includes spending increases each year, from 3-7% per line item, with all spending averaging out to around a 4% increase, or so, in spending, each year.

For example, the 2011 “budget” is $3.8 Trillion. Estimated spending in 2012 is expected to be $3.95 Trillion, 2013 to be $4.11 Trillion, 2014 to be $4.27 Trillion, 2015 to be $4.45 Trillion, and so on up to 2021 which is expected to be $5.62 Trillion. The total amount of spending increases, above and beyond what we will spend in 2011, is about $9.5 Trillion dollars, over the next decade. And that is with the relatively “mild” estimation of 4% increases.

What’s so important about that number? Because that is the starting point from where they will be “cutting” federal spending. So, when they are talking about cutting spending by such and such amount over the next decade, this is the number one starts with. The current “plan” has spending cut $2.5 Trillion. Taken from $9.5 Trillion, that STILL LEAVES $7.0 Trillion in spending INCREASES over the next decade.

They are not cutting any spending. $7 Trillion roughly translates to around a 3.5% increase in spending each year.

AND, it gets worse. Total federal revenue is estimated to be $2.2 Trillion this year. In order to just keep pace with the spending increases, and maintain a constant deficit of $1.5-1.6 Trillion per year, revenue must increase by 6.2% every year for the next decade. That means that US GDP must increase by a similar percentage, per year, for the next decade. Not very likely, is it?

Of course, that starting revenue figure is a mere 15% of US GDP, whereas, most years it falls around 18%, or so. But even if we assume that revenues will climb back up to 18% of GDP, and that revenues then climb to $2.75 Trillion next year, we still need, then, close to 4.5% annual increases in GDP over the next nine years, just to keep pace with current spending increases and maintain that same $1.5-1.6 Trillion deficit. Again, not very likely, is it?

Tax increases? Even if we allow the current tax rates to sunset, and those climb back up to the Clinton-era tax rates, across the board, we are still only looking at $3.4 Trillion in “savings” over the next decade, taking the spending increase number down to $3.6 Trillion. That is a 1.7% increase in spending, each year, over the next decade, and still requires revenues, and by extension, US GDP, to grow by about 3% per year(a decent growth rate), on average, to merely keep the deficit constant at $1.5-1.6 Trillion.

As you can see, no one in DC is truly serious about the debt and deficit issues facing our country. When they speak of spending “cuts”, they aren’t actually speaking of cutting the spending amount itself, but only the rate of spending increases for the budget. And most people don’t understand this, which is why all of the rhetoric from above is allowed to continue.

And none of the above figures take into account the added spending due to Obamacare, due to start hitting us in the next year or so. Or the increased number of retirees, adding more and more people onto the roles of SS and Medicare, at a much higher percentage rate than any figure used above. Or the negative effect of tax increases on the economy, and by extension, the GDP. Or any number of future effects on the economy, like 9/11 had, or the housing crises had, or even the tsunami in Japan had.

@johngalt: Excellent points, JohnGalt.
The RATE of GROWTH of government is hardly constrained.

One thing people often forget is that the CBO must use CURRENT law to ”score” a budget or bill involving money.
So, how does this newest compromise score?

$917 billion of it (the Boehner cuts) is done without tax revenue.
But there is another component because the bill will have $2.3 trillion in it.
A “supercommittee” is involved.
The CBO must assume the Bush tax cuts expire which brings us up to $3.5 trillion in new revenue over the next 10 years.
Limiting or eliminating so-called tax expenditures (write-offs and other subsidies) can also generate tons of cash.
ObamaCare’s payroll tax ”surcharge” is going to rake in the dough, too.

In PDF form the CBO’s scoring of this latest compromise…..
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/123xx/doc12357/BudgetControlActAug1.pdf

EDITED to ADD:

This compromise is not much of a solution to our spending problem.
Odds are we STILL get at least one ratings house downgrade.

BTW, did anybody catch Barney Frank trying to claim ratings downgrades are irrelevant?
It was on Fox yesterday and hilarious.

@Nan G:

One of the headlines I saw yesterday stated, “$1 Trillion In Spending Cut Immediately”. And what does one suppose people think when they see that headline? That $1 Trillion is cut from the annual budget, starting immediately, and that instead of a $3.8 Trillion budget, it will be $2.8 Trillion. That is why I submitted the previous post, so that people who don’t understand it, can actually see exactly what is happening.

In order to actually balance the budget, at the end of ten years, spending would have to be capped at the current $3.8 Trillion level for those ten years, and the US GDP will have to attain an average increase of 3.5% per year, for ten years, and revenues increase to an average of 18% of GDP. And in that time, annual deficits, although continuing to drop, would still add around $5 Trillion to the total debt, bringing it to $19.4 Trillion or so. By contrast, the GDP, if it enjoyed a modest 3.5% increase per year over that time, would end up around $20.83 Trillion, leaving the debt to GDP ratio at 93%. All of this, of course, assumes that the “Bush tax cuts” remain in place. If they are allowed to expire, the results, of both revenue, and GDP growth rate, are unknown, but likely to remain well below an average of 3.5% per year.

That might actually be the best “plan” for actually getting spending under control. And taking into account the increased amount of retirees on the SS and Medicare doles, it would require actual spending cuts in other programs, and other departments, and actually reduce the size of government itself. The current “deal” being discussed does nothing in regards to that.

@johngalt: John, I’ll have you know that I cut spending $50 million in my own home this year. I decided to forgo the G6.

THROW THE BUMS OUT AND THE TRAITORS AS WELL,
LET THE PEOPLE LEAD AND DECIDE WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO,
WHICH IS TO STOP THE CORRUPTION, AND START ALL AS NEW AND FAIR.
FOR EACH AMERICAN.

Boehner is getting ready to speak.
Apparently it took the alternative media (bloggers) to point out there were tax hikes included in this ”deal.”
Now I wonder if Republicans will vote for it.
4…3….2…1…

@Nan G:

Oh, I think they realized that, about the tax hikes, Nan. I just think that they hoped to pass it through quietly, before the realization hit, so that something would get done.

johngalt ,
I think that OBAMA is waiting for the real CRESCENT MOON TO RESPOND,
because he need to be reassure by it,
for personal reason.

There are loads of escape clauses to get around the spending limitations. We’re gonna have to pass it to find out how many are in it.

End all federal grant money to NGE’s… Soro’s leverages his money/influence buying when we the taxpayer fund these shadowy groups that he creates at an alarming rate. I know it isn’t much money in the grand scheme of things… but I sure would feel better if these non-profit groups weren’t using my tax dollars to fund their nefarious agendas in contravention to my best interests.

Seems to me that Boehner and the House leadership broke their promise: That the public would be allowed 3-days to read all bills. Back to business as usual. That’s why Democrats always want to push things to the last minute, so that we will not have time find all the devious hidden stuff that they sneak in (which they probably wrote weeks ago fully intending to pull a fast one on Republicans). I knew that this kind of garbage was going to happen. Why, after all these years, haven’t the establishment Republicans caught on? The House leadership should have done the same thing the Senate did, and edit the bill on receiving it. (They have that right.) Then given this again revised bill up for a vote.

More hyperbole, courtesy of the leadership of our own Nationalist Socialist Democrat Party: Tea party Republicans acted like terrorists..

batman, hi,
the terrorists are those OBAMA’S DEMOCRATS which used the MEDIA
known to go along with them to terrorise the elders, the poor, the vets, the sicks,
even worried the MILITARY WORRIED FOR THEIR FAMILY THREATS TO BE
without payment coming on the second of august,
those threats where repeated many times by OBAMA , ALSO BY THE CRUMBLING DEMOCRATS,AND THE MEDIA WENT ALONG IN THE FEAR FACTOR, AND ALL THIS BECAUSE THE OBAMA AND DEMOCRATS UNWISE SPENDING SPREE TO THE RUINING POINT OF AMERICA,
THEY ARE THE TERRORIST

Bees, Indeed. A narcissistic tendency to attack their opponent of the sin for which they are guilty. As for the media, the 4th estate, the fifth column, ploy; Their complicity in spinning “the debt crisis”: It worked! E.g.: Sister in-law on social security, believed the ploy: “If this wasn’t passed, Granny won’t get her social security check.” Swallowed that bait, hook, line and sinker. A good hearted Illinois gal, C(r)ook county (With the Venezuelan-made voting machines) “publik-skooled,” so, not the sharpest knife in the drawer, began arguing with me last night that their not a dime’s worth of difference between the current leadership, and the challengers. It was her birthday, so just had to let it go. And, it was so difficult to defend this deal, which really was a traitorous sell-out. The only thing that keeps me going is knowledge that The Truth will eventually prevail.

It took Carter, to bring us Reagan. My only concern now is: The survival of this nation, “The last, best, hope of man on earth,” to see the 2012 election. The Kenyan did keep his last campaign promise: “To fundamentally transform this nation.” We can guess the filth column will be spinning this, as a plus. But, with the misery that lies ahead, I just can’t see, even my sister-in-law, continuing to “buy in.”

batman,
I think very strongly that the MEDIA CONSTANTLY POUND ON SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES
TO SELL OBAMA, FROM THE BEGINNING OF HIS IMPLICATION AS A CANDIDAT FOR THE PRESIDENCY’S POSITION,
WE HEARD ALL KINDS OF MESSAGES, COUNTING THE RACE CARD EXCUSE TO FREE HIM FROM PRODUCING HIS BASIC IDENTIFICATION, GOING TO WORK THE PEOPLE TO BELIEVE HE WAS A LONG AWAITED MESSIA OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM OF THE MASSES WHERE THE POOR PEOPLE ARE IN BIG NUMBERS AND TRYING TO IMPROVE THEIR INCOME FROM GOVERNMENT’S SOURCES ALONE. WE HEARD CONSTANT EMOTIONAL DISCUSSION TO ELEVATE THIS MAN WHO HAD ONLY TO SPEAK OF PROMISSES TO GET THE AMERICA TO FOLLOW THE CHANGE THAT HE BELEIVED WAS POSSIBLE BUT HAD FAILED IN CENTURYS OF TRYING TO IMPLEMENT THOSE LAWS OF MEN IN LEADERSHIP, THOSE NEFARIOUS LAWS OF TAKING PEOPLE HOSTAGES AND TAKING MOST OF THEIR EARNING AND WEALTH TO GIVE IT TO THE POOR WHICH ARE TO TAKE IT BUT NOT SWEAT FOR IT,
WE HEARD THEM HAVING TINGLES IN THEIR LEGS PROMOTING THE MAN WHICH NOW WE KNOW FOR SURE IS NOT WHAT AMERICA NEED AS A PRESIDENT.
EVEN THE DEMOCRATS COVERED HIM UP AS THEY DICOVERED THEIR MISTAKE, BUT THEY HAVE TO PROTECT THEIR PARTY FIRST AND STILL DOING IT AT THE EXPANSE OF AMERICANS OF THIS UNITED STATES , WHERE ALL HAD TO HUSH HUSH, NOT TO OFFEND THE BLACK PEOPLE ON THEIR PRESIDENT THEY WHERE SO PROUD TO HAVE HELPED TO THIS POSITION OF HONOR,
SO EVERY ONE DID HUSH USH, AND NOW, IS THE TIME TO THINK RIGHT NOT HUSH HUSH,
BECAUSE THE REALITY HAS SHOWN IN THE FACES OF ALL , RICH OR POOR AS LONG AS THEY ARE AMERICAN THAT IS THE ONLY NAME THEY NEED IN THIS COUNTRY TO START WANTING
THIS AMERICA TO COME BACK WHERE SHE BELONG.

@batman:

But, with the misery that lies ahead, I just can’t see, even my sister-in-law, continuing to “buy in.”

Do not ever underestimate the power of stupidity in people. Otherwise intelligent people bought into Obama, and will buy into him again, regardless of how bad things get.

Bees,
I agree completely. The 4th estate has been the “5th column” since the invention of “Yellow YJour(i)nalism.: I recall the offspring of the invenror, actually flying the Soviet Hammer and Sickle flag from a certain, major, newspaper building, in St. Louis during the late 1960’s. Talk about “Predatory Plutocracy, ” they (today’s media) invented it.

JohnGalt,
Yes. I’m afraid so. Reminds me of one of my favorite “Bullwinkle” quotes appropos “Fearless Leader”:
“Never under estimate the power of a schmuck.” (I think it was “schnuck,” but, in this case, I prefer “schmuck.”