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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
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Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
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Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
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The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
February 2, 2010
/ 18 Shevat 5770
The budget poseur
By
Rich Lowry
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
President Barack Obama is a budgetary Don Quixote, with Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag his enabling sidekick Sancho Panza.
Obama has donned his armor and picked up his lance to wage a thoroughly imaginary battle for fiscal restraint. He betrays not the slightest sign that his self-styled brave, tightfisted responsibility slaying wasteful programs and freezing spending all around him is all a dream.
"We simply cannot continue to spend as if deficits don't have consequences," Obama said in unveiling a budget with a record $1.6 trillion deficit this year that will be the highest as a share of GDP since World War II. He warned against treating taxpayer dollars as "monopoly money," even as he proposes a budget of $3.8 trillion, and against ignoring the challenge of the debt "for another generation," even with a $1 trillion deficit projected at the decade's end.
In his "question time" exchange with Republican House members, Obama proved for anyone who might have forgotten that he's whip-smart, unflappable and glib; it's the facts that are his undoing.
Anyone listening to him describe his budget would stock extra foodstuffs in the pantry for the lean times ahead and would be shocked to learn that Obama was speaking of the most extravagant budget in American history. It's a Keynesian blowout wrapped in an Eisenhower-era sensible Republican cloth coat.
National debt will exceed GDP in 2012, a staggering fact. Internationally, we will share that distinction with such fine fiscal company as Iceland, Greece and Italy. Even Brazil, Pakistan and Malawi have a lower debt as a percentage of GDP.

The $4.5 trillion in debt Obama has accumulated in the first two years and eight months of his administration will nearly match the $4.9 trillion of George W. Bush's eight years as president. That's not fair as a straight comparison, because Bush inherited a surplus whereas Obama inherited an ongoing fiscal meltdown. But that doesn't justify making it worse.
Obama is not the first president to take office amid a deteriorating budgetary picture. So did Bill Clinton in 1992. He responded by jettisoning the $200 billion "investment" program he promised in the campaign and adopting a deficit-reduction program in its stead. He caterwauled privately about losing his political soul, and his left-wing supporters predicted economic gloom. A decade of rollicking good times ensued.
Obama has taken the opposite tack: spending even more than he promised in the campaign as he inherited spiraling, recession-fueled deficits. The fruit of all the stimulus spending is hard to detect, with unemployment projected to stay above 8 percent into 2012. The robust GDP growth of the fourth quarter had more to do with businesses replenishing their inventories. But Obama still wants another $100 billion in deficit spending on yet another stimulus program. Whether he's profligate or austere, Obama is always spending more.
One of his favorite riffs is that he is going through the budget "line by line" for savings. This purportedly adds up to $20 billion in savings next year, which is about one-fifth of the cost of the new stimulus program and one-fifth of the average monthly deficit last year.
It's not that Obama is utterly incapable of finding savings and revenues. To fund his nearly $1 trillion health-care reform, he's endorsed extensive Medicare cuts and tax increases, both of which are supposed to be relatively painless and beneficial to the overall health-care system. Why wouldn't he use them, then, to take a ready bite out of the deficit rather than devote them to a new, fiscally unsustainable entitlement program?
Ah, but don't disturb Obama during his epic budgetary quest in his own mind. Margaret Thatcher said the problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money. Obama may run out of ours while maintaining all the while he's cutting the budget down to size.
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© 2009 King Features Syndicate
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