Obama Says Checks Won

[sunskyfan]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_1...89-503544.html

and then I listened to Rush Limbaugh guffawing that he bets Welfare checks will go out ...


Are the wheels coming off?

[dcarrigg]

Re: Obama Says Checks Won't Go Out/Limbaugh Talks About Welfare

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_1...89-503544.html

and then I listened to Rush Limbaugh guffawing that he bets Welfare checks will go out ...


Are the wheels coming off?

No, everything's fine. Who cares if SS checks go out as long as Geitner keeps the ACH lines to Goldman open?

(sorry, but I needed a little humor in a dark time)

[charliebrown]

Re: Obama Says Checks Won't Go Out/Limbaugh Talks About Welfare

if the debt ceiling isn't raised, it will be interesting to see who gets paid and who doesn't. We will see who's side the politcos are really on. Obviously it's not the seniors. I don't expect the debt ceiling to get hit. I believe that a last minute deal will get struck once again late an night on a weekend. Besides raising the debt ceiling it will be packed with slop for the hogs. The executive and legislative branches need to be fired for running the treasury on vapors. How irresponsible.

If the SS checks are delayed, I'm calling my fearless leaders and demanding that the unified budget of SS and general revenues be once again separated. SS has enough revenues coming in to keep the checks flowing (for now)

It was an inside job, by the well connected.
your little protest, summarily rejected.
It was an inside job, just like it always is.
chalk it up, to business as usual. D Henley

[flintlock]

Re: Obama Says Checks Won't Go Out/Limbaugh Talks About Welfare

Yes, their priorities will become transparent if/when the ceiling is hit. My guess is it won't be Grandma.

[dcarrigg]

Re: Obama Says Checks Won't Go Out/Limbaugh Talks About Welfare

Yes, their priorities will become transparent if/when the ceiling is hit. My guess is it won't be Grandma.

I still maintain that the ceiling will not be an issue. For purposes of speculation, however:



They are assuming that they will be 44% short. If one were to do it with an axe rather than a scalpel, there's only a few major categories one can hit to get there.

If I had to put it into an Aquinasesque choir of angel priority order format I'd guess:

__________________________________________________ ___
1) Banks (taken care of by the FED - $12.8T on/off the books =~ 33% of budget per year)

2) Insurance Companies (taken care of by the FED - $12.8T on/off the books =~ 33% of budget per year)

3) Fanny/Freddie [Real Estate] (taken care of by the FED - $12.8T on/off the books =~ 33% of budget per year)

Total Accounted for Leading to Debt Crisis
__________________________________________________ ___

4) Bondholders [Debt Service] (8.19% of budget)

5) Defense [War] (18.74% of budget)

6) Off-budget [Classified/Post Office/etc.] (6.13% of budget)

7) Social Security (19.63% of budget)

Total: 52.69%
__________________________________________________ ___

8) Medicare (12.79% of budget)

9) Unemployment/Medicaid/Welfare/etc (16.13% of budget)

10) All other non-defense discretionary (18.63% of budget)

Total: 47.55%
__________________________________________________ ___

So there you have it - this is the bipartisan priority order so far as I can tell. All federal employees that aren't DoD get laid off - .gov stops - medicare, food stamps, unemployment, work orders to construction workers on highways, archaeologists, technical/environmental consultants, university researchers, etc. etc. stop. Now you can keep SS.

It's a nasty business - precipitated by #s 1-3 above. It won't happen, though. Even in the worst case scenario, if it were to happen for a week or two, the outrage would force a fix. I'm betting that we won't even get that far.

[aaron]

Re: Obama Says Checks Won't Go Out/Limbaugh Talks About Welfare

Include the DOD. 99% of the D.O.D could be fired/closed and the U.S. would still be fine. (hint: keep the nuclear deterrent)

[dcarrigg]

Re: Obama Says Checks Won't Go Out/Limbaugh Talks About Welfare

Include the DOD. 99% of the D.O.D could be fired/closed and the U.S. would still be fine. (hint: keep the nuclear deterrent)

That's functionally the old Smedly Butler argument. There's some merit to it. Regardless, I don't think that anyone would argue that bipartisan priorities would be to scrap the DoD, even temporarily, before it's place on my list. The priority list was what I perceive from the political mainstream. It was not my own (as I hope those who have read what I've written over the years would intuitively realize).

[lektrode]

Re: Obama Says Checks Won't Go Out/Limbaugh Talks About Welfare

....a last minute deal will get struck once again late an night on a weekend. Besides raising the debt ceiling it will be packed with slop for the hogs. ....

"....It was an inside job, by the well connected.
your little protest, summarily rejected.
It was an inside job, just like it always is.
chalk it up, to business as usual. D Henley

that and since the tail has been waggin the dog for at least the past couple months (when obama... ooops, i mean osama got taken out and the price of gasoline dropped just in time for vacation/driving season...)

its just about TIME FOR THE NEXT DISTRACTION:



I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something-something I can use
People love it when you lose,
They love dirty laundry

Well, I coulda been an actor, but I wound up here
I just have to look good, I dont have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em all around

We got the bubble-headed-bleach-blonde who
Comes on at five
She can tell you bout the plane crash with a gleam
In her eye
Its interesting when people die-
Give us dirty laundry

Can we film the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a
Running bet
Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry

You dont really need to find out whats going on
You dont really want to know just how far its gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre stiff
Kick em all around

Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybodys pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry

We can do the innuendo
We can dance and sing
When its said and done we havent told you a thing
We all know that crap is king
Give us dirty laundry!

[lektrode]

Re: Obama Says Checks Won't Go Out/Limbaugh Talks About Welfare

Include the DOD. 99% of the D.O.D could be fired/closed and the U.S. would still be fine. (hint: keep the nuclear deterrent)

+1
close ALL the bases that arent covering vital resources and transport corridors (that 3 letter word again, begins with O)
bring all them troops home, have em work on rebuilding OUR infrastructure - for a REAL CHANGE WE COULD BELIEVE IN - and then, after we get an engineering/design consensus worked out (with NO political interference, zip, zilch, NADA)
immediately begin construction on about 1000 nuke power stations and then we can tell the middle east to PISS OFF
and "if we have to come back to this desert wasteland, for any reason? WE'LL GLASS YER ASS.

[lektrode]

Re: Obama Says Checks Won't Go Out/Limbaugh Talks About Welfare

That's functionally the old Smedly Butler argument. There's some merit to it. Regardless, I don't think that anyone would argue that bipartisan priorities would be to scrap the DoD, even temporarily, before it's place on my list. The priority list was what I perceive from the political mainstream. It was not my own (as I hope those who have read what I've written over the years would intuitively realize).

yes dc, some of us do hear your 'voice of reason'
something has gotta give tho, now we shall see what they will come up with, as i dont think printing will be the answer - if it is, then the political aristocracy will have to pay some sort of price, this time? (since the bernank has run out of options)
but i keep remembering a quote eye saw here (mighta been from raz?) about the avg number of years of a 60something til 'departure' is just about how long it will take for the whole rotten house of cards to fall down around us (and they'll be sitting where the rest of the keynesians are: 'burning in hell' )

[aaron]

Re: Obama Says Checks Won't Go Out/Limbaugh Talks About Welfare

It would be a good idea. I bet the troops would be happy to return to a job back home. I would much rather rebuild the U.S. for the long term.

[bpr]

Re: Obama Says Checks Won't Go Out/Limbaugh Talks About Welfare

McConnell put it succinctly:

"The president has presented us with three choices: smoke and mirrors, tax hikes, or default. Republicans choose none of the above. I had hoped to do good, but I refuse to do harm. So Republicans will choose a path that actually reflects the will of the people, which is to do the responsible thing and ensure that the government doesn't default on its obligations," he said.

So, smoke and mirrors it is: raise the ceiling and kick the can.