McConnell: Real Solution to Debt Crisis Unattainable With Obama in White House (Understatement)

The latest from the Professional Politician Obama is that Social Security and Disability Payments due on the 3rd of August could be impacted if the debt limit is not raised by midnight on August 2nd.  Nothing like scaring senior citizens which the Democrats and Obama have been doing for years.  It is a proven fact that revenue to the Federal Government will pay for entitlement programs and the interest on the debt so there is no need to scare seniors in thinking they won't get a check.

Have a few suggestions that could be used to start cutting the budget starting in the White House:

1.  Ground Air Force One -- no campaign appearances for fundraisers or trips for his family to take a vacation like the latest trip to Africa.  Most families cannot afford a vacation this year but the Obama Family keeps taking them on the taxpayers nickle loving to visit overseas. 

2.  Take back the 8% pay raise to White House staffers which was obscene to start when Civil Service and Social Security received 0% pay hikes for two years in a row. 

3.  Cancel 34 CZAR positions.  Obama has appointed 39 CZARs (not subject to Senate approval) and Reagan - 1; Bush - 1; Clinton - 3; Bush - 4 which means all together the previous four Presidents only had nine (9) while Obama has 39.  Best estimate is the individiual CZARs make $175,000+ and supervise staffs of ten which all together would equal $1M per CZAR.  The budget deal already defunded the CZARS but here is what Obama thought of the agreement he signed for the budget: 

Republicans cried foul over Obama’s move. 

But after signing the legislation Friday that funds the government through the end of September and cuts $38 billion in spending, Obama issued a signing statement saying he would ignore the part about his czars, arguing that defunding those positions violated his constitutional authority.  

“It’s not surprising that the White House, having bypassed Congress to empower these ‘Czars’ is objecting to eliminating them,” Mike Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, said in a statement. 

“It’s not surprising that the White House, having bypassed Congress to empower these ‘Czars’ is objecting to eliminating them,” Mike Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, said in a statement. 

4.  No more weekly White House parties where they fly in food from all over at taxpayer expense. 

5.  No more vacations on the taxpayers nickle.  If he wants to go to Martha's Vineyard pay for it himself including Secret Service protection. 

6.  Combine EPA, Department of the Interior, and Department of Energy into one agency.  If it was good enough for Homeland Security, it should be good enough for those three and save the expenses of duplication and make it more efficient.  That looks like a pretty good savings. At the same time eliminate duplication in the various agencies -- Education is a great place to start.

7.  Do an across the board cut of all new employees unless they can be proven to be essential and cut the number of 7000 SES civil service employees to essential only.  At their top pay ($179,700) that would be quite a savings.  

8.  Ground the VIP fleet of the Air Force unless the trip is critical.No more Congressional trips overseas unless they can certify that it is critical they make the trip.  Same with the Secretary of State and her people that cannot seem to stay in DC as they fly around the world.  If Prince William and his wife Duchess Catherine can fly commercial, why can't US government officials?

Those are a few suggestions that would start to save money.  All they need to cut the deficit is some good old fashion common sense.   We agree with Senator McConnell that as long as Obama is President there will be no solution to the debt crises as he sees no need to cut back spending but he does want to raise taxes so he can have more money to waste.

McConnell: Real Solution to Debt Crisis Unattainable With Obama in White HouseTuesday, July 12, 2011 By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,
of Kentucky, speaks to the media after their
 caucus luncheon on Capitol Hill Tuesday,
 June 14, 2011.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

 WASHINGTON (AP) - In unusually blunt and combative language, the Senate's top Republican says White House offers to cut long-term spending amount to "smoke and mirrors" and directly challenged President Barack Obama's leadership in debt limit negotiations. 

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell charged Tuesday that Democrats and the Obama administration were relying on budget gimmicks to give the "appearance of serious belt-tightening."
"After years of discussions and months of negotiations, I have little question that as long as this president is in the Oval Office, a real solution is unattainable," McConnell said. 

Obama has been pushing for $4 trillion in a 10-year deficit reduction proposal. But House Speaker John Boehner, after seeking to forge a deal of that magnitude, told the president that a smaller, $2 trillion to $2.4 trillion deal was more realistic. A deal is essential to win Republican votes to increase the nation's debt ceiling by Aug. 2, or risk a government default. 

McConnell said Republicans will "do the responsible thing and ensure the government doesn't default on its obligations." 

But he dismissed the cuts the administration and Democrats have proposed as gimmicks.
His comments underscored the seemingly inflexible bargaining positions that have created an impasse between Obama and GOP lawmakers as they struggle for agreement on budget cuts as the price for maintaining the government's ability to borrow. 

McConnell's remarks represent an escalation for Republicans, who had earlier acknowledged that bipartisan negotiations led by Vice President Joe Biden had managed to identify up to $2 trillion in spending reductions. Details of those cuts, however, were still being worked out.
McConnell accused the administration of leaking its proposals for spending cuts to the media without details. 

"The lack of detail concealed the fact that the savings they were supposedly willing to support were at best smoke and mirrors," the Kentucky Republican said.. 

Excerpt:  CNS