Budgetary Transparency

[Bonestorm]

This makes lots of sense:

For his first annual budget next week, President Obama has banned four accounting gimmicks that President George W. Bush used to make deficit projections look smaller. The price of more honest bookkeeping: A budget that is $2.7 trillion deeper in the red over the next decade than it would otherwise appear, according to administration officials.

The new accounting involves spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Medicare reimbursements to physicians and the cost of disaster responses.

But the biggest adjustment will deal with revenues from the alternative minimum tax, a parallel tax system enacted in 1969 to prevent the wealthy from using tax shelters to avoid paying any income tax.

Even with bigger deficit projections, the Obama administration will put the country on “a sustainable fiscal course” by the end of Mr. Obama’s term, Peter R. Orszag, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said Thursday in an interview. Mr. Orszag did not provide details of how the administration would reduce a deficit expected to reach at least $1.5 trillion this year.

Mr. Obama’s banishment of the gimmicks, which have been widely criticized, is in keeping with his promise to run a more transparent government.

Fiscal sleight of hand has long been a staple of federal budgets, giving rise to phrases like “rosy scenario” and “magic asterisks.”

The $2.7 trillion in additional deficit spending, Mr. Orszag said, is “a huge amount of money that would just be kind of a magic asterisk in previous budgets.”

“The president prefers to tell the truth,” he said, “rather than make the numbers look better by pretending.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us...er=rss&emc=rss

[uscitizen]

[cawacko]

“The president prefers to tell the truth,” he said, “rather than make the numbers look better by pretending.”

I'm sorry but the last line kills the whole effect of what they are trying to do. NO politician wants to tell the truth. "R" or "D" does not matter.

[uscitizen]

Correction, few politicians have the balls to tell the truth.

[Bonestorm]

“The president prefers to tell the truth,” he said, “rather than make the numbers look better by pretending.”

I'm sorry but the last line kills the whole effect of what they are trying to do. NO politician wants to tell the truth. "R" or "D" does not matter.

Where I'm sitting your hyperbole is no better than that which you are complaining about.

[Cancel10]

In other words, the only difference between Bush and our current President is that the latter has no shame. Is that supposed to be a positive thing?

[cawacko]

Where I'm sitting your hyperbole is no better than that which you are complaining about.

What's my "hyperbole" sir? Where am I wrong?

If you are really on Obama's nuts that hard sir that you don't believe he can lie then I really do hope you are being well paid for working on his campaign otherwise you are missing your calling.

A couple of my boys parents worked for W so I know the "Washington" speak. You have it down to a T sir because otherwise no one would try to defend a politician accused of lying.

[cawacko]

Where I'm sitting your hyperbole is no better than that which you are complaining about.

If you are interested let me know homeboy. Nancy Pelosi lives two blocks from me in S.F. I am friends with her husband, we've played golf together multiple times. DiFi lives about three blocks from me. So if you are looking for a PR job sir I am willing to help.

Otherwise you said on this board for your fellow liberals to call you out if you really were sucking on Obama's nuts. Well sir this is your call.

[Immanuel]

This makes lots of sense:




http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us...er=rss&emc=rss

Not to pick on the article, Dungheap's post or the President, but let me remind you of another promise by Candidate Obama. That was the promise to post every bill that came across his desk on the internet for five days so even the citizens could read it before signing the bill. Didn't happen even with one of the most important and controversial bills to cross a President's desk in decades.

And another promise? No lobbyists in his administration? Hmm, last count I saw was 17 exceptions to the rule.

Sorry, Dungheap, yes it may make sense, but... as they say... "promises, promises".

And $2.7 Trillion, how much of that is stimulus pork?

Correction, few politicians have the balls to tell the truth.

Correction NO politicians have the balls to tell the truth.

Immie

[Don Quixote]

This makes lots of sense:




http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us...er=rss&emc=rss

[FUCK THE POLICE]

Not to pick on the article, Dungheap's post or the President, but let me remind you of another promise by Candidate Obama. That was the promise to post every bill that came across his desk on the internet for five days so even the citizens could read it before signing the bill. Didn't happen even with one of the most important and controversial bills to cross a President's desk in decades.

What a dumb, dangerous promise. I congratulate him for giving up on it. I probably would've voted for him had he not said something as dumb as that.

[FUCK THE POLICE]

In other words, the only difference between Bush and our current President is that the latter has no shame. Is that supposed to be a positive thing?

Yeah using tricky accounting to hide budget deficits is just Bush's way of showing his shame.

[Bonestorm]

Not to pick on the article, Dungheap's post or the President, but let me remind you of another promise by Candidate Obama. That was the promise to post every bill that came across his desk on the internet for five days so even the citizens could read it before signing the bill. Didn't happen even with one of the most important and controversial bills to cross a President's desk in decades.

And another promise? No lobbyists in his administration? Hmm, last count I saw was 17 exceptions to the rule.

Sorry, Dungheap, yes it may make sense, but... as they say... "promises, promises".

And $2.7 Trillion, how much of that is stimulus pork?



Correction NO politicians have the balls to tell the truth.

Immie

1) There are 2 exceptions to the rule. Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn and Geithner's Chief of Staff Mark Patterson.

2) The conference report for the stimulus bill was available online as of 2/12/09. Obama signed it 2/17/09. That is 5 days.

3) On the deficit effects of the stimulus bill, you can look to the CBO analysis for that information. It is readily available. As for what is "pork" no one seems to want to provide a definition of "pork," but as has been noted repeatedly, the bill had no earmarks as that term is typically defined.

[Bonestorm]

If you are interested let me know homeboy. Nancy Pelosi lives two blocks from me in S.F. I am friends with her husband, we've played golf together multiple times. DiFi lives about three blocks from me. So if you are looking for a PR job sir I am willing to help.

Otherwise you said on this board for your fellow liberals to call you out if you really were sucking on Obama's nuts. Well sir this is your call.

Wow. No need to get all emo.

I was simply pointing out that the hyperbole that offended you 'the president prefers to tell the truth' (which I thought I made clear was hyperbole, an extravagant exaggeration) is no worse than your hyperbole 'the fact that some dipshit said Obama prefers to tell the truth renders moot the fact that he is ending the practice of ignoring huge off budget items in calculating the deficit.'

[Immanuel]

What a dumb, dangerous promise. I congratulate him for giving up on it. I probably would've voted for him had he not said something as dumb as that.

I agree it was a dumb promise also one that would have been extremely difficult to keep seeing as how he only has 10 days to sign the bill before it is pocket vetoed.

I wouldn't have voted for him even if he didn't make the promise. I am so fed up with the lies from both parties, that Jesus Christ himself could have run under either party and I was not going to vote for him.

As it was, President Obama was the most "likable" that is not to say I agreed with him, but the most likable candidate but I would not have voted from him even if I did agree with him.

Immie