Recess Starts Too Late

Congress.org presents: MEGAVOTE March 25, 2013

Georgia's 13th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes -

• Senate: Fiscal 2013 Continuing Appropriations Passage
• Senate: Fiscal 2014 Senate Budget Resolution Adoption
• House: FY 2014 Budget Resolution  Adoption
• House: FY 2013 Continuing Appropriations  Final Passage

Both the Senate and House are in recess. The Senate is scheduled to return on Monday, April 8. The House is expected to return on Tuesday, April 9.

Recent Senate Votes:

Fiscal 2013 Continuing Appropriations  Passage
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=44&chamber=S&congress=1131
Vote Passed (73-26, 1 Not Voting)
With a week left to avert a government shutdown, Senators passed a stopgap measure to keep federal funds flowing for the remainder of fiscal 2013. The Senate slightly expanded the spending package included in the original bill the House of Representatives passed on March 6, which only included full appropriations for Defense, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs. Through a last-minute amendment put forth by Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., senators added additional spending provisions from three other related bills. The Senate approved Mikulskis amendment 70-29 (roll call 42), less than an hour before the bills final passage roll call vote. All told, the bill appropriated $517.7 billion for the Defense Department, $71.9 billion for veterans programs and military construction projects, $39.6 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, $20.5 billion for the Department of Agriculture and $50.2 billion for commerce, law enforcement and science programs.  Spending on all other government programs will remain flat from fiscal 2012 rates. The bill made slight spending cuts from the earlier stopgap spending bill set to expire on March 27 to get federal outlays under the discretionary spending caps of the 2011 debt limit law (PL 112-25). The senate rejected several floor amendments that cut funds from Homeland Security and defense biofuel programs. Senator Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., relented on consideration for the single-largest spending cut amendment, which would have redirected nearly $381 million in spending for the Armys Medium Extended Air Defense System. Ayottes opposition to the program had held up final consideration of the bill for a week. The bill returned to the House the next day and received a motion to concur to its amended status, passing it to the presidents desk for signing.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted YES
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Who knows what's going on with these turkeys anymore, money is sequestered, no passed budgets yet they are always voting spend money.  It is hard for me to tell what counts and what does not count.  The amounts are staggering.

Fiscal 2014 Senate Budget Resolution  Adoption
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=92&chamber=S&congress=1131
Vote Agreed to (50-49, 1 Not Voting)
Just before 5:00 in the morning on Saturday, the Senate passed its first budget resolution in four years by a single vote. Four Democrats  Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, and Mark Pryor of Arkansas  voted with Senate Republicans against the measure. Final passage arrived after senators spent 13 hours considering dozens of floor amendments on a huge swath of policy areas. Without any force of law, the nonbinding resolution laid out Senate Democrats alternative to the House budget, which passed two days before on a largely party-line vote (roll call 88). The Senate blueprint laid out $975 in new revenue and $975 in spending cuts over 10 years that promised to reduce the budget deficit $1.8 trillion in all. It also included additional economic stimulus and infrastructure investment funds supported by the White House. During floor debate, the Senate rejected a substitute budget put forth by Rand Paul of Kentucky that slashed spending  by $9.6 trillion and cut taxes by $2.3 trillion over 10 years (roll call 69). Another Senate conservative firebrand, Texan Ted Cruz, offered unsuccessful amendments to repeal the Affordable Care Act (roll call 51), cut foreign aid to Egypt and build missile defense batteries on the East Coast (roll call 85), and withhold American funds to the United Nations until China rescinded its one-child population control policy (roll call 86). Republicans received Democratic support to pass amendments endorsing the Keystone XL pipeline (roll call 61), eliminating subsidies to the largest banks (roll call 70), and initiating a biennial budget process (roll call 65.) Senate Democrats played amendment tug-of-war, too. New Hampshires Jeanne Shaheen successfully introduced an amendment backing womens family planning and birth control access provided under the Affordable Care Act (roll call 54). Rhode Islander Sheldon Whitehouses amendment to create a carbon tax to combat global warming, however, failed (roll call 58).
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO
Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are making names for themselves in the Senate with the Tea Party.  It does appear that most republican Senators are distancing themselves from the firebrands. For myself, I like what I am seeing from the two. 
Why do they keep trying to create a carbon tax, the foundation of the global warming theory is eviscerated with the proof of data tampering and the darned liberals dig in deeper.  Don't forget, in the end its about control of energy and a potential revenue stream for the government. 

Recent House Votes:

FY 2014 Budget Resolution Adoption
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=88&chamber=H&congress=1131
Vote Passed (220-207, 4 Not Voting)
On Thursday of last week, the House agreed to adopt the concurrent resolution introduced a week earlier by sponsor Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., that would provide $2.769 trillion in new budget authority for FY2014, not including off-budget accounts. It assumed that the spending levels set by the sequester would stay in place and the discretionary savings from the sequester will come from non-defense programs. It also included the repeal of the 2010 health care overhaul and changed Medicare to a premium support system starting in 2024. In addition, the resolution called for changes to the tax code, including the consolation of the individual income tax brackets from six to two and the reduction or elimination of some tax credits and deductions. In addition to mapping out government spending levels for FY 2014, the resolution included appropriate budgetary levels for FY2015-FY2023 that would assume $5.7 trillion in reductions over the next ten years in discretionary and mandatory spending. Prior to adopting H. Con. Res. 25, on Wednesday the House rejected five amendments that would have provided alternative budget plans: the Senates Concurrent Resolution from Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C.  (Roll Call 83); the Congressional Black Caucus preparation from Robert C. Scott, D-Va. (Roll Call 84); the Congressional Progressive Caucus substitute from Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz. (Roll Call 85); the Republican Study  Committees idea from Rob Woodall, R-Ga. (Roll Call 86); and the Democratic alternative from Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. (Roll Call 87). 171 Democrats attempted to force Republicans to pass or reject the conservative Woodall plan by voting present. That vote was the closest of any of the five to being approved.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
Mr. Scott, if you vote against every practical budget proposal, does that mean you are being responsible or simply a lap dog of the obstructive Democratic leadership that avoids any responsibility for the bullshit mess they wish to prolong.

FY 2013 Continuing Appropriations  Final Passage
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=89&chamber=H&congress=1131
Vote Passed (318-109, 4 Not Voting)
At the end of the legislative week, the House agreed to the Senates amendments to the bill that would approve the continuing appropriations through FY 2013 including $1.043 trillion in discretionary funds before the sequester. It funds departments and agencies at their FY2012 enacted levels, with adjustments for certain programs. The legislation provides $517.7 billion in base discretionary funding for the Defense Department, $71.9 billion for veterans programs and military construction, $20.5 billion for agriculture programs, $39.6 billion for the Department of Homeland Security and $50.2 billion for commerce, law enforcement and science programs. The legislation is now cleared for the president to sign into law, thus ending the lengthy process of funding government operations for FY2013.
Rep. David Scott voted YES
Sneaking one past the goalie just before the sequester, that's a little bit deceptive don't you think. The Republicans in the House are supposed to stand for fiscal conservation, but are truly more interested in feeding the status quo. What does it all mean? I do not understand anymore. Maybe I never understood.

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Men Down Under

Congress, that is, under the radar, wanting to slip 11 million onto the rolls of Democratic voters. No never minding the fact that they all broke the law to get here and are generally poor and therefore likely candidates for the government teat.  Nowadays that's a good thing, I guess.
Gang of eight sneaky bastards they are.

Congress.org (congress.org) presents: MEGAVOTE for March 11, 2013

In this MegaVote for Georgia's 13th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: Committee Funding Resolution  Amendment Vote
• Senate: CIA Director Nomination  Confirmation
• House: Disaster Response and Preparedness Suspension
• House: FY 2013 Continuing Appropriations

Upcoming Congressional Bills

• Senate: Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013
• House: Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act
• House: Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2013

Recent Senate Votes:


Committee Funding Resolution  Amendment Vote
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=29&chamber=S&congress=1131
Vote Rejected (44-53, 3 Not Voting)
The Senate passed a resolution authorizing funding levels for its standing committees through the remainder of fiscal year 2013. This is normally a non-controversial measure but Kentucky Republican Rand Paul objected to including funding for a body known as the National Security Working Group, essentially a forum for senators to discuss foreign policy and national security. Paul insisted on a vote for his amendment to strip funding from the Working Group. After the amendment was rejected, the resolution was agreed to by voice vote.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO
53 votes, looks like a party line deal, Reid apparently can gets votes to go his way.

CIA Director Nomination  Confirmation
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=32&chamber=S&congress=1131
Vote Confirmed (63-34, 3 Not Voting)
The Senate confirmed President Obama's counterterrorism advisor John Brennan to be the next director of the CIA last week. Brennan looked to be on a glide path to confirmation until Kentucky Republican Rand Paul staged an unexpected "talking" filibuster that stretched over 13 hours. Paul stated that he was holding up Brennans nomination because he had not received adequate assurances from the administration that the president did not have authority to target American citizens on American soil with drone strikes if they were not an "imminent threat." During the course of the filibuster Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. released a brief letter to Paul stating that the president does not have the authority "to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil."  This appeared to satisfy Paul, who yielded the floor after midnight on March 7. Following a successful cloture motion later that afternoon (Roll Call 31), Brennan was confirmed with a solid bipartisan majority. 
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO
Rand has a pretty damned good point, Holder is a damned obstructionist. But in the end who really gives a shit except the poor bastard who get a drone up his ass. Do you have any doubt that President's have had citizen's killed without due process?  I would be surprised if they any hadn't. They have been doing it, they will continue to do it, it has always been illegal, and everyone turns a blind eye because it is usually pragmatic.
Recent House Votes:


Disaster Response and Preparedness  Suspension
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=56&chamber=H&congress=1131
Vote Passed (370-28, 33 Not Voting)
The House cleared a bill under suspension last week reauthorizing various measures meant to strengthen preparation and response to pandemics and similar biological disasters. The House originally passed the bill in January (Roll Call 24). It was later amended in the Senate, extending the authorization through 2018, and sent back to the House. This latest vote moves the bill to the president's desk. 
Rep. David Scott voted YES
Sounds like regular business, not worth thought.

FY 2013 Continuing Appropriations
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=62&chamber=H&congress=1131
Vote Passed (267-151, 13 Not Voting)
With a March 27 deadline to avert government shutdown looming, the House moved last week to pass a bill making appropriation for the rest of the fiscal year. The package contained full appropriations bills for the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, (though it did not increase their funding levels) and essentially continues FY12 funding for all other accounts. The bill's overall funding level is in line with the $1.043 trillion cap agreed to under the 2011 debt ceiling agreement, but because of the sequester, net new budget authority would instead reach $984 billion.
Rep. David Scott voted YES
Budget, we don't need no stinking budget!  Let's just keep voting on the parts, that way none of will be responsible for the debt. My part was most important. 

Upcoming Votes:


Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 - H.R.933The Senate will take up the continuing appropriations measure on Monday and is expected to pass the measure this week. There appears to be agreement in the body to add full bills for Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Homeland Security.
See above....

Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act - H.R.803
This bill would largely consolidate several dozen workforce investment and job training programs into one in which funding would be doled out in block grants to states. The bill's committee markup last week was notable for Democrats' boycott of the proceedings. They said it was a partisan measure largely identical to a bill the committee passed last year along party lines.
Blocking money, government teaching citizens how to spend money.  Oxymoron.

Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2013 - H.R.890
The House is scheduled to consider this bill, passed out of the Ways and Means committee last week, to counteract a Health Human Services Department waiver program that Republicans say would dilute work requirements in the federal welfare program.
Obama ain't letting this one get over the line. He'll keep giving out that money tell the cows come home (for their more money)!MegaVote is powered by the CQ-Roll Call Group
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POTUS MO

The new function of mainstream media is to pillory those attempting to apply critical review on liberal policies and beliefs. First example, Keynesian economics, government spending does not trigger business development outside the business the bequest is targeted for, and at those times usually permits inefficiency to persist. 

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

George Orwell

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Ford Galaxy

I remember as an eight year old, my youngest brother Bruce had just been born. Dad gave me a Matchbox car just like this police car I saw Sunday in Rockmart, Georgia.
Like it was yesterday.

Georgia House Bill 512

Charles Gregory stood as the lone Georgia House representative to stand against HB 512. His district is centered in Kennesaw, where guns rights, no matter how overt, are correctly applied. Not as bad as the federal government, it seems the state is taking pressure from the executive to skirt constitutional rights. Men like this are not common enough.
This is Charles' response to my note of appreciation.

Thank you so much John for taking the time to e-mail me; it's kind words of support like yours that help keep me going. I truly appreciate your own efforts in protecting our Natural Rights!
In Liberty,
Charles A. Gregory
Georgia State Representative
House District 34
charlesgregory.com

 "Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state lives at the expense of everyone." - Claude Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850)

-----Original Message-----
From: Me
Sent: Friday, March 8, 2013 11:34 AM
To: Charles A. Gregory
Subject: HB 512

Thank you for your opposition to HB 512.

He Always Looked Puffy

I've been waiting on this...

Hugo Chavez has been sharing cheap gas with Venezualans.
With his death, the whole world can benefit from his free gas.

cha
cha
cha
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Congress Working on Mo Money!

Congress.org (congress.org) presents: MEGAVOTE March 4, 2013
For Georgia's 13th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes -

• Senate: Hagel Nomination  Confirmation
• Senate: Lew Nomination  Confirmation
• Senate: Republican Sequester Alternative  Cloture
• Senate: Democratic Sequester Alternative  Cloture
• House: Gender-based Violence Prevention  Final Passage

Upcoming Congressional Bills -

• Senate: Authorizing Expenditures by Senate Committees
• House: Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Continuing Appropriations

Recent Senate Votes:

Hagel Nomination  Confirmation
Vote Confirmed (58-41, 1 Not Voting)
After months of being hammered by conservative media outlets and activist groups and a wobbly performance in his confirmation hearing, Chuck Hagel was confirmed last week to become the 24th Secretary of Defense. The 58-41 vote fell mostly along party lines, with Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Richard Shelby of Alabama and Hagels fellow Nebraskan Mike Johanns the only Republicans joining all Democrats and independents in voting to confirm him. The confirmation vote followed a successful, and much more lopsided, cloture vote (Roll Call 23)  itself an unusual hurdle to clear on a Cabinet nomination (though not, strictly speaking unprecedented, as some commentators and Democratic officials have stated).
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO
Voted nearly along party lines because the fix was in with the four Republican defections.  This allows the Senators to protect their positions with their constituents. I believe most Republicans would have voted to confirm if they thought there would be no voting fallout.  After all, Hagel is one of them, a Republican, and something so terrible as being an Israel basher, or a defense dove, doesn't really count now does it? 

Lew Nomination  Confirmation
Vote Confirmed (71-26, 3 Not Voting)
Receiving much less attention  and generating much less controversy  was the nomination of Jacob J. Lew to be the next Treasury Secretary. Though Lew did receive some criticism for compensation packages he received from former employers New York University and Citigroup, as well as for his Cayman Islands investments, his nomination sailed through committee and received healthy bipartisan support on the Senate floor.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Hell, if the man knows how to hide money from the IRS, then he has the good sense to see what is wrong with the system.  If only he wasn't working for such a schmuck.

Republican Sequester Alternative Cloture
Vote Rejected (38-62)
The last day of February saw both parties in the Senate make a show of attempting to avert the budget sequester that went into effect the next day. The Republican proposal would order the President to submit a sequester replacement plan by March 15, which would cut roughly the same amount of funds in the same 50-50, defense-non-defense proportion as the sequester, but would allow the White House discretion in allocating the cuts within each budget function. Separately, the bill would allow the Defense Secretary to transfer previously-appropriated funds between departmental accounts. President Obama threatened to veto the bill, and it saw more Republican defections (nine) than Democratic recruits (two).
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted YES
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
The Presidential threat of veto if passed pretty much speaks to his position, he does not want to cut anything but defense spending.  

Democratic Sequester Alternative Cloture
Vote Rejected (51-49)
The Democratic sequester replacement plan and it should be noted that both this bill and the Republican bill only deal with year one of what is scheduled to be a decade-long budget squeeze would fully repeal the $85 billion in cuts and replace them with several policy alternatives. These include ending direct payments to farmers, a proposal the Senate approved overwhelmingly last year in its version of the farm bill that never became law. The bill would also enact a 30% minimum tax rate on individual incomes over $5 million and would change the tax law definition of crude oil to include tar sands. Though the bill had no chance of garnering 60 votes, its chances were further damaged when the Congressional Budget Office reported that it would have increased the deficit by $7 billion.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO
They passed the damned thing in the Senate, a proposal to avert sequestration, which is aimed at reducing deficit, a proposal that increases cost.  Thank you for your votes Georgia Senators, the Democratic Senators have got no freaking intention of solving anything. Right now, with this bunch, I put the chances of an approved budget at zero for the next four years.

Recent House Votes:

Gender-based Violence Prevention  Final Passage
Vote Passed (286-138, 7 Not Voting)
Appearing to decide that the issue simply was not worth fighting over any longer, House leadership allowed the Senate-passed Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA) to come to the floor and pass with majority-Democratic support. Both chambers passed reauthorization measures in the 112th Congress, but no extension became law due to a variety of disagreements between the Senate and House leadership. These mostly centered on Senate efforts to expand the laws reach, for example by granting Indian tribal courts authority to prosecute non-Indian offenders and by extending protections to victims of gender identity- and sexual orientation-based violence. Democrats made much hay of the GOPs resistance, labeling it part of a broader war on women that also included attacks on contraceptive coverage in Obamacare. Senate Democratic leaders made it a priority to re-pass VAWA quickly at the beginning of the 113th Congress, thus placing the onus back on House Republicans. Republicans offered an alternative bill as a replacement amendment, but it failed when 60 GOP members joined nearly all Democrats in voting no (Roll Call 54). The bill also extends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, a law aimed at thwarting human trafficking.  VAWA is now cleared for the presidents signature.
Rep. David Scott voted YES
I am a little surprised that the Democrats passed this thing, they were having so much fun accusing their opponents of hating women. Its just the sort of stick the media will bash Conservatives with endlessly. Will the hyperbole ever end?
NOPE   

Upcoming Votes:

Authorizing Expenditures by Senate Committees
The Senate is scheduled to take up this resolution that would authorize expenditures by committees of the Senate for the period March 1, 2013, through September 30, 2013.
Money for commissions bent on solving non-issues created by politicians rewarding benefactors.  

Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Continuing Appropriations
The House is scheduled to work on this bill that would continue providing funding to government programs. The current funding expires March 27.
Whatever : )

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Georgia SB 101 Passes Senate

On Monday 2013-03-04 the Georgia Senate passed the State Bill 101 by a margin of 41-10. Now the bill will be voted on in the state House of Representatives.
Main features of the bill are enumerated below:

• Repeals the unnecessary and repetitive state licenses for a firearms dealers, ensuring that gun dealers are only required to have a Federal Firearms License.
• Enhances the current reciprocity for out-of-state concealed carry permit holders traveling through Georgia.  This is hopefully a precedent for other states to emulate.
• Preempts a ban on firearms in public housing, as the necessity of self-defense is paramount regardless of where one calls home.
• Protects the confidentiality of the holders of Weapons Carry Licenses.
• Prohibits the state from creating and maintaining a database of Weapons Carry License holders.
• Lowers the age from 21 to 18 for activity duty military, with specific training, to obtain a Weapons Carry License to carry a concealed firearm for self-defense.

A link to the actual bill follows:
http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20132014/SB/101

Georgia legislators tend to be truculent with initial legislation offerings, often matching well the public expectation.  They also tend to follow with reversing actions, such is the way now with how they are trying to sneak through a weakening of E-Verify requirements.  Push on those House members to enact SB 101.
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Feel the Burn

This is on point for neighbor Justin.
Tank lawd fer terty packs!

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Floating Email

A one sentence editorial that appeared in the Peoria Journal Star speaks volumes:

"A pen in the hand of this president is far more dangerous than a gun in the hands of 200 million law-abiding citizens."

Pope Coaster

The Onion usually has some amusing content, this screen shot is currently present.

The crap seen in the news for the last couple of weeks is astounding.
Suggestions from the media for the conclave:

• Elect a Pope that will approve of women as priests.
• Elect a Pope of Hispanic origin.
• Elect a Pope of United States birth.

Not Catholic myself, but I do find the protestations of the liberal media, gay rights and women's organizations, to be typical self-serving crap. The suggestion is that the religion must change to become more mainstream, accepted by more people.  An action that if completed would not gain the support of the complainants and would erode tenets of what the church represents.
  

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The Sequester

A couple of moths ago I signed a petition on the White House web site advocating the secession of Georgia from the Union.  This was known in advance to be a non-starter and for me was more an expression of protest.  The response received was talked about in an earlier post boiled down to the answer of your protest is crap, which it was.

Apparently my email address as part of the signature process has emboldened the White House staff to issue me periodic statements of position. This offering must be based on the premise that I agree (aka give a shit) what the President thinks about anything.  Truth is, I have interest in studying the President's position, a second truth is I generally find it to be loaded with misdirecting information.

Friday another of these emails arrived, sent at 1:05 PM EST, just after the sequester became reality.  This is text of the email.

Starting today, our government will need to grapple with a set of arbitrary budget cuts that will hurt the economy, make life harder for middle-class families, and threaten our national security. That's what Washington means when it talks about the sequester.

Not everyone will feel the consequences of these cuts immediately, but if sequestration is allowed to continue, it will make life more difficult for Americans all across the country. That's a fact that no one disputes.

And the reason we are here is because some members of Congress have made a choice to prioritize these cuts over closing tax loopholes for the wealthy. But there is still time for them to make a different choice and undo this manufactured crisis.

Today, President Obama discussed this situation and answered questions from the press. "This is not a win for anybody," he said. "This is a loss for the American people."

Help us make sure your friends and neighbors know what's at stake. Share this video of President Obama on Facebook or Twitter -- or even just forward this email to your friends.

This video link that is shown in the email and referenced above.

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The President has made little to no effort to compromise with the House of Representative, as recently as a month ago he cleaned the Republican's clock by getting tax increases passed with no substantive budget cuts.  It is well known that the increases in taxation discussed are minuscule when compared simply to the increases in spending of the past four years.  The problem is we have had huge increases in spending that have not stimulated the economy in a way that anybody hoped.  The President suggests that he has cut spending 2.5 trillion dollars, this is a flat out lie.  The President says in this linked video that the problem is not entitlements, that experts have said so; as in the Indiana Jones movie, "top people" are on it; too bad that the President's "top people" cannot recognize the truths of Hayek, or even possess the common sense connection of changes in spending to changes in debt load.

President Obama seems to be a skilled political fighter, he sucks as a leader because he cannot separate the illogical projections of liberal dogma, from tangible evidence of opposite results.

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