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Jewish World Review Oct. 19, 2012/ 3 Mar-Cheshvan, 5773 Obama's most dangerous disappointment By Deroy Murdock
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
"Today I am pledging to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office," President Barack Obama boldly declared on Feb. 23, 2009. Among Obama's parade of disappointments, this may be the most dangerous.
Obama was inaugurated as the fiscal year 2009 deficit eventually totaled $1.41 trillion. Had he halved this shortfall, FY 2012's deficit should have remained below $705 billion. Instead, it was $1.1 trillion -- $395 billion above Obama's pledge.
Under Obama, America has made history: four consecutive annual deficits surpassing $1 trillion. After FY 2009's $1.41 trillion hole (which he and an all-Democratic Congress could have filled), the next three deficits were, respectively, $1.29 trillion, $1.3 trillion, and $1.1 trillion. Thus, Obama has swelled the national debt by $5.1 trillion, all in one term. Another record.
As The Weekly Standard's Jeffrey H. Anderson recalls, Obama predicted in May 2009 that FY 2012's deficit would be just $557 billion. Obama underestimated the depth of last year's red ink by almost exactly half. Never take a diving lesson from this man.
Obama's massive misjudgment confirms his profligacy and incompetence. The least a president should do is accurately forecast the pace at which he spends the nation into oblivion. Obama cannot manage even that.
Obama's stunning lack of leadership fuels this catastrophe. Budgets are key to controlling spending. Nonetheless, while the Republican House of Representatives has passed two budgets, Obama has permitted the Democratic Senate to violate the 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act by refusing to endorse any budget whatsoever. Like an equatorial backwater patrolled by feral chickens, the United States of America has not adopted a budget since April 29, 2009.
Even worse, Obama has not exercised enough muscle to earn even one congressional vote for his latest budget. It failed unanimously, with every voting House and Senate member giving his blueprint bipartisan thumbs down. The House killed Obama's proposal 0-414. The Senate followed suit, 0-99. That Obama could not convince even one of Congress' 535 members to support such pivotal legislation represents a canyonesque low in presidential ineptitude. How appropriate for a man who has driven America off a cliff, and still floors the accelerator, as the nation speeds toward the jagged rocks below.
Obama also inculcates a culture of spending. If he tightened his belt, and demanded accountability among federal employees, Washington might emulate his model. Instead, the bacchanal roars on. Among infinite examples of this obscenity:
A123 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday. It already burned through $132 million of its $249 million allocation. It also had received money in 2003 and 2007 from the profligate Bush-Rove administration. Sadly, Obama turned his predecessor's spending fever into fiscal pneumonia.
A123 is now at least the 14th Obama-funded green bankruptcy. As GOP nominee Mitt Romney told Obama in their first debate: "I had a friend who said you don't just pick the winners and losers. You pick the losers."
Some of these eco-fiascos are tragicomic. According to one Abound Solar employee, "Our solar modules worked, as long as you didn't put them in the sun." The Daily Caller also reported that Abound's solar panels had a bad habit of bursting into flames.
Awash in red ink, President Obama seems to be sinking in the Red Sea.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. Comment by clicking here. Deroy Murdock is a columnist with Scripps Howard News Service and a media fellow with the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University.
• 10/12/12: About Behghazi, Obama lied, people died --- and few bother to cry (out) • 10/05//12: Obama the exacerbater • 09/28/12: Barack Obama, slacker-in-chief • 09/24/12: Citizens or subjects? Candidates offer choice • 08/17/12: Dems ignore own issues with Medicare • 08/13/12: Speech Romney should give on Bain • 07/20/12: Obama's green projects bleeding red • 07/13/12: EPA, why fine oil firms over fantasy biofuel? • 07/06/12: How about remembering Mexican victims of 'Fast and Furious'? • 06/29/12: Health-care victory will give Obama headaches • 06/22/12: Mitt Romney, get on bus • 06/18/12: The 'racist' Florida vote purge obeys federal law • 06/08/12: Scott Walker's win should propel big reforms, stiffen pols' spines • 06/01/12: Regulators regulate, and that's a problem • 05/25/12: WWII hero Karski to receive U.S. Medal of Freedom • 05/18/12: Not the behavior of normal Americans • 05/18/12: Spacemen to NASA: Cool it on global warming • 05/04/12: Libs want to plunge the penthouse • 04/27/12: Obama and company are pushing hard on the pedal for deadlier cars • 04/20/12: We don't need no stinkin' budget? • 04/14/12: New Reasons to Hate Obamacare • 04/06/12: Team Obama plays energy policy for laughs • 03/30/12: Twitchy Dems need to let workers put tax-cut money in retirement funds • 03/23/12: Why not $100-an-hour minimum wage? • 03/15/12: The real (high) cost of Obama's health care act • 03/09/12: Race-baiting Dems oppose voter ID • 03/02/12: Forget kids --- today's debt hurts adults • 02/24/12: Dems arise against Obamacare • 02/17/12: The voting dead are understated • 02/10/12: Holder takes on 'racist' photo-ID cards: Prejudice is widespread --- even Obama backed them • 02/03/12: On tax plans, Gingrich trumps Romney • 01/27/12: Photo IDs can protect elections, let dead rest • 01/20/12: Romney runs hot and cold on global warming • 01/13/12: Economic freedom declines in U.S. • 01/06/12: Time to yank off Mitt's mask • 12/23/11: Boehner hands Dems a gift • 12/15/11: The U.S. could learn much from Hong Kong • 12/09/11:$687 billion is available to Congress free of strings • 12/02/11: Obama criticizes Wall Street but takes money from it • 11/18/11: Puerto Rico shows Washington the way • 11/11/11: Take heed, America: In Ohio even left-wing unionists voted to repeal ObamaCare • 10/28/11: Thanks, Netanyahu, for surge of hardened terrorists • 10/24/11:The Obama Spend-O-Rama • 10/17/11: Cain stakes his viable claim just by showing up • 10/07/11: Green jobs are national scandal • 10/04/11: Obama proudly declares class war • 09/23/11: Obama wrong about ‘Do-Nothing’ Congress • 09/16/11: Obama needs Ryan's vision on jobs • 09/09/11: Reaganomics trounces Obamanomics • 09/02/11: Labor leaders to Obama: Stop killing jobs • 08/26/11: Pro-market Perry vaults over Romney in GOP race • 08/19/11: Some rich Americans will not rest until Washington boosts their taxes • 08/12/11: Hope, change and free birth control for all • 08/05/11: Debt deal does virtually nothing • 07/21/11: Dems pro-choice on abortion but little else • 07/15/11: Debt deception: If only Dems were honest and GOPers were courageous • 07/08/11: Congress' war on light bulb blows up
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Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||||
