From CNN.com about President Obama's intent to scrub the federal budget for waste:"The presidential memorandum will dramatically reform the way that we do business on contracts across the entire government," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. White House budget director Peter Orszag will be instructed to start working immediately with Cabinet officials and agency heads to develop tough, new guidance on contracting by the end of September, the official said. The president will say that by stopping outsourcing services that should be performed by the government, opening up the contracting process to small businesses, ending unnecessary no-bid and cost-plus contracts, and strengthening oversight to maximize transparency and accountability, we can save the American people up to $40 billion each year," the official said (emphasis mine).Assuming this initiative saves $40B/year, let's recognize that it will be transferred to other spending, either by presidential or congressional directive. To them, $40B saved is $40B not spent. Far more importantly, though is the accountant-with-the-green-eye-shades-is-on-the-case rhetoric used by the administration to signal how serious it is about shaving 1.06% of its annual budget. This is the Obama strategy, writ small: conservative language to sell the policies of tax and tax, spend and spend, elect and elect.
Sadly, the Republican brand has lost all credibility on spending restraint, so expect more and more of this. What to do...what to do...
1 comment:
Why do I get the feeling Obama is running the world's biggest Ponzi scheme?
Even Bernie Madoff has to be jealous of this one......
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