January 28, 201016 yr Fact Check OBAMA: "Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will not be affected. But all other discretionary government programs will. Like any cash-strapped family, we will work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don't." THE FACTS: The anticipated savings from this proposal would amount to less than 1 percent of the deficit — and that's if the president can persuade Congress to go along. Obama is a convert to the cause of broad spending freezes. In the presidential campaign, he criticized Republican opponent John McCain for suggesting one. "The problem with a spending freeze is you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel," he said a month before the election. Now, Obama wants domestic spending held steady in most areas where the government can control year-to-year costs. The proposal is similar to McCain's.
January 28, 201016 yr Author OBAMA: "I've called for a bipartisan fiscal commission, modeled on a proposal by Republican Judd Gregg and Democrat Kent Conrad. This can't be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem. The commission will have to provide a specific set of solutions by a certain deadline. Yesterday, the Senate blocked a bill that would have created this commission. So I will issue an executive order that will allow us to go forward, because I refuse to pass this problem on to another generation of Americans." THE FACTS: Any commission that Obama creates would be a weak substitute for what he really wanted — a commission created by Congress that could force lawmakers to consider unpopular remedies to reduce the debt, including curbing politically sensitive entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. That idea crashed in the Senate this week, defeated by equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. Any commission set up by Obama alone would lack authority to force its recommendations before Congress, and would stand almost no chance of success.
January 28, 201016 yr Author OBAMA: Discussing his health care initiative, he said, "Our approach would preserve the right of Americans who have insurance to keep their doctor and their plan." THE FACTS: The Democratic legislation now hanging in limbo on Capitol Hill aims to keep people with employer-sponsored coverage — the majority of Americans under age 65 — in the plans they already have. But Obama can't guarantee people won't see higher rates or fewer benefits in their existing plans. Because of elements such as new taxes on insurance companies, insurers could change what they offer or how much it costs. Moreover, Democrats have proposed a series of changes to the Medicare program for people 65 and older that would certainly pinch benefits enjoyed by some seniors. The Congressional Budget Office has predicted cuts for those enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans.
January 28, 201016 yr Author OBAMA: He called for action by the White House and Congress "to do our work openly, and to give our people the government they deserve." THE FACTS: Obama skipped past a broken promise from his campaign — to have the negotiations for health care legislation broadcast on C-SPAN "so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies." Instead, Democrats in the White House and Congress have conducted the usual private negotiations, making multibillion-dollar deals with hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders behind closed doors. Nor has Obama lived up consistently to his pledge to ensure that legislation is posted online for five days before it's acted upon.
January 28, 201016 yr Author OBAMA: Drawing on classified information, he claimed more success than his predecessor at killing terrorists: "And in the last year, hundreds of al-Qaida's fighters and affiliates, including many senior leaders, have been captured or killed — far more than in 2008." THE FACTS: It is an impossible claim to verify. Neither the Bush nor the Obama administration has published enemy body counts, particularly those targeted by armed drones in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. The pace of drone attacks has increased dramatically in the last 18 months, according to congressional officials briefed on the secret program.
January 28, 201016 yr Author Not found in this article is the fact that Obama repeatedly insisted that he inherited massive budgetary problems from George Bush, I guess he's still on the campaign trail. Isn't it Congress that passes budgets, not the President? Didn't the last three budgets came from Democrats? In three years, they increased annual federal spending by $900 billion. The irresponsible Republican Congresses under George Bush increased annual federal spending by $800 billion..... in six years. By the way, Obama served in the Senate that passed those bills, and he voted for every Democratic budget put in front of him. :sssh:
January 28, 201016 yr Not found in this article is the fact that Obama repeatedly insisted that he inherited massive budgetary problems from George Bush, I guess he's still on the campaign trail. Isn't it Congress that passes budgets, not the President? Didn't the last three budgets came from Democrats? In three years, they increased annual federal spending by $900 billion. The irresponsible Republican Congresses under George Bush increased annual federal spending by $800 billion..... in six years. By the way, Obama served in the Senate that passed those bills, and he voted for every Democratic budget put in front of him. :sssh: Keep it coming RTS. You are the best my friend!
January 28, 201016 yr Not found in this article is the fact that Obama repeatedly insisted that he inherited massive budgetary problems from George Bush, I guess he's still on the campaign trail. Isn't it Congress that passes budgets, not the President? : If you subscribe to this theory (and I do) you have told us that you don't subscribe to the "Obamacare" moniker.
January 28, 201016 yr Keep it coming RTS. You are the best my friend!:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::puke:
January 28, 201016 yr Author If you subscribe to this theory (and I do) you have told us that you don't subscribe to the "Obamacare" moniker.Could you explain, please?
January 28, 201016 yr Author Independents now reacting negatively to mention of “hope” by Obama. http://cnn.com/video/?/video/politics/2010/01/27/sotu.seg.yellin.focus.group.reax.cnn
January 28, 201016 yr If you subscribe to this theory (and I do) you have told us that you don't subscribe to the "Obamacare" moniker. Could you explain, please? Sure. You claimed correctly that budgets are owned and authored by Congress. That's true of the healthcare bills floating the halls of DC as well. So, if its not the President's budget then any healthcare bill would not be the President's solely either. They can twist arms. They can make deals. However, it ultimately comes down to the members who actually write it and vote for it.
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