Odds against him, Obama still betting on big deal
Source: AP-Excite
By JIM KUHNHENN
WASHINGTON (AP) - A fiscal deadline all but blown, President Barack Obama says he once again wants to seek a big fiscal deal that would raise taxes and trim billions from expensive and ever growing entitlement programs. But with automatic federal spending cuts ready to start taking their toll, the path toward that grand bargain Obama campaigned on last year has significantly narrowed.
The president has summoned the top bipartisan congressional leadership to the White House, a meeting designed to give all sides a chance to stake out their fiscal positions with a new threat of a government shutdown less than four weeks away. There were no expectations of a breakthrough.
But for Obama, Friday's session would be his first opportunity to spell out his 10-year, $1.5 trillion deficit reduction plan in a face-to-face meeting with congressional allies and adversaries.
His chances are squeezed by anti-tax conservatives, by liberals unwilling to cut into Medicare and Social Security, and by a Republican leadership that has dug in against any new revenue after ceding to Obama's demands two months ago for a higher tax rate for top income earners.
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Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130301/DA4O6C302.html
In this Feb. 28, 2013, photo, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio pauses while meeting with reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, to answer questions about the impending automatic spending cuts that take effect March 1. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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are programs that Americans paid into and are paying into. The opponents of them are the wealthy and Wallstreet. The Social Security Trust fund was raided by Congress and the President. Part of the National Debt is what they owe to Social Security. It is some twisted logic when you claim the spending problem is with Social Security when the Debt is owed to the very program you raided the funds from.
The funds need to be replaced because the the people you owe it too are ready to retire. For example, soon most of the baby boom generation is reaching the age to retire. Now Congress and the President want to change the rules because they raided the Trust fund for other expenditures. It is easy for them because most of the Congress is wealthy. The President's retirement pension is 200,000 dollars and comes with a lot of perks. That applies to any Congress person that served over five years also. I do not see Social Security or Medicare as an entuitlement but what you earned, for placing your part of your income into the system.
Now as a citizen, this may be minor, but I did not approve of my tax dollars going to opposition groups fighting to overthrow the Syrian Government. I'm sorry, but I don't see this defending my safety whatsoever. Thae same with Iraq or any other foreign adventure this Government justify. My impression is this benefits people in the Top percent, like oil companies if the information comming from the deposed Syrian Government is true. So they create the Bill by spending our tax dollars and blame us for overspending on things that help us. Then they try to make you feel guilty by claiming that you are putting debt on your kids. I doubt their kids will be indebted to anything. If they don't care about you, what makes people think they care about your kids?
