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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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5

Dem Lawmakers Cry Foul on Obama Budget Cuts

President's targets for cuts have eager defenders in Congress

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(Newser) – To make an omelet, you’ve got to break some eggs. But some of the eggs President Obama broke in the list of budget cuts unveiled yesterday were golden eggs for lawmakers, and even members of his own party wasted no time in protesting, the Washington Post reports. Dems who said they plan to fight for favorite programs include Nancy Pelosi, who's asked members to come up with their own alternate list.

Programs Dem lawmakers hope to keep off the chopping block include a presidential helicopter, which Obama doesn’t want or need, but translates into 800 jobs in Rep. Maurice Hinchey’s district. Also targeted are agricultural subsidies, widely viewed as inefficient except by farm-state representatives, and student lending middlemen—ditto, but for those with a middleman company in their state.

President Barack Obama, accompanied by Budget Director Peter Orszag, holds up a document titled,
President Barack Obama, accompanied by Budget Director Peter Orszag, holds up a document titled, "Terminations, Reductions, and Savings" as he speaks about the fiscal 2010 federal budget, May 7, 2009.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., plans to stick up for a presidential helicopter manufactured in his district, even if the president doesn't want it.
Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., plans to stick up for a presidential helicopter manufactured in his district, even if the president doesn't want it.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein insists that paying to detain illegal immigrants shouldn't be California's job.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein insists that paying to detain illegal immigrants shouldn't be California's job.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
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I do think there's a good chance we can save it. - Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-NY, on the presidential helicopter

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5 comments
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serfinWI
May 8, 09 9:39 AM CDT
Congress and O are are just playing good cop, bad cop. Please see the article from May 7th, titled Line by Line for the below numbers. Our commander and chief is taking a teeny, tiny pen knife to it to make us all think he's doing a great deed. You'll have to use your computer calculator, because a regular desk top calculator that you use to pay your taxes and bills doesn't have enough space for all the zeros. The budget cuts in the article added up to $1,740,800,000. Type that into your handy, dandy calculator. (There was no price tag on that F22, so I just didn't put that in as it won't really make a difference as you will soon see.) Now hit the division button. Then type in Obama's budget (the total amount before above total is "axed"....how much he and his best buddies in Congress are planning on spending) That number is 3,500,000,000,000. Now if you typed everything in correctly (I had to do it several times to be sure) your answer will be 4.973714 e-4, which is .0005 (rounded) and convert to percent (move decimal to the right twice is .05%. Hail Obama!! Most of our budget is spent on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and Defense. Unless one of those is on his pen knife list, none of his "cuts' are going to make a d*** bit of difference, except make us think he is really doing something behind his smoke and mirrors. Reply
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Snowleopard
May 8, 09 12:07 PM CDT
Yes, I agree, he is not making substantial cuts. But that's because to really cut government spending right now would be disastrous. Consumer and business spending have already hit the floor, and to also reduce government spending right now would increase the rate of contraction of the economy. Expect to see some real cuts in about 2 years when we're (hopefully) rising out of the recession.
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IN RESPONSE:
PosterNutbag
May 8, 09 12:37 PM CDT
Agreed, lets see some major cuts in military spending.
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-2
IN RESPONSE:
ClearSight
May 10, 09 12:05 PM CDT
Here, here....stands and applauds......
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0
cornelison
May 9, 09 3:28 PM CDT
Snowleopard is right. These cuts will be in stages - something like the "Chinese Death of a Thousand Cuts." Reply
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ANALYSIS

 Line by Line: Some 
 Obama Budget Cuts 


May 7, 09 2:30 PM CDT
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