See How The Government Is Spending Our Money

From the Wall Street Journal:

Cash for Oldsters

A $250 bribe to help the ObamaCare medicine go down.

No one ever went broke underestimating political cynicism, but these days even we can't keep up: On Wednesday, President Obama announced that he wants to send every American senior a $250 check.
"Even as we seek to bring about recovery, we must act on behalf of those hardest hit by this recession," Mr. Obama said. Of course it's a mere coincidence that these checks are being proposed, and probably passed, just as Congress is about to vote on health care.
Supposedly these "economic recovery payments" are justified because seniors won't get an inflation-adjusted increase in Social Security benefits this year. This zero cost-of-living, or COLA, increase has many seniors alarmed, and AARP and other lobbies have been fanning their anxiety. Mr. Obama's Wednesday news was timed to pre-empt yesterday's announcement of the zero COLA by the Social Security Administration. The $250 checks will funnel $13 billion to some 57 million beneficiaries—in addition to whatever they have already received as part of the $787 billion stimulus.
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Associated Press





No one denies that seniors have been hit like everyone else by the recession. But on the other hand, seniors have actually seen an increase in the purchasing power of their Social Security payments since last year. COLAs are tied to the consumer price index—the official measure of the cost of living—and last October seniors received a 5.8% increase, which was the largest boost since 1982.
However, since last autumn's crash the energy prices that drove that 2008 COLA increase have fallen substantially. For the typical retiree this amounts to a real benefit increase of almost $700, according to Andrew Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute and a former Social Security administrator. Even factoring in a zero increase in 2009, over two years the COLAs will average out to about the right increase.
Mr. Obama's $250 check would be the equivalent of another 2% increase, and he is proposing no compensating spending cuts to pay for it. This means the checks will come out of general revenues, which means that they won't be financed based on the traditional calculations of what seniors pay into the system over their working lives.
Never mind, too, that Social Security already increases payments over the long term because every class of retirees has its initial benefits bumped up to keep in step with increases in real wages. Mr. Obama has spoken time and again about the need to control entitlement spending, but we are now seeing that in practice he can't live with a zero COLA increase for even a single year after a previous year's windfall.
This $250 gambit also underscores the dishonesty behind the budget math propping up ObamaCare. Democrats are claiming that half of the new entitlement's outlays will be "paid for" with Medicare cuts in future years. But if Democrats can't tolerate a zero COLA for one year in Social Security, how in the world are they going to bless $500 billion in cuts to doctors, hospitals and other Medicare reimbursements? Mr. Obama is the youthful St. Augustine of entitlement reformers: Lord, make me chaste, but not yet.
The real calculation here is political and comes right out of White House strategist David Axelrod. Every poll shows that seniors are among the most opposed to ObamaCare—by more than a 10-point margin in a late-September Gallup survey. Democrats are panicked that the zero COLA will feed senior opposition to health care and stop their attempt to ram it into law in the next few weeks. Mr. Obama's $250 checks are essentially bribes, a sort of political anesthesia intended to hush up seniors until the legislation is on the books.
And let's not forget the special discredit that belongs to AARP. A vice president for the putative seniors lobby admitted to reporters on Wednesday that "We have a communications challenge" in trying to sell "reform" to his skeptical members. Communications are the least of it given the ugly details of the plan itself. But AARP will now brag on its role in pushing the $250 checks, as if this one-time gratuity could make up for the reductions in medical care for seniors that will inevitably result once ObamaCare goes into action. Let's hope older Americans aren't as gullible as the White House seems to believe.
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A18

If more government is the answer, can anyone explain why Washington DC is such a POS city to live in? Most strict gun control laws = high murder rate? More government = worse economy?
D.C. leads nation in percentage of jobs lost in September

Washington D.C. had the highest percentage rise in unemployment in September, with the jobless rate jumping from 11.1 percent to 11.4 percent, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported moments ago in its monthly state-by-state jobless report.
New York experienced the most jobs lost in the month, but D.C. had the highest percentage loss relative to population. D.C. lost 10,000 jobs from August to September, the Bureau said.
The national unemployment rate is 9.8 percent.
In Maryland, the unemployment rate is 7.2 percent, up from 4.6 this time last year.
In Virginia, the rate is 6.7 percent, up from 4.1 percent this time last year.
Michigan retained the unenviable title of highest state unemployment rate at 15.3 percent. It was followed by Nevada (13.3 percent), Rhode Island (13.0 percent) and
California (12.2 percent).
North Dakota remained the easiest state in which to get a job, with a 4.2 percent unemployment rate, followed by its mate, South Dakota, at 4.8 percent and the state immediately to the south, Nebraska (4.9 percent). That's odd. Some sort of Wheat Belt job boom. In Kansas, the next state down, unemployment is only 6.9 percent and in Oklahoma, one more state down, it's only 6.7 percent. Things get worse when you hit the bigger, more diverse work force in Texas, the bottom state on this state stack, where unemployment is 8.2 percent.
Twenty states saw their unemployment rate increase from August to September, 19 saw it go down and 14 remain stuck with double-digit unemployment.

Heck, just look at any state which is controlled by long term Democrats.... to see the carnage.

Cali - broke
NJ - Broke
Mass - broke
NY - broke
d..c - broke
Puerto Rico - broke
michigan (union king) - beyond broke


Notice a pattern?

LOL crackerjax

Uh oh more corruption in government:

‎22 hours ago‎ Pelosi Floats Tax Credit For All Home Buyers

Sorry wrong story

NPR reports:
First-Time Fakes: Frauds Hit Homebuyer Tax Break

"Thousands of people have gotten first-time homebuyer tax credits they don't deserve — either because they haven't yet bought a home or because they already own one. The IRS's internal watchdog says the agency needs to do a better job of ferreting out fraud before cutting checks, and a congressional committee is now getting involved.
Some of these suspicious claims come from people who are writing off interest payments on another house. That's a pretty strong sign that they already own a home.
Russell George, the inspector general who watches over the IRS, is bewildered by the way the agency set up the program.
"This is one of the largest refundable credits in the history of the Internal Revenue Service," George says. "As they are well aware, there are people who do not want to pay taxes. If you give them any opportunity to avoid paying it, certain people will."
In a recent audit, George's office highlighted nearly $500 million in homebuyer tax credits claimed by people who don't appear to qualify.
At the House Ways and Means Committee hearing Thursday, George is expected to release another, more damning report. His biggest complaint — and something he's been talking about for months — is that the IRS doesn't require people applying for the credit to prove they've purchased a house.
George says, "If the IRS were to require documentation of the purchase of a home, that would serve as a major disincentive to people who would otherwise fraudulently claim the credit."
But the IRS has resisted that move.
"It wouldn't necessarily give us the ability to automatically disallow the claim," says Frank Keith, a spokesman for the IRS.
He says the IRS doesn't have the authority to reject a claim for the tax credit without doing a full audit first. Keith says his agency has flagged more than 100,000 tax returns for a second look.
"I think we'll find some where the taxpayer perhaps has made an honest mistake," Keith says. "And I think we'll find those cases in which the taxpayer has intentionally filed a claim for a credit knowing full well that they weren't eligible."

On Wednesday, a tax preparer in Florida was sentenced to 30 months behind bars for filing false tax returns. He claimed the homebuyer credit for 15 of his clients, and told some of them they could qualify even if they were merely thinking about buying a house.
"It's being touted as free money," says Bill Lazor, a certified public accountant from Kingston, Pa. "If it's so easy to get, that makes the bad guys devise schemes to help people get the credit who shouldn't have it."
The popular tax credit is nearing its expiration date, and some are pushing Congress to extend and even expand the program. The House committee hearing will examine what to do about the fraud.
"I am very disturbed by the inspector general indicating that there might have been more than 70,000 claims by people who were not purchasing their first home," says Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND). "If somehow they are being routinely allowed the credit, we've got a major problem here. We've got to stop it."
The National Association of Realtors loves the credit and doesn't like the talk of fraud.
"That kind of thing is to the detriment of a very workable tax credit plan to help homebuyers get into the market," says the association's Lucien Salvant. "It's starting to stabilize prices in the housing market, and that's something everybody wants."
If the tax credit is extended, new measures likely will be included to make sure the only people who get a tax credit are the ones who deserve it."


Government may not be the best authority to handle our tax dollars... here's a thought: why don't we have a neutral authority - a watchdog group - as a go-between, just to make sure the idiots in washington are making good use of our tax dollars? Then we hire 1000's lawyers to lobby, and keep the IRS from ganstering us, and hold the money in a public trust fund...

Call it "Citizens for Financial Accountability in Washington." CFAW

Why the hell does someone get a tax credit for buying a got damn home.... fuckin retards just need to save there damn money up and buy it with cash ... once they cant make the payments they file bankruptsy and this causes us all to get the shit end of the stick becuase the economy will fall (just like is now)

The Govt. insists on grouping home ownership with happiness and a right owed. Of course there's tons of evidence that a healthy rental population is also good for society. But the homes/vote link has been made by the govt. and it's like getting a meth head to quit using.

The Congress is ramping up the very same cycle that helped create the financial ruin. It's already begun.... the pushing of bad loans..... won't see or hear that on most network news agencies.

Maybe FOX..... hmmm... wonder why the govt. is after them.

Pay up suckers lol

Obama touts smart grid grants

By Michael A. Fletcher
ARCADIA, Fla. -- President Obama announced Tuesday $3.4 billion in grants for "smart meters," updated transformers, and other devices that he called the largest energy grid modernization investment in the nation's history.

The federal money, which was part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package, will pay for a broad range of technologies aimed at making the nation's power transmission system more efficient, reliable and adaptable to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.

Speaking in front of some of the solar cells that make up nation's largest solar to electricity plant here, Obama said the investment is long overdue and he called it essential to ushering in a future of clean, renewable energy.
"There's something big happening in America in terms of creating a clean-energy economy," Obama said.
Obama said a modern grid could give consumers better control over their electricity usage and costs, and spur development of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.

The current electrical grid still "runs on century-old technology," Obama said, adding that the upgrades will allow it to be "more secure and more reliable."
The grants have been awarded to 100 different utilities and other businesses, cities, which in turn have promised to spend another $4.7 billion in private money on the so-called "smart grid." Before making his remarks, Obama toured the DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, which includes 180 acres of solar cells stretched across open fields. The plant is designed to generate enough power for about 3,000 homes, according to Florida Power & Light, the local electric company.

Obama's appearance here was part of the administration's effort to showcase the job-producing potential of the economic stimulus plan, which has come under harsh criticism from Republicans and other critics who call it ineffective as the nation's unemployment rate has climbed to 9.8 percent.

The administration is counting on the renewable energy sector to be a huge source of jobs in the future as the nation emerges from its deep recession. In his remarks, Obama said the electrical grid spending would create tens of thousands of new jobs for factory workers, installers, system designers and others.

In Delaware, Vice President Biden Tuesday celebrated plans to reopen a shuttered General Motors plant in Wilmington to produce long-range, plug-in, electric hybrid vehicles.

The Wilmington plant will be used by luxury automaker Fisker to produce the cars, a venture that is fueled by a $529 million Energy Department loan and is expected to create 2,000 factory jobs and as many as 3,000 support jobs.

"While some wanted to write off America's auto industry, we said no. We knew that we needed to do something different -- in Delaware and all across the nation," Biden said. "We understood a new chapter had to be written, a new chapter in which we strengthen American manufacturing by investing in innovation."

Administration officials envision plug-in hybrids and other electric vehicles becoming a key cog in the nation's developing smart grid. Smart meters will allow car owners to charge their vehicles when electricity demand and prices are lowest and also when power from intermittent renewable resources like wind and solar are more available. Ultimately, consumers might be able to sell an unneeded portion of the battery's charge back to the grid."

I don't suppose GE is going to benefit from these tax dollars...

General Electric: Obama's Halliburton?

This is the best thing he has done so far. he needs to focus on the USA and not the world... he needs to close all military bases across the globe (except here at home) and bring the troops home... 50% of our taxes go to this massive death machine of a military.. he could cut that in half and use the xtra 25% saved on investing in the USA

The smart grid is all in the plan of taking away the choices of the individual. the smart grid will give control of ur A/C unit or heat, back to the government.

Think you can run ur A/C system all the time in the summer.... think again. The smart grid will simply time ur unit out and cut the power.

It's all part of the plan to centralize all power through the govt.

It will be a nightmare.....

HAHAHA I doubt that! The smart grid is just upgrading our 100 year old grid with newer wireing and technology. Its a good start but the real answer is for people to become independent from the grid. For those who can afford to do so, should install solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal systems on their houses/businesses. Then they wont half to pay the electricity bills but just the bills for the systems they install locally on their property. And these will pay for themselves in 20-30 years. So for anybody who owns their home and plan on staying there for this duration, it will pay for itself!

The smart grid is good but i disagree on how its being financed. It should not be done by the government but rather private corporations or locals.

You can doubt all you want to.... I'm sure you do it all the time... but it's true enough. It's coming to you....whether you like it or not. Oh, and you can expect your energy costs to go up by as much as 90% too.


And the lambs go baaa baaa baaa.

Im glad the smart grid is coming to me! Ive studied this topic alot in college and there are no down falls to having a smart grid. It will save energy, cut cost because the power plants wont half to produce as much electricty to light up all the homes, plus it puts new lines on the grid so that we can eventually start ramping up the renewable sector. I will gladly pay extra money for cleanner smarter energy! And if i dont like the cost of electricty then ill just unplug and get some solar panels. Having electricty isnt a fundamental right of anybody, its a luxery

Plus this will help prevent all the rolling black outs happening in cali... in turn that will help us growers from having hermie plants due to the timed light variations

people not smart enough to unplug go bahhh bahh bahhh cause there to dumb to get educated

Dark side of a bright idea
But others see a darker side. Utility companies, by gathering hundreds of billions of data points about us, could reconstruct much of our daily lives -- when we wake up, when we go home, when we go on vacation, perhaps even when we draw a hot bath. They might sell this information to marketing companies -- perhaps a travel agency will send brochures right when the family vacation is about to arrive. Law enforcement officials might use this information against us ("Where were you last night? Home watching TV? That's not what the power company says … &#8221. Divorce lawyers could subpoena the data ("You say you're a good parent, but your children are forced to sleep in 61-degree rooms. For shame ..."). A credit bureau or insurance company could penalize you because your energy use patterns are similar to those of other troublesome consumers. Or criminals could spy the data, then plan home burglaries with fine-tuned accuracy.

Your talking about a worse case senerio of a communist or dictatorship country. Its plausible that it could happen but that's not what this smart grid is designed for. Its simply designed to reroute electricity traveling at high speeds thru the major power lines. So that electricity can be redistributed to areas of the country needing it more then the areas that have plenty of it.

No, I'm talking about the green movement coupled with a society that will be spinning out of control in debt. Costs will go up, and service will go down.

Anything controlled by the govt. costs far more than it should and works far less than is promised..... every single time..... as if written in stone.... but ppl today are so weak minded, they still gravitate to the govt. teat.

yah well there is no argueing that the gov fucks things up.... the green movement is good and could be a hell of a sucess if the gov would close shop on half there agencies and cut the miliatry in 1/3

CrackerJax said:

No, I'm talking about the green movement coupled with a society that will be spinning out of control in debt. Costs will go up, and service will go down.

Anything controlled by the govt. costs far more than it should and works far less than is promised..... every single time..... as if written in stone.... but ppl today are so weak minded, they still gravitate to the govt. teat.

Click to expand...

CrackerJax said:

Dark side of a bright idea
But others see a darker side. Utility companies, by gathering hundreds of billions of data points about us, could reconstruct much of our daily lives -- when we wake up, when we go home, when we go on vacation, perhaps even when we draw a hot bath. They might sell this information to marketing companies -- perhaps a travel agency will send brochures right when the family vacation is about to arrive. Law enforcement officials might use this information against us ("Where were you last night? Home watching TV? That's not what the power company says … ”). Divorce lawyers could subpoena the data ("You say you're a good parent, but your children are forced to sleep in 61-degree rooms. For shame ..."). A credit bureau or insurance company could penalize you because your energy use patterns are similar to those of other troublesome consumers. Or criminals could spy the data, then plan home burglaries with fine-tuned accuracy.

Click to expand...

Woah!You always brighten up my day Jax

I'm the reality check......

9 months ago, these same ppl would swear to you that govt. is evil and cannot be trusted.

Now these very same ppl will tell you, .... why not trust the govt.?

It's laughable and I pity their lack of logic and principles.

Sooo.... how can I improve my grow with this information??? Isn't there a thread for politics? Is this worthy of a sticky?

... sorry for the interruption... carry on...

You could click to another thread.... it isn't hard to do. In fact you could have been there faster then posting ur comment.

Ask the OP why he posted here. PM is the way to do that.