Subtrafuge

Posted on 21/03/2009 by Grumpa Joe

Obama's Spending ChartIn my business, I was taught to look for places to cut costs. This is a graphic world. We can process information easier if we see it graphically. POTUS has been spending money like a drunken sailor, and it’s been bothering the heck out of me. The most recent dialog on the news concerns the massively huge bonus package being given to AIG out of the bailout money from the government.   I agree, one hundred sixty five million dollars is a huge amount of money. It is so large that most people can’t process the number. Most likely because many of us accumulate much less than a million dollars over fifty years of hard work.  Those who do amass that much can retire,  as long as they also receive Social Security. The population is angry that we donate our tax dollars to save a failed company, and then reward the men who caused it to fail with bonuses twenty times larger than a typical nest egg.

What I can’t understand is why the citizens of this good country aren’t upset with the antics of our elected  representatives. The chart above shows it clearly.  All I have done is graph the costs of the federal budget, and the various bailout bills next to the cost of the AIG bonuses. The left side of the chart is graduated in trillions of dollars. I ask you this; if  this chart represented your personal expenses, and you had to trim your spending, where would you look first? Which area would produce the most benefit if it were attacked looking for savings?  Do I have to explain further?  Lee Iaccoa, chairman of the Chrysler Corp wrote that he could cut ten percent out of any budget and no one would notice. Ten percent of the first bar on the chart amounts to three hundred and fifty billion dollars. Any one with a brain could trim that bar deeper than ten percent. If you have a job in manufacturing in the USA you are faced with making cuts of that nature everyday. There are many qualified people who could see where to make cuts. Most of these people are managers, accountants, and engineers. Do we have people from these disciplines sitting in the Capital ?  

Why then, are these morons in the White House and the Capital steering all the news toward the AIG bonuses. Do they think we are as stupid as they are? Do they think the people of the USA are so dumb as to not see through their subtrafuge. It is clear to me they are trying to deflect the news away from massive spending they call “Change You Can Believe In.”  

Here is something to think about; after spending all those dollars shown in the chart all we will have left is “change”  in our pocket.

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Slavery to Slavery?

Posted on 21/02/2009 by Grumpa Joe
My Flag Flies Everyday

My Flag Flies Everyday

I got to thinking about those trillions the government is throwing at earmark projects called stimulus. I asked myself how many people could a trillion dollars really help?  I looked at three items that people spend money on: house, car, and college education.

Here is how it works out:

1. How many $200,000.00  houses can one buy for a trillion? A two hundred thousand dollar house is probably affordable for most of the population.

ans: Five million

2. How many cars valued at $25,000.00 each? Not a Lexus or Cadillac, but a Ford Focus will get you to where you need to go.

ans: Forty million.

3. How many students could spend $40,000.00 on college tuition?  This one assumes you spend three hundred dollars per credit hour and you require one hundred and thirty credits to get a degree, and live with your parents.

ans: Twenty five  million five hundred thousand.

A trillion dollars given away in this fashion would most likely stimulate the economy. Instead we will direct the money through a filter called “government.”  The end result will be that only a third will get to the consumer. The remainder will be lost in management fees. In big government management fees are more commonly referred to as GRAFT.

What BHO failed to tell the people of the USA is that his redistribution of wealth will make everyone in the country a slave. By robbing the rich to give to the poor, the result will make everyone poor.

The direction of the country toward “Change You Can Believe In,” will bankrupt the treasury. The end result is that the greatest country in the history of the earth will become  a slave to the countries who buy our debt.

Barack likes to compare himself to Abraham Lincoln. While Lincoln freed a small number of the population who were slaves, Barack will enslave the entire country. How will that happen?

We will borrow the money from China or other countries. In order for them to loan us the money, we will have to make it worth their while. We will have to pay higher interest. Higher interest will mean that the government has less money to pay for the programs that they have legislated into law. In other words if it takes a trillion dollars to run the country, we’ll now have to add the interest to that.  Where will the government get the extra money? They have two ways: 1. Pass the expense to the tax payer by increasing his contribution. 2. Print more money to cover the bill. This means that your money is worth less than it was before. I already have trouble making ends meet on my fixed income.

Here is what the interest payment looks like on a trillion dollars:

Interest rate-percent   interest payment
2   20,000,000,000.0
3   30,000,000,000.0
4   40,000,000,000.0
5   50,000,000,000.0
6   60,000,000,000.0
7   70,000,000,000.0
8   80,000,000,000.0
9   90,000,000,000.0
10   100,000,000,000.0

In case you have a problem reading all those zeros, they are billions.

Mark my words, this country is headed for another civil war with the rampant spending under this president. Isn’t civil war another issue that Lincoln had to deal with?

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Dear Representative Halvorson:

Posted on 20/02/2009 by Grumpa Joe
This is my response to a letter received from State of Illinois Representative Deborah Halvorson.(Her letter is included below in it’s entirety.)
Dear Representative Halvorson.
The so called stimulus bill is nothing more than a gift to Obama to implement his campaign promises. It will not stimulate the economy. You are wrong in your decision. Time will tell. I don’t believe you or the Senate is responsible enough to spend the money wisely. You will spend the money to stay in office.
Here are my recommendations to you and your group:
1. Take a salary cut of 50% as a show of leadership and example.
2. Pass legislation to limit congressional and senate service to two terms maximum.
3. Pass legislation to make it mandatory to have one Democratic and one Republican Senator from each state.
4. Pass legislation to split the House of Representative to  fifty fifty between Republicans and Democrats. In states where there is an odd number of congressmen, give the odd man to the party of the majority.
5. Pass an ethics bill that is effective, and will fire Congressmen and  Senators who are found to violate any provision of the bill..
6. Reduce the size of all governrnent departments by 20%. The private sector is cutting jobs like crazy, but the government never cuts. This is totally unfair.
7. Instead of spending money, try paying off the deficit. Bill Clinton did that and according to him the economy flourished.
8. Cut out using the government aircraft for travel. Use only commercial carriers; the President included.
9. Balance the federal budget. When tax income does not cover expenses, cut spending to balance what we have.
10. Pass legislation to eliminate spending  federal money on abortion and contraception.
11. Do not pass any legislation unless there is a provision in it to find money to pay for it
You see Representative Halvorson, I don’t buy anything you stand for.
Please resign to minimize further embarrassment to the citizens of Illinois. 
Respectfully,
Grumpa Joe
*****************************************************************************************************************************************

Thank you for contacting me regarding your opposition to the economic recovery legislation recently passed by Congress. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter. I understand many of your concerns regarding this legislation. Even supporters of the economic recovery plan acknowledge that it is not perfect, however, legislation resulting from compromise and negotiation rarely is. Like you, I am worried by the high price tag of the plan, but there are safeguards in the bill to ensure that the money will be spent wisely. The plan contains no earmarks and taxpayers will be able to track expenditures on a public website.

 

We are in the midst of the most severe economic crisis in decades. In some communities in our district, the unemployment rate has already reached double digits. I have heard from many constituents who are struggling to pay their bills and to feed their families. We need urgent action to start addressing the crisis. Economists across the ideological spectrum estimate that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create or save over 3 million jobs. This goal will be reached by investing in our country’s urgent infrastructure and energy needs. Throughout the 11th Congressional District, there are aging schools that need renovation, crumbling roads and bridges that need repair and rural communities that lack access to modern high speed internet. By investing in infrastructure projects that will address these needs we will create new jobs in Illinois and throughout the country.

 

The economic recovery plan also includes one of the largest tax cuts in American history. By providing significant tax relief that will put money in the pockets of 95% of working Americans, the plan will once again start growing our economy. The road to economic recovery will not be easy. History has shown us that big problems often require big solutions. The recovery plan is expensive, but this is the price we will have to pay to turn our economy around.

 

Again, thank you for contacting me. I always appreciate receiving feedback from my constituents. Please feel free to contact me again in the future regarding any matter of concern to you. Also, please visit my website, http://www.house.gov/halvorson, for regular updates on what is happening in Congress.

 

 

Sincerely,

Z

Debbie Halvorson

MEMBER OF CONGRESS

My Flag Flies Everyday

My Flag Flies Everyday

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Octolady Meets Nancy

Posted on 13/02/2009 by Grumpa Joe

I’m still upset by Nancy Pelosi hiding two hundred million dollars for contraceptives into the spending bill. Last week, I got further angered by Octolady giving birth to eight kids. Since both of these ladies are from California it would be great if they got together to share experiences. Nancy could give Octolady some real life guidance on the facts of life.  Nancy could also give the attending implant doctor a condom to pull over his head.  I don’t want that guy to infect anybody else with his warped reasoning about impregnating single women. It wouldn’t surprise me if Nancy added Octolady’s child care into the stimulus bill. Now that would create a few jobs, wouldn’t it?

When a woman decides she wants to be a Labrador Retreiver and give birth to litters instead of children, and the liberals are stupid enough to want to care for her puppies, let them pay for it. Leave the rest of us out of it.

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Greatness to Mediocrity In Three Weeks Flat

Posted on 12/02/2009 by Grumpa Joe

Dear Senators Durbin, Burris and Representative Halvorson:    Congratulations! You and your colleagues have proudly drafted and passed a bill that is the foundation for the destruction of the United States of America. This bill is not a stimulus but rather a stepping stone to socialism. It will take the United States from “Greatness to Mediocrity.”

 

Why are you sneakily adding Barack Obama’s campaign promises into reality by fear mongering the poor economy?

There is too little in the bill to actually stimulate the economy.

Why is there money in the bill for health care? What does my health have to do with stimulating the economy? There is also the little thing about giving you and the bureaucracy the power to decide what medical treatment a person will be allowed. Senator, I hope you and your family are also covered by this provision, but I pray you will never be faced with having the bureaucracy decide treatment for you.

Have you read the entire bill? Has anyone in either of the houses done so? The president is asking us to sacrifice. If this is such an urgent necessity, why do you fail to lead by example with self sacrifices? Why doesn’t the bill include a pay cut for all federal employees; yourself included?

Why isn’t there more in the bill to allow me to keep money to spend?

Why isn’t the bill loaded with incentives to make business flourish?

Why is there so much money included for Community Organizers?

Why is there an internal “Earmark” to build a rail line between Los Angeles and Las Vegas?

Why is there such a rush to pass this bill? I respect the president for giving you a deadline to get it done, but in the rush you are recklessly spending away the future of my country.

I have completely lost all confidence in you, and your ability to represent me. Obviously, you have not listened to your constituency by voting for this debacle called stimulus.

As far as I am concerned you are not my representative anymore.

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