WHouse: Katrina impact on deficit will be short term

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N19303278.htm

WHouse: Katrina impact on deficit will be short term

WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Costs related to Hurricane Katrina will have a short-term impact on the U.S. budget deficit, the White House said on Monday, adding that it still believed the deficit would be halved by 2009.

"The costs we're talking about related to Katrina are going to have a short-term impact on the deficit. They're one-time costs. But we believe we can continue to meet the president's commitment to halve the deficit by 2009," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The White House and Congress are wrestling with how to pay for the cost of rebuilding and relief efforts in the aftermath of the hurricane that some see as topping $200 billion.

"We're going to be working with Congress to identify additional unnecessary spending that can be cut as well," McClellan said.

[Lindacooks]

1. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

My god, they really are fools, aren't they?

[barb162]

13. double that laughter for me

I don't believe these people. It is going to be years.

[0rganism]

17. Not necessarily, but they sure believe Americans are fools

As the last three elections have proven, such an assessment is accurate.

[BSDRebel]

2. HOW?

HOW, Scott? How is the president going to Halve it? SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Are you ending Iraq? Are you cancelling the tax cuts to the rich and RAISING the taxes on the rich? HOW?

[Inland]

3. In fact, it will make it EASIER to halve the budget by 2009!

Because the deficit will balloon to sixhundred, seven hundred billion in 2006, with Iraq and Katrina, and therefore we can return to our "normal" deficit of $350 Billion....

And if not, well, I guess we would go down to see Bush in retirement and tell him he did a crap job, and he can laugh in our face as he counts his pension.

[daleo]

20. Excellent catch

No doubt that is the way they are lying with the truth here.

[Inland]

21. The "cutting in half in five years" has been the slogan for four years now

So its like the joke sign in the bar--"Free Beer Tomorrow!"

Of course, it's never tomorrow, right?

Same thing with the five years. Scottie et al never give a year. Just five years from now. Get it?

Nobody has ever called them on it. Poppy did the same thing. Every year his OMB would publish a chart with a J Curve on it. Every year the date of balanced budgets would be pushed back a year. Every year the next two years would be worse than present.

[GOPAgainstGW]

4. The Democratic Response

[Blue_In_AK]

5. Are they DRUNK?? N/T

[UrbScotty]

9. Are they drunk? Well, is the Pope Catholic? (nt)

[maddezmom]

6. I see they are still passing out the "kool aide" at the WH

they should cancel these briefings...but then again they are too much fun.

[UrbScotty]

7. Hey Scotty, how long is "short term?"

One decade, two and a half centuries, or more?

[underpants]

8. Good at math?

:eyes:

[MissMarple]

12. Math is reality based and SO last century.

;)

[ShockediSay]

22. Remember the 2000 debates when * was jumping all over 'fuzzy math?'

* has just taken fuzzy math to a whole new dimension, beyond the twilight zone.

[phatkatt]

10. Bush administration impact on deficit will be long term

Everything is relative

[ThoughtCriminal]

11. It will have an impact until the entire Federal debt is paid

since the money is borrowed. Your great-grandchildren will be paying, so it requires an unusual view of what "Short-term" means.

[Alpharetta]

14. Solution? Keep it off the books like they do the Iraq War!! (n/t)

[KatyaR]

15. "Short term" as in

"there's only a SHORT time left to my TERM of office."

After that it's somebody else's problem.

[Historic NY]

16. These people are in a dream world.............

you can't keep borrowing money you don't have. At some point one of these idiots is got to realize you need more revenue coming in. If the foreign countries shut off the money pipeline Bush's ass will be sucking wind.

[Theduckno2]

18. This from the same Administration that brought you......

breathless warnings of the impending bankruptcy of Social Security in ..... 2042.

"Additional unnecessary spending"? Bush could have skipped the backlighting for his speech last Thursday if they were really worried about spending. Can you say 'Voodoo economics'? :)

[Vinca]

19. If anyone hears what kind of drugs these people are on, please share.

I could stand being idiotically optimistic for a few days.

[tanyev]

23. WH: Americans urged to set out large containers and pray

for God to literally rain down pennies from heaven.