Wait a Minute!

Today starts the government shutdown as a result of the impasse between the White House and Congress over the contents of the continuing resolution on federal funding. The media is beginning to gnash their teeth and wear sack cloth over this event.  I'm however looking forward to a number of deserving things that I hope happen as a result of this fiscal hiatus:

- Stopping all bribes to the President of Afghanistan, Karzai
- Closing the Congressional Country Club
- Ceasing all government grants to favored eco-companies
- Stop sending arms to the radical Syrian rebels
- Eliminating Pelosi's weekly private flights to/from California
- Eschewing future White House galas
- Stopping NSA's Internet snooping
- Closing the IRS's Cincinnati office
- Stop recharging EBT cards
- Ceasing Eric Holder's gun-running purchases
- Curtailing of the Obama's extravagant  family vacations
- Shuttering the Congressional barber shop
- Stopping all government bank bailouts
- Closing all Obamacare federal healthcare insurance exchanges

And I'm sure there are many other worthwhile possibilities ...

Money Laundering

The U.S. federal deficit in 2008 (G.W. Bush’s last year in office) was $407 billion (see Bush's Last Deficit). This includes substantial spending ($246 billion) to stop our slide into recession. This year, 2011, the federal deficit is projected at $1.65 trillion … over four times as large! And this year’s deficit does not include the 2009's Stimulus Bill spending, is after the 2008/2009 TARP spending, and includes the spending wind-down on the IRAQ war. The question is why?

I think the unfortunate answer is that the Obama administration has done lots of squirrely things … often extra-legal things that throw government (read “taxpayer”) money at favored groups who, most often turn around and help fill the DNC’s coffers (a sophisticated form of money laundering.) Shall we use here that favored liberal pejorative, "corporate welfare"? (See: Obama's Corporate Welfare) The Democrats have, for decades, decried this supposed corporate favoritism by Republicans. Yet, when they control things, it’s as though the elephant has suddenly morphed into a donkey … only this time it’s not just corporations but now most unions are added to the line of those with their hands out.

Why is it that so little of this payola makes it into most newspaper's front page … or the broadcast network's evening news? Because of this sickening yet predictable media oversight, I will attempt to here list a few of these payoffs that have recently bloated or will bloat our federal spending, devalue the U.S. dollar, and threaten this country with eventual bankruptcy.

$4 billion in current General Motors’ tax breaks: See, GM Tax Breaks

$27+ billion in UAW pension fund bail out: See, UAW Pension Bailout.

Zilch in 2010 federal taxes paid by GE: See, General Electric Largess

$500 million Obama gift to "community organizers": See Get Out The Vote Money

Multi-multi-billion dollars of foreign bank bailouts: See, Bernanke's Secret

$363 billion in the Fannie/Freddie honey pot: See, Fannie/Freddie Bailouts

Over 1000 Obamacare waivers to companies and unions: See, Obamacare Wavers

$3.27 trillion = the true cost of the “job stimulus” program: See,  Job Stimulus Spending

At least $5.5 billion in “green” subsidies: See,  Better Building Initiative

$180 billion of new corporate tax breaks: See, Corporate Tax Breaks

$5 billion of early-retirement health care subsidies under Obamacare: See, Obamacare Subsidies
  
$53 billion of high-speed rail subsidies:  See, High-Speed Rail Subsidies

etc., etc.

If you are not now sick to your stomach, you have not clicked on enough of the above links.  Is it any wonder that Obama expects to raise one billion dollars for his re-election campaign in 2012?  Certainly not ... in fact, I believe he will easily surpass that number ... and buy himself another 4 years of White House festivities, family vacations ... and money laundering.

Old Europe

For hundreds of years we have opened our shores for many millions of old-Europe emigrants to find a better life here in America.  We have fought many wars (and spilled much blood) for (or against) them while they spent much of their discretionary national incomes over the last sixty years on social welfare and beautiful infrastructure ... instead of their own self defense.  We have provided a super-expensive ICBM/nuclear shield for them throughout the cold war.  We spent considerable Marshall-Plan sums clothing, feeding and rebuilding them after World War II. 

Despite (or because of) their not having to spend very much of their GNPs on national defense, they have instead created a cradle-to-grave welfare culture that has sapped much of their national initiative. We have also spent hundreds of billions funding the U.N. that lavishes much this money on their poobahs' luxuriating in Geneva, Rome and Brussels five-star hotels and restaurants.  And throughout it all, we have listened to their derisive sneers and holier-than-thou preachings with general humility.  Recently we have apparently spent many more hundreds of billions of Federal Reserve dollars (that we clearly don't have) shoring up their banks, see the Yahoo! story.  And Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy are queuing up behind Greece to get their financial rewards from Brussels for their fiscal mismanagement.  And rumor has it that Uncle Sam will be a banker at this porker poker party.

And what has the United States received as recompense for all this selflessness?  Croissants, truffles, Rick Steves' travel logs, and spaghetti carbonara.