Stop the Insanity

Not one person in the U.S. Congress nor liberal media is willing to admit that the accumulated federal debt is unsustainable.  Not one person, except may Ron Paul.

Karl Denninger at Market-Ticker.org has put out a pretty damning chart that is just down right frightening.  Here is the chart, and then we will discuss what it means.

In his own words, "Over 20 years, from 1980 to 2000, the slope of the line of debt accumulation was approximately 12 degrees.  From 2000 to 2008, or approximately 9 years, it was 26 degrees (more than double the slope over less than half the time) and from 2008 to today it was 64 degrees or again more than double the slope over less than half the time.  Note that this is just the public debt -- the problems in entitlement programs (internal debt) are even worse!"

 You see while, Greece is burning (literally), Washington is asleep deciding how to spend our money.  Despite the empty rhetoric (even from the Republicans), there is no serious effort to reign in federal spending.  In the current Presidential race, both current GOP candidate Ron Paul and former Presidential candidate and Governor Rick Perry have outlined ways to reign in spending.  Both have calls for the elimination of at least three federal cabinet agencies. 

While Athens burns, and Washington is gathering the kindling NO ONE is even remotely looking at the how our government spends money.  Any sane member of either chamber in Congress would draft legislation on day one of office asking for an independent review of all federal agencies and departments to determine fit or purpose (are they really needed any longer) and what resources (budget allocation, staff, equipment, etc) are required to make them efficient and beneficial to the American public.

With the billions spent on pet earmarks, surely members of Congress can find a thousands ways to cut federal spending without breaking a sweat.  But I am sure as every well-intended member of Congress, the city corrupts and the power overwhelms the desire to do good.

The time to use a scalpel of trying to reign in spending is over.  It has failed.  It's time to bring out the machete.  Because doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results is not working.  Stop the insanity.

John McCain Attacks Tea Party, Conservative Principles

Senator John McCain has lost it.  He has shown his true colors in a  Wall Street Journal editorial where he attacked the Tea Party and conservatives for holding to their principles in the debt ceiling debate.

Before we get into why John McCain is wrong, it's important to note that John McCain is no conservative. John McCain has been part of the combine (h/t to Ann Barnhardt) for that one.  Throughout his Senate career he has shown that he is a big government Republican.

In the editorial found here, John McCain derails conservatives and members of the Tea Party Caucus for criticizing House Speaker John Boehner's recent bills.  McCain incorrectly states that the the conservatives have no alternatives.  When in fact they do - it's called Cut, Cap and Balance.  It's important to note that John McCain was absent or didn't vote on Cut Cap and Balance last Friday evening.


McCain's poor use of comedic humor while attacking the Tea Party proves he is out of touch with the mandate the voters gave by giving the Republicans the House last November.  His attack on Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell, both 2010 U.S. Senate Republican nominees is beyond pale:

"This is the kind of crack political thinking that turned Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell into GOP Senate nominees."

Really, John McCain.  Was this really necessary?

You prove what a lot of conservatives knew about you during the 2008 Presidential Election.  We voted for you only because Sarah Palin was on the ticket.  But with this, you prove that you are no different than Barack Obama and your progressive stripes are glowing louder and louder.

Perhaps if you voted last Friday in support of Cut, Cap and Balance and exemplified leadership to get a few more on-board, we would have have a winning solution to the debt crisis. Get on board, or leave running the country for the adults.

Delaware GOP Chair: Obama Irresponsible for Rejecting Bi-Partisan Debt Limit Deal

WILMINGTON – Today, after it was reported that President Obama rejected a bipartisan debt ceiling plan that would have raised the debt ceiling and cut spending based on political purposes, Delaware Republican Party Chairman John Sigler released the following statement:

“President Obama’s willingness to put his re-election campaign ahead of the well-being of our nation is at the height of irresponsibility.  Rejecting a deal based solely on political expedience once again shows that our president is concerned about one thing, his own job,” said Chairman Sigler.

It has been widely reported that President Obama desperately wants a large debt limit increase that will take him past the next presidential election.

“President Obama was elected to lead our nation after a campaign of hope and change, but today shows that he is unwilling or unable to lead when it matters.  While our president drags his feet at the risk of our nation’s economy, Republicans under the leadership of Speaker Boehner will continue to work on a framework aimed at preventing default that includes enacting spending reforms and cuts greater than a debt limit hike,” concluded Chairman Sigler.

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Yes, the Democrats Think Running America is a Game

While the citizens are feeling the impact of Obama's failed economic policies, Obama and many Democrats think that their reign is a game.  Since the Democrat's took over Congress in 2007, and Obama took over the White House in 2009; Washington has been devoid of any reality of how much spending is going on.

It's like the kid right out of college (or in college, depending on the lender) who got their first credit card.  I am going shopping and I will pay for it later.  Only right now, the bill sits at $14 Trillion dollars.

Obama Doesn't Get It

President Obama's speech on the budget and deficit earlier today while again nicely delivered, failed to connect to reality.  Whether President Obama or his staffer wrote this speech, found here, is irrelevant.  What is relevant is that the context of the speech is purely ideological, and is rife with platitudes.

The President's emphasis and usual scare tactics that the Republican proposals will hurt education, harm the environment are just that - party talking points.  Obama's continual denial to the state of America's fiscal affairs is telling of an ideologue who is hell bent on spending money at all costs to advance an ideological agenda.  Obama is still in denial that even the IMF is warning the United States to get its fiscal house in order.

But we all know that if America gets on a path to tighten its belt, Obama's remaking of America to a socialist nation is in jeopardy.  Hope and Change will be a failed marketing campaign to get elected, and Obama will have alienated the extreme progressive base that bought the false hope and misunderstood what change really meant to our liberties and freedoms.

The more troubling part of Obama's speech is that for being a lawyer who did have to study the Constitution, that the cuts Obama is balking of should really be deferred to each of the fifty states.  Since Obama is a Statist who feels a big, central federal government is the answer and cure all to every one's ills, the notion of the Tenth Amendment is a foreign and failed concept. 

The continual attacks by Obama and the Democrats on the producers of this nations is getting old.  The failure of the Democrats and Obama to connect reality that the top 2.5 percent of wage earners of this nation because of tax law, may be an owner of a small or medium-sized firm or family farm.  Raising their tax base, especially in an extremely soft economy as we have now, could break them.  A higher tax increase could also force them to layoff staff to make ends meet.  Regardless, Obama is diving the haves versus the have nots and this is nothing less than class warfare.

Obama and his (failed) economic team fail to realize that America's punitive tax code is hurting American businesses and American families.  No longer is it advantageous for Americans to set up new business, or expand existing ones, when the odds are stacked against thriving in an environment that punishes success.   No longer is it advantageous to take risks on innovation when the odds of recouping the investment costs and making a profit are slim or nil.

While Obama and his hired guns may not deal with reality, this does not mean that rest of us have to buy into a failed America.   Those that still believe in the American dream must open their eyes to ideas and a vision that America is still a great country, with the best talent and can thrive once again.  The opportunity to explore your dreams, and the freedom to enact on those dreams must never be trampled on.  Since Obama & Co is not going to help you, look elsewhere.  You really have no choice.

Shutdown Averted, but...

At the eleventh hour, Congressional leaders and President Obama agreed to a deal that would prevent the shutdown of the federal government.  The deal consists of $38.5 Billion dollars in cuts, mere crumbs given the multi-trillion dollar budget and over $14 Trillion in accumularted federal deficit.  Given the mandate given to Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), and the House Republicans we could have done better.  Much better.

To be honest, Boehner caved when the Democrats balked about defunding Planned Parenthood.  Many Democrats accused the Republicans as "trying to kill women" and other childish attacks just so the Democrats can continue to murder innocent babies.

And the Republicans were not forceful enough in defunding Obamacare, which takes affect today, now that the federal government has a FY2011 budget.   Let's not forget that the Republicans took back the House on the promise to do what ever was necessary to defund and repeal Obamacare.  By not agreeing to defund Obamacare, Congress kicked the can down the road to the upcoming debt ceiling and FY2012 budget debates.  The longer we stall, the harder it is to remain strong and focused on the mission at hand.

As Congress marches towards its next battle of deciding whether or not to approve an increase to the federal debt ceiling, let's hope Boehner & Co. use more force and reject an increase.  Republicans must realize that we cannot continue to make deals where the interest on the national debt paid daily exceeds the cost of the deal made to appease the Democrats.  Remember, we are dealing with crumbs here.  Mere window dressing.

Rand Paul Delivers

Freshman Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) proposed a deficit-busting budget that eliminates the deficit within five years. 

Rand Paul's proposal would eliminate $4 Trillion from the deficit. The plan would cut non-defense discretionary spending down to 2008 levels. It would cut defense spending by six percent. It would eliminate four expensive and unconstitutional departments - the Departments of Commerce, Education, Energy and Housing and Urban Development.

Here Rand Paul along with Senate colleagues Jim Demint (R-SC) and Michael Lee (R-UT):



Here is Rand Paul on FoxBusiness with Judge Andrew Napolitano talking about the deficit-busting budget.



Rand Paul and his tea party caucus have done more in two months than most Senators have done in two or terms.  See the Senate bill here. 

House Votes to Pull NPR Funding

2011 is not NPR's year.  After the heavily left-wing biased public radio outfit embarrassed itself causing the firings of two senior executives, the U.S. House voted 228-192 to strip federal taxpayer funding of NPR.  Clearly this is a victory for the American taxpayer.

Click here to see how your representative voted.

GAO Government Audit Highlights Widespread Government Waste

When the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its independent performance audit of the federal government yesterday, jaws dropped nationwide.  For the first time in a long time if not our nation's history, government leaders and the public see now how poorly the federal government is managed.  Now, the real work can begin to reform the federal government and reduce overlapping costs.

On the surface, the report highlight numerous overlaps of multiple departments and agencies performing the same function.  Of course, this makes no financial sense, and this only adds to a bloated government and a tremendous waste of taxpayer money.

The major opportunities outlined in the report hinge on comprehensive reforms in the following areas:

• Identifying and addressing government wide waste of duplication of enterprise architecture, inter-agency contracting, and tax expenditures across the entire federal government system.
• Lowering drug costs (FDA) and eliminating duplicate contracting of drug procurement across multiple agencies (Defense; Veterans Affairs; and Health/Human Services).
• Modernization of government electronic health records and integration of public health record systems nationwide.
• Addressing inconsistent and wasteful duplication of multi-agency efforts for agriculture monitoring.
• Modernization and consolidation of Defense business, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems.
• Implementation of comprehensive department wide procurement program within the Defense department on defense programs to eliminate duplication and waste within the procurement process.
• Consolidation of multi-agency efforts to repel biological or chemical weapon threats; securing nations' borders; and transportation threat monitoring.  Leverage consolidation to address inefficiencies and reduce wasteful spending.
• Reduction of overlap of administration structures and costs of domestic food assistance; homelessness and transportation-disadvantages persons.
• Consolidation of training and education programs within the federal government, that currently are spread out across multiple agencies, departments and programs.
• Conduction and reduction of overlap of the teacher quality program, that currently is spread out by ten agencies and encompassed in 82 federal programs.
• Addressing fragmentation of financial literacy efforts that currently requires twenty agencies to coordinate.

One major area of the report highlight's the government's inability to consolidate the health information networks and drug costs.  And yet the President and Democrats in Congress feel that Obamacare would help contain costs.  Really?
And yes, conservatives we need to address the inefficiencies within the Department of Defense. Thanks to the report, we can now address the redundant procurement and technology systems.   

Now is the time for the department heads (Secretary of Defense, HHS, etc.), and managers of the federal government to think like Corporate America to reduce wasteful spending within the federal government.  Start thinking that the funding for every department, agency and job within the federal government is your money.  Which it is.  And remember, it's a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

The GAO gave you the cheat sheet on what needs to get fixed, so get to work.  Prove to the American taxpayer that you really are frugal with our money.  The next election is in less than two years, and be reminded we are paying attention.  We are armed with information and will pull the lever to whomever will take a hatchet to the federal government to make it work, and cost-effective.

Should the Pentagon Fund NASCAR?

Yesterday, in a true partisan vote the U.S. House rejected a Democrat-sponsored bill to defund the Pentagon funding of NASCAR drivers and partnerships 281-148.  This gave the green light to the Pentagon to continue funding of NASCAR driver Randy Newman, and others.

The U.S. Army reports that this funding has contributed to 48,000 leads.  However, in the same Wall Street Journal article, the Marines stopped their NASCAR support in 2006 because they found that NASCAR has no benefit to recruiting efforts. 

Ironically, it was Congress back in 2000 that encouraged the Pentagon to leverage NASCAR support to boost recruiting.  Why was the Marine funding a failure, and the Army funding a reported success?

Let's be honest, even the Department of Defense needs to trim its fat.  And even someone like myself who is a defense hawk, sees that spending $7.4 million on NASCAR sponsorship is honestly a waste of taxpayer money.  Last year, Fox Sports Chairman David Hill told the Sports Business Journal that "the biggest problem facing NASCAR is that young males have left the sport."  What this means is that the Pentagon's target audience of males 18-34 patronizing NASCAR have declined 29%.

On-site patronage of NASCAR events is down nearly one million from its peak in 2003. In 2003, NASCAR benefit from nearly 4.5 million (4,494,000) in attendance.  In 2010, on-site attendance fell to 3,594,708.  Even television viewership is down over nine percent from 2009 levels. 

Given these startling statistics, the return on investment by the Pentagon's NASCAR sponsorship is just not there.  If the Pentagon wants to reach the 18-34 target audience, it would be best for them to leverage Internet advertisements, and social media applications for smart phones (e.g. iPhone, Android, Blackberry), where this target demographic spends most of their online time.  A Pew Research report supports this analysis.

GOP-Controlled House Passes $1.2 Trillion Budget

The GOP-controlled U.S. House passed a $1.2 Trillion budget yesterday 235-189.  The budget which covers every federal department funds the government through the end of the 2011 fiscal year, which ends September 30th. 

The House passed the bill, with $61 Billion is cuts which cut from Planned Parenthood, the new federal health care reform bill, domestic and foreign aid, partial school funding and even cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency.  The cuts came forty percent lower than the initial goal of cutting $100 Billion from the budget, but did cut $100 Billion from what Obama has proposed.

What was not cut was funding for the Department of Defense funding of NASCAR advertisements.  The Pentagon spends $7 Million annually to fund NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Randy Newman and other partnerships.  Given the U.S. federal deficit is over $14 Trillion, Congress should have passed the amendment to defund the Pentagon's funding of NASCAR.  The funding is not necessary to protect the United States, the core reason why the Department of Defense is funded in the first place.  Instead, Congress gave the green light to the funding by rejecting the Democrat submitted amendment 281-148, with Republicans largely voting against the measure. With this vote, the Republicans dropped the ball and failed to live up to their fiscal conservative calling card.

U.S. House Votes to Defund Nine Obama Czars, FCC Net Neutrality

In more breaking news from the U.S. House, they voted to defund nine czars from Obama's administration.  The vote passed and eliminates funding for the following czars: health-reform czar, climate-change envoy czar, the green jobs czar, Guantanamo Bay closure czar, the TARP oversight czar, and the auto manufacturing czar, and the FCC diversity czar.  The amendment sponsored by Rep. Stephen Scalise (R-LA), passed 249-179.

In another vote, the House voted 244-181 to defund FCC net neutrality rules.  The amendment was sponsored by Reps. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL).

Historic Amendment to Defund Planned Parenthood Passes Overwhelmingly in U.S House

Breaking News!

The House Republicans are on a roll.  Not only did they also vote to defund Obamacare today, but they also voted to defund Planned Parenthood 240-185.  The bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) was amended to the 2011 Federal Spending Bill.

After the bill was passed, Pence stated “This afternoon’s vote is a victory for taxpayers and a victory for life. By banning federal funding to Planned Parenthood, Congress has taken a stand for millions of Americans who believe their tax dollars should not be used to subsidize the largest abortion provider in America.  I commend my colleagues in both parties for taking a stand for taxpayers and a stand for life.”

The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate, where it may face a tougher time to pass.  Let's hope the conscience of those U.S. Senators remains intact for the sake of the unborn.

How to Cut Federal Spending: Idea #1