Screaming Penguin

All the republicans are outraged (or at least feigning such) at the new budget President Obama has proposed. I find that a bit ironic, in light of the fact that we have spent $700 billion on Iraq now, and all the other ridiculous spending and profiteering that went on during their years in power. I for one though want to give the O administration real praise for the budget proposal. Let's start with the fact that it's HONEST - entirely unlike what the repubs and W did for 8 years (back to 10 years, it does NOT count on the AMT, and it does include the costs of the military actions abroad). It might be big, and everything in it won't please everyone, but at least now we are going to start having an accurate portrayal (at least it seems so thus far), that's a nice change. As for the "too much spending" and "too little tax cuts" and "tax increases during a recession . . . " type talk - I call bullshit on ALL OF THAT. First, it lowers taxes for many people, for the vast majority of people in point of fact. Second it doesn't raise taxes in many of the areas claimed, it simply repeals the Bush cuts for those over $200K individual income ($250K, I think, joint), and it cuts back on deduction loopholes (let's be honest again, though the charity deductions are nice and all, they get abused). Second, all the "small businesses" and "jobs" whining is wrong - for 80% of small businesses (those with less than 20 employees) it will lower taxes (the owner's of those establishments don't have more than $200K personal income). Third, it's exactly what he said he would do when he ran, and he won. Also, the spending makes sense. Yes, there is too much spending, and taxes are too high in general (the government, both parties, sucks at being efficient at anything), but spending on energy and health care is logical. Energy, hello, even if you don't buy the global warming "hype," look at the $700 billion dollar war - let's build some fucking windmills already (and despite the rhetoric to the opposite that WILL help, and could even be a MAJOR source of power, if we pursue it - as will solar, geothermal, wave, etc - and yes, even putting more air in your tires). In all I don't like how big the budget is either, and I don't like tax increases pretty much ever (we are all already paying over 50% if everything is added up), but we can't spend AND lower taxes - Bush taught us that. Also, tax cuts don't seem to create more jobs, as evidenced by the years of Bush cuts and where we are now, so let's just move past that spade. Props to O for the budget, it's not perfect, but it seems really damn smart in light of where we are and what we are facing.