Obama’s 2011 Budget Girds Up Economy

Need over deficit. Obama answers the call of the American people over cries of the opposition to decrease spending. The jobless rate and tight consumer credit dictate portions of the President’s 2011 budget.

PR Log (Press Release) – Feb 15, 2010 – President Obama’s 2011 budget of $3.8 trillion was delivered to Congress amid outcries and charges of excessive spending. Though the economy grew 5.8% last quarter—the fastest pace since 2003, unemployment remains at 9.7 percent and consumer credit is still tight.

Tax credits favoring low- and middle-income Americans and small businesses mirror the 2010 budget. Individuals with income over $200,000 and couples with income over $250,000 are seeing a rollback of some tax credits that low- and middle-income Americans have never enjoyed, according to budgetary comments. They, along with major corporations, banks, oil companies and natural-gas companies, are being called the losers in the budget by some reports. But there is a substantial difference between not having food and not having a Lamborghini.

Outcries over deficits are more prevalent today than in the past. However, the graph of the National Debt 1950 – 2010 in Chapter 6 of The Connection to Hope by Linda E. Schexnayder shows that the greatest dollar increase in the National Debt of the United States was realized between 2001 to 2009. The debt went from $5 trillion in 2001 to almost $14 trillion, an increase just shy of 200%. The second greatest dollar increase came during the Reagan administration—from slightly under a trillion dollars to $3.25 trillion, an increase of over 200%. A portion of the increase came from tax cuts for the rich, as was part of the increase for the most recent surge. Reagan did put a plan in place to cover the cost of his tax cuts. He subtly revised the1969 Alternative Minimum Tax, originally known as the millionaire’s tax, that was designed to close loopholes utilized by the very rich to avoid paying taxes -- some millionaires indeed paid zero federal taxes -- and targeted middle-income Americans.

The Connection to Hope further states that most of the debt incurred from 1940 through 1973 was wartime debt: World War II, Korean Conflict, Viet Nam Conflict—a quarter of a trillion dollars. Non-wartime debt began with the Ford administration (1974-1977)—half a trillion dollars. It grew marginally under the Carter administration (1977-1981)—almost a quarter of a trillion dollars. Then the Reagan administration (1981-1989) added two and a quarter trillion dollars. The National Debt grew from $3.25 trillion to $4.27 trillion under Bush-41 (1989-1993)—increased partly by the Persian Gulf War of 1991, when Saddam Hussein was driven out of Kuwait. It grew another trillion dollars during the Clinton administration (1993-2001) then began to diminish its pace in 1996 and stopped growing in 1999. Clinton was the only president in recent memory to balance the budget and leave office with a surplus. The surplus was wiped out and the National Debt began to grow again during Bush-43 (2001-2009).

Curtailment of government spending is a top priority of American citizens, but restoring the economy is essential to that ultimate goal and President Obama seems attuned. He is imposing a three-year spending freeze on many government programs.

The deficit for the current fiscal year is expected to peak at almost $1.6 trillion, then start to shrink to just below $1.3 trillion in 2011, according to the President’s budget. Reputable economists have said that extremely high deficits would not sustain economic growth over a protracted period.

The Government Printing Office (GPO) announced that the 2011 budget is available for review online. The authentic online version is available through a direct link on the Latest Resources panel on GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys), www.fdsys.gov. Copies may be ordered online at http://bookstore.gpo.gov/collections/budget.jsp. Budget of the U.S. Government is $37, Budget Appendix is $73, Analytical Perspectives is $52, Historical Tables is $49, and the CD-ROM is $25. For more information on purchasing, call 202-512-1800.

The 2008 Presidential Election Handbook and Commentary: The Connection to Hope is available at www.healthylivingusa.com/theconnectiontohope and www.amazon.com.
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About Healthy Living USA and Healthy Living USA Publishing Division Nevada: We strive to help our clients become healthier in all areas of human life: spirtually, mentally, physically, socially and financially, thereby achieving wholeness and prosperity.

Obama/GOP Q&A in Baltimore Becomes Washington-Style Knock-Down-Drag-Out

Now that the hoopla has subsided, the dust has settled and the majors are somewhat satiated; what happened at the Obama/GOP Q&A in Baltimore? What did the American people really see during this layered production?

PR Log (Press Release) – Feb 04, 2010 – The Obama/GOP Q&A in Baltimore on Friday, January 29, 2010 could be described as an event none of us has seen before, not even in the political debate forum. While watching the events unfold on screen, beginning with the first question, one could have wondered if Jaws and a hundred plus of his cousins had invited the President over for lunch.

The American people saw another world; the world of politicians—spurious arguments that are normally delivered in sound bites to the media on staged platforms for greatest affect. They heard pseudo words and phrases made-to-order for them—button-pushers to incite and inflame heads of households that are surviving on nutrient-sparse “cup-a-soup” and “top ramen;” so unfamiliar with lack that they have yet to acknowledge what they are experiencing—the dawning of middle-class insecurity. Chapter 6 of The Connection to Hope by Linda E. Schexnayder, highlights their circumstance as calculated to minimize the economic and political clout of the middle-class of America, according to a reputable economist who threads lightly. The chapter features graphics of U.S. jobs that were projected to move overseas and never return by design, which could be one of the reasons why the job market is not rebounding as it should; a reason, to date, which has not been a factor of any recession.

The American people have not forgotten the policies of the previous administration and the laws passed by the 107th, 108th, 109th and 110th Congress which aided this recession. Many of those who spoke in Baltimore were a part of that era. So how could the response to the Q&A be anything other than disdain. The transportation mode of Star Trek would have been suitable to most viewers eight hours later to instantly beam each of the participating congressional representatives into the bedrooms of hungry weeping children as they lay, desperately trying to sleep, while wishing they had more “cup-a-soup" or “top ramen.” After such an experience, perhaps those members of Congress would “get it.”

Millions upon millions of Americans now hurt in silence, weep in silence, hunger in silence and hope in silence for redemption that is on par with Congress and all government employees.

The last presidential election was democracy operating at its best. That’s good news. Had it not happened that way—if the people had not arisen and exercised their constitutional privilege, the greatness of the United States of America would today be in question. Few know and understand how close the country was to economic implosion. Shouts of “Armageddon is coming” in the streets and gridlock to the bunkers would not have been newsworthy. For that heroism, however, they get whining elected officials who, for eight years, drove this country into the vulnerable position in which it finds itself today. For that heroism they get a Superior Court ruling that violates existing campaign finance law to allow corporations to continue their pursuit of unfettered economic power and control over middle-class America.

Overall, the American people got a hefty serving of frivolity. And though the cameras are turned off, it continues. Perhaps this will be the prompt that summons fair-minded rank-and-file Republicans to check their leadership.

The twenty-year campaign is ended; the masters of it are gone—from political office at least. It’s time now to do the work of the people.

The 2008 Presidential Election Handbook and Commentary: The Connection to Hope is available at www.healthylivingusa.com and www.amazon.com.
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About Healthy Living USA and Healthy Living USA Publishing Division Nevada: We strive to help our clients become healthier in all areas of human life: spirtually, mentally, physically, socially and financially, thereby achieving wholeness and prosperity.