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- Is President Obama doing the right thing by sending 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan?
- What approach would you prefer from a president in making key decisions?
- Is the U.S. really losing influence throughout the world?
- Has Sarah Palin been treated unfairly by the mainstream media?
- Do you think Sarah Palin will mount a successful political comeback?
He talks about changing the way things work then signs a bill that does just the opposite. By not signing the bill, the govt would have continued to run the rest of the fiscal year on 2008 numbers.. how is that bad? that would have saved us an 8% increase in spending! Or he simply could have veto'd out the pork.
Notice how not one person in Washington tells you that every single earmark is unconstitutional. Public money should be spent on things for the entire public, not small segments. This is just repaying lobbyists for getting elected.
The line item veto was overturned so no he coulnd't just veto out the pork...and just as a note Olberman reviewed the language and he kept to his word to reduce the earmarks down to the levels they were in the 80's.
So by your reconing, most things government does are wrong; you can't spend money on schools because those under 18 aren't "the entire public"; you can't build any highways because none will benefit "the entire public". There is really no effort anywhere that benefits "the entire public", but rational legislators can put together a package with something for many segments of the nation, which together comes very close to benefiting the entire public, even if any individual segment only benefits some.
Join the reality-based community.
Brian K -- really? Is that how budgets work? We don't really even need to do one? I had no idea. So, we can just operate on the same budget year after year after year? Hmmm.
Wake up people!
This is business as usual for elected officials. These criminals have been hood winking the American people for decades. I speak generally, there are a few with the best intentions, but the elected officials no longer represent. This is taxation without representation.
Government's number one priority is to protect the people it governs. We have the strongest and finest military in the world. They have done an exemplary job of defending this nation for more than 2 centuries. In the last century, no enemy has set foot on our land. Yet in the last few decades an enemy has arisen from within. It's not a radical Muslim "sleeper cell". It's the lethargy of the American people blindly trusting politicians to uphold the values that serve as the foundation upon which this country was built.
I am a registered Republican by ideology only. I do not believe in handoutsor bailouts. Our social programs are a failure, including public education. Welfare, generally speaking, creates a generational cycle of dependency. Public education grooms a child for 13 years and the result is mediocrity at best. Throwing good money at failing businesses is a recipe for nationalization of banks and industry. Socialism has failed the people, of other countries, for centuries.
I do not throw this up on the Democrats. Their ideology favors these failing programs. There are no longer enough real Republicans to maintain the push and pull needed to prevent a country from swinging too far left, or too far right. We are moving at break neck speed into socialism.Our new president has, very openly, been mentored by this ideology. He states, "It will get worse before it gets better." This is the critical element needed to rewrite our constitution. The bankrupt hearts of the voting public. Throwing good money into failing businesses and radical spending will, with certainty, bankrupt this country.
Wake up people and realize that these elected officials are neither Democrats or Republicans. Their simulated "made for TV" opposition to one another is a facade. They are a brotherhood of self-interest tantamount to mafia, in crimes against the public, but infinitly more dangerous than any Saprano. They write the laws!
Take action now. Vote out the incumbent. Republican or Democrat is the way THEY want us to see them. I see them as easily manipulated by the greed from lobbyists that await them as they enter their first term of office. By the end of the term, the last year spent running for re-election, they are infected. Get them out of office!
Our elected officials, the enemy our military cannot defeat for our liberty. But we can!
Hey Basedrum, you actually listen to Olbermann. No wonder you voted for Obumer! Olbermann is a NUT! And so are you for listening to him!
it was a bush bill, the republicans have a ton of pork in this... let's see if some homeboys get a coliseum built for the redneck nascar museum next time around...
it was not obama's bill, grow up and read a bit more, turn off fox lies channel for christs sake!
random sample, how long are fools like you going to blame President Bush ? Probably for the next four years when a Republican gets the office back. Your boy Obama is a waste of govt.money he gets paid. He's weak and should have stayed on his last job as a community organizer. He's a loser.
Okay then Random Sample, you obviously are not a Bush fan either, so why are you not smokin' mad about all the crap that went through on this bill if it was all about Republicans pork. If it is all about Bush pork, the Dem's would not be wanting to push it through and neither would Obama. It is all about what the Dems want or it would not be happening. If it did not benefit them, Obama would not have signed it.
Debbie 519346: Yes. Please research.
A continuing resolution is a type of appropriations legislation used by the United States Congress to fund government agencies if a formal appropriations bill has not been signed into law by the end of the Congressional fiscal year. The legislation takes the form of a joint resolution, and provides funding for existing federal programs at current or reduced levels.
And here's something some of you might find shocking. Reagan would have stood by his campaign pledge and vetoed this spending bill. That's what most people thought "change" meant. Read "principles". So far we're not seeing any.
Everyone is getting mad at Obama for this bill that he was unable to veto... Let's not turn this into a blame-fest or point fingers. It doesn't get us anywhere anyway.
It's not like we can get rid of pork barreling in its entirety. That's not going to happen. EVER. Plus, its the only way local politicians can say that they've 'done something' for the people. Credit claiming is the main reason incumbents get elected! Besides, some earmarks do actually benefit the people. You can't hate them all just because a few of them have been villainized.
I mean honestly, what politician has actually managed to stand by EVERYTHING they've ever said? None, and the instant they mess up the media and public shove it down their throats for the rest of their political career.
Same thing George W. did....... Big fiscal watchdog talk but no guts against congressional leaders. A wonderful example of ficsal responsibility. Next time my fanny!
Bush vetoed lots of budget bills, remember? I'm not saying the ones he actually signed were worth anything, but at least he actually used the veto pen. Obama has signed everything Congress has thrown his way, because the people in his party control it, and he doesn't have the guts to stand up to them.
Being President means being a leader. So far I'm seeing more of that, awful as I think it is, from Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Obama needs to cowboy up and stick to his guns.
In the meantime, he's just proving himself to be one more changeless run-of-the-mill political liar.
bush never veto a spending bill in 7 years. you guys....
jeesh, have a memory problem, there are programs for that, and denial, ya know.
(see ya got a whole lotta up votes for this drivel, as it should be)
This is from the Washington Post, dated Nov. 2007.
"A budget dispute erupted into a full-scale battle Tuesday as President Bush vetoed the Democrats' top-priority domestic spending bill and the party's Senate leader threatened to withhold war funding if the president does not agree to pull out of Iraq."
Thank you, random sample, for randomly stating something you didn't know anything about. It makes it that much more fun to prove you wrong.
Former President George W. Bush never vetoed a Republican or GOP spending bill and these bills amounted to bad economic policy. Cutting taxes + increased spending = disaster = Republicans
Another lie!!!
Grow a pair of you know what Obama, Nancy is pushing you around!!! :)
No. This bill does NOT have to be signed. We could simply go off of last year's budget & it would be business as usual. But oh no -- they want the 8% increase in spending
why not he's giving away the government anyway? he has to pay back the ones that got him elected doesn't he? isn't this how a "democratic" government is run?
No he's not giving the government away. The government was given away with Bush, and everyone has been given away as you put it. Why is everyone losing there jobs, money and their homes because of big government have suck the blood out the poor and middle class people. Remember when Bush took office, it was said that it would be only two class of people, the Rich and the Poor. That's what he did. Screwed this country. And don't forget D. Chaney. Stop hating on President Obama.
The real culprits are those complete IDIOT's in the congress and senate--this country started the down hill slide after the democrats took control of both houses---
Gosh I'm sick of losers saying it was Bush's fault first and that excuses Obama for making it worse. Yeah, Bush screwed up a lot of stuff. He handled things like an idiot in a lot of situations, biggest among them the bailout bill.
Why on earth should that make it okay for Obama to do the same things that didn't work in the past, only on a much larger and grander scale? He promised change, not George W. Obama.
As far as I'm concerned, Obama has proven that he has no principles. He could have vetoed the bill and made them go back to the drawing board, but that would start a wrestling match he's not sure he can win. If the next bill they sent wasn't any different, he'd have to veto again or be an even bigger failure. In the meantime, everyone would assume correctly that the Dems aren't united and they can't handle being in charge of everything, and they'd lose credibility that way.
So instead of even trying, Obama bows out meekly to Pelosi Power and signs a bill full of earmarks, despite his promises not to. If he really wanted to show the world change, he'd show America a President willing to stick to his promises no matter which Speaker of the House or Senate Majority leader it upset.
Or maybe his promise doesn't apply to budget bills, stimulus packages, housing reform bills, and any similar recent legislation. Maybe he really meant that there wouldn't be any earmarks in congressional procedural reform or other bills that don't matter. We should give him the benefit of the doubt, after all, since he's so new at the job he said he was ready for.
Viola please. So because "Bush did it" it's ok to quadruple it? Show me a fiscal conservative who approved of the Bush administration's fiscal management and I'll show you...well, you get the point.
I believe very much in our new president and his administration, he, they have more (huge)issues,problems, conditions etc. to manage than any other new Presidency/Administration has had to deal with in modern history. Not only is the scope larger than the perverbal 800 pound gorilla, independently any one of these "problems" could derail our country for years, accumulate a few together & we could be sitting in the middle of the Great Depression II.
Given that the shear size and nature of these problems tend to feed each other and are self effacing to the point that they evolve at an exponential speed, our new administration is up to managing these tasks, and the administration is correct in addressing multipul fronts concurrently, because of the aforementioned evoloution and spped these issues are moving.
That said, I also believe that our new president is missing an opportunity with singing the operating budget just forwarded by Congress. There ARE earmarks within this budget that should be "returned to sender" postage due. Granted, one mans "pork" is another mans "stimulus" these "earmarks" by and large do not pass the smell test with respect to carrying any multiplier effect within the economy.
Also granted, most of this budget IS for true operational requirements that pay for the day to day operations of our government, even 8000 "earmarks" combined that will represent 2%-4% of the total spending is a large number.
And really more to the point, this is a great opportunity for Mr. Obama to walk the talk, support your campaign promise of reviewing this budget line by line, eliminate programs that do not function, reset spending to fully support those that do and eliminate the "earmarks" that do not pass the same level of scrutiny the "Stimulus Bill - Recovery Act" underwent.
We"eve got your back Mr. President, please take a little time with this budget, singe an emergency spending stop gap to keep the government functioning, return the budget to Congress with the directive to scrub it, reinstate the line item veto via Executive order and you will walk the talk with increasing your political capitol exponentially while doing what our country desperately needs.
I'll thank you for not speaking for me. I DON'T have your back, Mr. President.
You realize he already DID sign the budget, right? It's too late for any of those things. He grabbed his ankles and that's that.
Obama inherited a recession that's nowhere near as bad as the one under Jimmy Carter (which Reagan fixed by lowering taxes.) Blame whoever you want for this recession, be it Fannie and Freddie, Barney Frank, George W., or Fred Astaire.
History tells us well enough that FDR's new deal never solved anything. History also shows us that cutting taxes helps businesses grow.
Obama is bringing in a New New Deal that outdoes anything FDR could have thought up in his wildest dreams, increasing taxes and spending in an out-of-control loop that's not showing any signs of letting up. He's using the fear from economic hardship to pass social reform, instead of concentrating on solving the problem. I think he knows that increased taxes and print-and-spend tactics will actually make the overall problem worse, and he doesn't care because it creates a climate where people will allow him to get away with drastically departing from the constitution and the ideas and practices that made our country great in the first place.
This failure to keep his promises is just one more indication that Obama is just the kind of Chicago thug/politician we should expect. He's playing games with our money, wheeling and dealing with his lackeys and friends, and the media and half the country are so blinded by Obamania that you can't see the end of the road.
U.S.S.A., anyone?
I'm disappointed we haven't seen a stronger push from the President against the "same old Congress". I voted for Obama not only for change but for his values and ethics. Saying the situation dictates that he back off his promise and his conviction really bothers me. So values and ideals are only real when it's easy to have them? I hope "next time" holds true.
Cut the man some slack. In four weeks he's done a great deal. It took 30 years to cause this much damage, it will take some time to fix. This is a bill that allows everyone to throw a punch but ultimately it gets money out the door and into the economy.
Too many people out there are sore losers and forget they lost because of the slipshod management of our money. Throwing billions at the Iraq War was barely discussed, yet money to our country is parsed to death. We finally have a president that's paying attention. Perfect? No, but he's doing the best he can with small minded opposition that just seems to find any tiny thing to trash talk. Let's wait and see, shall we? Oh, right, sore losers never wait and see, that would be the mature way to do it.
Kathy, This is a government spending bill that pays congress wages and keeps government going. This has been going on forever. Business as usual, and we all are losers because nothing is changing. So this is what you are backing?
Kathy is right, for some of these people, whatever he does want be good enough because that's there feelings about him, they do not understand the real problems. They were satisfied with Bush.
Kathy's right. Obama has done a great deal. He's spent more money in one bill than several years worth of the Iraq war, broken campaign promise after campaign promise, and proved himself to the same old lying politician we've come to expect.
He didn't ask for some slack when he got elected. He said he was ready to solve the problem, and so far he's failed completely. How can anyone without the backbone to stand up to the Congress Machine expect to change the status quo?
Change? Hope? Ha!
Kathy, this aint got nothin' to do with being a sore loser - the man didn't do what he said he would do. Period, end of statement. I do agree with you however about let's wait and see - That works two ways - he needs to prove himself and start making good on campaign promises before I start respecting him for anything but being just another politician.
I hope you misspoke when you talked about values and ethics when referring to Obama. He comes from a church that defiled Christianity and promoted racism against whites...and believed faithfully. He came from the world of smoke filled, back room politics of the Chicago syndicate. The tried and true Daly methods of getting things done. Stood in front of the TV cameras in front of the American people spewing his new budget bill had NO earmarks! He is a slick tongued, consummate liar.....a politician.
Right,YOU voted for him.Not me.
Ghostcoon, if my memory serves me correctly...he will have spent (assuming the budget is passed) more money than all the wars since WWII COMBINED. The Iraq spending arguement doesn't hold up anymore for the dems.
By signing this bill and going against his earmarks stand as a candidate, he's tossing away his political capitol with the voters when his poll numbers start to go down.
What did MSNBC tell you to think, Jirby? That since the budget bill was so important and all, promises don't matter anymore? I don't need anyone on either side of the isle to tell me what a lie is, because that's all we've seen from Washington for a couple of decades and more. Clinton, Bush, Obama, take your pick.
Mr. Rogers has a good point. Eventually, even people like Jirby will realize that the "change" they were promised was a pretty box filled with empty words. Lying to your constituents has nasty habit of impacting the polls.
Jirby, I encourage you to visit for aggregate polling data. I think you'll be disappointed.
This is a perfect example of Obamas leadership ability or lack their of. The future he spoke of in his campaign is here and now , with the economic status of most americans myself included we are under the misconception that this has to happen quickly . Kinda like a war we were franticly pushed into. My advice to the president is to calm down and make good sound decisions , the decisions he promised to make to his naive constituents not 6 months ago. I hope his inexpierence does not do more damage than can be fixed within the remaining years of my life. I am 31.
Mr. Obama is a pupet with no backbone, and now we are just starting to see the "real" person he is. I expect he will continue down this road and will scar the American people with his lack of character. He is scared of his shadow and has no real foundation on which to make decisons.
If he's a man of his word... he'll refuse to sign on, and force the house to overturn it.
However, I'm sure he'll sign it, and continue to "Obama-size" everything he touches!!!
This is not just about signing the bill...this is about a man who says one thing to get elected and does another. He has proven he is not a man of his word. Regardless of the bill, he is showing the world that once he has their vote he will go off and do whatever he damn well pleases.
Wrong again. He's doing more and he's doing thing right, considering what he has to clean up for what someone else have done. He did not cause this country to be upside down. Stop blaming him for what others have done.
I'm not discussing blame. I'm discussing a man who can't keep a promise. He needs to man up and do what he said he was going to do when he was out trying to get votes. Did he not say he would not allow earmarks?
Viola - Enough already about who did what or who caused what. There is enough blame to go around for BOTH parties. Obama needs to stop blaming others and get on with doing his job. Talk about "whiney". He is in office now and this is his responsibility. Bush did not keep referring to what he inherited from the Clinton administration. So Obama needs to stop whining and do the job that he wanted but does not have the experience to do.
I think it was Truman, a Democrat, who said "the buck stops here." Obama obviously believes it's always the other persons fault. No sense of responsibility let alone honor.
This bill has little, if anything, to do with lobbyists, which was an argument mentioned by someone previously. There probably are some cases where representatives are "lobbied" by someone to get these appropriations inserted into bills but, for the most part, these earmarks are a way for representatives to "bring home the bacon" for their constituents. The people doing the "lobbying" most of the time are people in their home districts who need federal funding for something. Should it be a more open process? Sure, but let's not get all worked up over it as if it is the main reason Washington is so screwed up. It's not the main problem and actual lobbyists are much more serious a problem than this. Earmarks are, in fact, a pretty minor thing, actually - these 8,000 earmarks represent less than 2% of the total amount of this bill. PLUS - of the top ten "earmarkers" in this bill, 6 of them were Republicans. They are ginning up this argument for political gain when they are some of the biggest benefactors. Nearly every one of these pet projects represented by these earmarks are good, worthy projects anyway - which are going to create jobs in the districts they are intended to help. A more open process could root out the few earmarks that are foolish or wasteful, but the number of those types of projects is relatively small - at least this time around. One question I'd like to ask everyone complaining about President Obama "biting off more than he can chew" and working on too many projects at the same time: If that is the case, then why would you want him to take on another project (earmark reform) right now? Your entire argument sounds a bit hollow to me. He's just introduced a bill to do just that and I'm betting no one will say that needs to wait until after we get the economy under control. In this case, though, it really maybe SHOULD wait since these earmarks stand a chance of helping to stimulate the economy.
If it's such a "minor thing"...then why did Obama make it a "major thing" while trying to get your vote? You can't have it both ways. Apparently he's not up to the task of keeping his word to line-by-line veto them out of this bill. Maybe he shouldn't have overloaded himself with another promise he can't keep.
Amen . I think many do not understand what earmarks are and their importance. They hear earmark and think "bad" instead of "useful process that some bad politicians abuse for frivolous purposes but many use correctly." Also, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe earmarks usually or always direct certain amounts of $ to projects out of a predetermined sum and do not add to the final sum. That is if the earmark weren't there, that amount would still be spent.
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He is a liar, plain and simple.
he is a politician - they all lie
Simply astounding...in one breath "change we can believe in" in the next, "business as usual on hyper-drive". We're in deep trouble :(
Suddenly Republicans are all about change. This is hilarious!
and suddenly dems aren't.
I think that we all (other than the politicians) want change in our government. We are tired of the government running this country into the ground, and preaching that the rest of us hard working Americans have to make sacrifices while they sit in Washington and spend, spend, spend on unnecessary crap that does not benefit the rest of the country, especially mainstream American's. All they want is the power to do what they want and earn a big paycheck and live the life of luxury. Hard to believe that they think the things they are doing is best for the country!
Can't be trusted. Says one thing and does another.
Mr Obama said that he wanted change in all is campaign speechs. What a Change!!!
His cabinet is 75% of Clinton's cabinet. He is going to have us so far in debt, and is selling us down the river. Glad I won't be around long enough to see how this mess is going to turn out. I truly feel sorry for my grandchildren and their children as to how they are going to get this gigantic debt off their backs. I fail to see how his great stimulus package going to work, talking about all the PORK that is included. What a waste of the tax payers money. The stimulus package written by Harry Reid and Pop up Pulaski, it is quite a deal. Those two make quite a pair. It is hard to believe that Mr. Obama never read the package, before signing it into law. What a change he is making.
I love the fact that some of his cabinet members have such a background record of not paying their taxes and still manage to get appointed an office and reep the benefits of a government employee and who knows what else some of these characters have done.If we ourselves did not pay our taxes, we would be sitting behind bars serving time. But these characters never got their hands slapped. Guess, it pays for the big shots to not pay their taxes and get paid a fantastic salary with all the benefits. What an example they are setting for the rest of the people. What a change he is making, wow!!! WIth him closing the Gitmo base, I hope that they put those outlaw prisioners in his back yard and then let him know how they are doing on American soil, nothing to worry about now, huh??? Oh well, Mr Obama is for change!!!
Yes, we don't need more stall and political rangling to further bring down the indices. That is exactly what the republicans want, long term dragging on the democrats and their agenda.
This is the budget from last year and is not really his fight. He's saving his muscles for the big fight over his own budget. I don't blame him for not wanting to pick a fight when he's got a major war ahead (actually several of them) and going on. What about the Republicans who say they don't support this bill but ended up voting it in and have millions of dollars in pet projects wrapped into the bill. What happened to the fiscal responsbility Mitch McConnel talked about when he's got $95 million in earmarks in this budget? Like I've said before Republicans are only for pork when they want to pig out!!!
This is THIS YEAR'S MONEY we're spending. I'm furious with the Republicans who voted "yes" and had earmarks also...even more than at the Democrats...because the Republicans are expected to be held more fiscally responsible by their voters.
While I'm disappointed he let this issue go through without more condemnation of Congress I have to agree with you Amy. Though, as far as parties, I see both of them playing the same old games. I do agree right now that it will be more stimulus for a failing economy that is putting millions out of work. There doesn't seem to be any input from private business right now so this stimulus or in this case "earmarks" has to come from the government whether we like it or not.
With all the joy and enthusiasm Obama has shown for overturning Bush policies on issues of embryonic stem cell research, environmental protection, abortion, imprisonment of terrorists, etc., you would think he would have taken great delight in denouncing this spending bill as one more example of the prior administration's fiscal incompetence; especially since he campaigned on a promise to veto any bill that crossed his desk loaded with earmarks.
But no, this new President like so many other politicians, is simply a fake and a liar. What does it matter what McConnell and other Republicans get out of this bill in terms of pork? They are scum, just like all of the Democrats in Washington. Pointing out their failings does nothing to justify the outright hypocrisy of this Obama guy who said so many noble things about changing Washington while he was campaigning but is now demonstrating he is just more of the same.
I'm with you, Chicago Skeptic! Maybe someday enough of us will unite and vote in an indepent that really means what he or she says. The Democrats and Republicans polarize all of the issues and let us point at whichever side we've been told to hate and blame them for all of the problems. It makes us feel good to have a villain, and makes it hard to see the fact that they're ALL villains. We need to shake up Washington, let the vultures know that enough is enough. Obama won on a campaign of change. Imagine what it would be like if we could get people in that would actually deliver.
Vote Independent! Party Lines aren't as fun as they sound.
I would also like to see term limits for congress - maybe our Independent candidate can get that done too!!!!!!! Having these lifers in there voting themselves raises every year is ridiculous
And all this is surprising why??? I have nothing against Obama personally and I was glad to see him break the race barrier in Washington, but the man came out of Chicago which is a city with one of the worst reputations for pay-to-play (i.e. you scratch my back I'll scratch yours) politics in the country. Pay-to-play has now come to Washington. Careful what you wish for America you just might get it, oh and guess what.....you did!
Would I have liked him to not sign this bill with earmarks - yes I would have, but understand his reasoning for having to sign it. Now will I be upset if another one goes through with earmarks - you bet I will, but I really feel with confidence he will bring an end to this type of thing - it's now a fresh start.
What "good reasons" does he have to not keep his word?
And please, don't pretend that this has anything to do with Bush or that Obama had no choice in the matter. That arguement is the most ridiculous thing I've heard. In one month, Obama has had no problem overturning every single Bush policy he can with delight. Pull out of Iraq, close Gitmo, reverse stem cell policy, abortion policy...and we're supposed to believe that, in this one instance, his hands were tied and had no choice but to continue Bush policies?
What a joke.
You all will keep giving him a "fresh start" every time he doesn't keep a promise.
At some point, Obama has to take responsibility and stop blaming Bush for everything that Obama does wrong.
Obama has lied continually through his campaign and his administration, and for some reason, you refuse to see that. So, again, what are his good reasons for backing off his promises? Could it be...he WANTS the earmarks in there and has always intended to do this anyway?
Do you want fries with that??? Or maybe swamp land in Florida