Mr. Obama: What is The Cost?

After Calling For Even More Government Spending, President Obama Now Won't Say How Much It Would Cost.

Obama's Econocide by A.F. Branco

Today in Washington, D.C. - Feb 15, 2013
The House reconvened has concluded all anticipated legislative business for today. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on February 25th.

The House passed this morning the following:
H.R. 273 (261-154) — "To eliminate the 2013 statutory pay adjustment for Federal employees."
H. Res. 65 (412-2) — "Condemning the Government of North Korea for its flagrant and repeated violations of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, for its repeated provocations that threaten international peace and stability, and for its February 12, 2013, test of a nuclear device." While 17 Representatives did not vote being either absent or opting to not vote, it would be interesting to know why two republicans voted against condemning North Korea.  The two nay votes were by second term Justin Amash (MI-3rd District) and first term Thomas Massie (KY-4th District).

The Senate is in recess and will reconvene on Monday, February 25th, when it will take up the nomination of Robert E. Bacharach to be United States Circuit Judge for the Tenth Circuit. Then it is expected that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will call for another cloture vote on the Hagel nomination the following day. Yesterday as reported in No Valentine For Chuck Hagel Nomination, Democrats failed to get the 60 votes needed to cut off debate on the nomination of former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense. Historically, Hagel's nomination is the first time a nominee for Secretary of Defense has been blocked. Current Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was easily confirmed.

And speaking of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, he warned, "The United States is at risk of becoming a second-rate power if automatic budget cuts go into effect, plunging the U.S. armed forces into the most significant readiness crisis they've faced in more than a decade."

And, along with his Panetta's warning, we must add that we cannot afford a second rate new Secretary of Defense with the growing global threats to the United States. That is exactly what the U.S. would have if Chuck Hagel is confirmed. While many may not have appreciated Panetta's willingness to push the President's social agenda in the DOD, most people have never been concerned over whether Panetta as Secretary of Defense and the former Director of CIA was sincere in protecting the United States from its foreign enemies.  In fact, he may well have been the real decision maker in several events credited to the President.  However, Chuck Hagel does not evidence a strength of resolve to protect the Constitution and our country against by attacks from our enemies and to protect the DOD against the destructive proposals and agendas by others in the current administration that will dismantle and or weaken our Nation's Defense.

After a State of the Union speech where he called for a litany of new “investments,” which of course always means “spending,” President Obama apparently is reluctant to actually talk about how much his new proposals would cost, even though he’s touring the country promoting them.

The AP reports, “Raising hopes among parents who want preschool for all, President Barack Obama on Thursday rolled out a plan to vastly expand government-funded early childhood while keeping the price tag a secret. Republicans, wary of high costs and questionable outcomes, made clear they have no intention of signing a blank check.” But, the AP notes, “Conspicuously absent from Obama’s plan were any details about the cost, a key concern among Republicans. Obama’s aides have insisted the new programs would not add to the nation’s nearly $16.5 trillion debt, but they won’t say what else will be cut to offset the cost, offering only vague allusions to cutting entitlement spending and closing loopholes. In a conference call with reporters Thursday, two of Obama’s top policy aides declined five times to explain how much the program would cost.”

And, according to The New York Times today, “At a high school near his own neighborhood here, President Obama on Friday will provide new details about an initiative to select 20 communities nationwide as laboratories for better coordination of federal, local, nonprofit and private-sector investments to revitalize long-distressed areas, according to administration officials.” However, “Administration officials would not quantify the cost of the initiative,” The Times writes.

So why won’t the administration discuss the cost of their new “investment” plans? Is it because although Democrats have gone around recently denying that the country has a spending problem, the Obama administration knows the public is concerned about spending? Do they think Americans would get sticker shock from the cost estimates?

Perhaps they don’t want to draw attention this administration’s poor track record with spending programs, like federal grants to “green” energy companies, which produced the debacles at Solyndra, A123, and Beacon Power. Adding to that list was yesterday’s report that “[a] Michigan battery-maker that received a visit from President Barack Obama spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in stimulus grant money for workers to do things like watch movies and play cards . . . .” As The Wall Street Journal reported, the “South Korean advanced battery maker never scaled up U.S. production despite receiving $142 million in federal grants.” Of course, “In 2010, Mr. Obama attended the plant’s groundbreaking and said such grants would ‘unleash private sector growth’ and called the factory ‘a symbol of where America is going.’”

As Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in response to the president’s State of the Union address, “[L]ast night, the President didn’t propose any real cuts. He just demanded more and more taxes. And, with a $16 trillion debt, he actually called for more spending, too—though he didn’t say how he would pay for it or even how much it would cost. . . . [W]e all know that Washington uses tax increases to fund even more spending – on things like robosquirrels, and Solyndra – not to reduce the deficit. That’s what history shows us. It’s how we got in this mess in the first place. So we’re not going to play that Washington game. The stakes for American families are too high to keep taking the easy way out with more taxes and more wasteful spending.”

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Tags: President Obama, more government programs, what's the cost, the economy, national deft, wasteful spending, nomination, Chuck Hagel,  DOD, Nationa Defense, Leon Penetta To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!