Obama taps spending watchdog, eyes Social Security

[Terri]

By JENNIFER LOVEN
Associated Press
January 8, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs -- even as he campaigned anew to spend the largest pile of taxpayer money in history to revive the sinking economy.

The steepness of the fiscal mountain he'll face beginning Jan. 20 was underscored by stunning new figures: an estimate that the federal budget deficit will reach $1.2 trillion this year, by far the biggest ever, even without the new stimulus spending.

The incoming president has walked this same tightrope each day this week -- advocating fiscal discipline and taxpayer largesse together at nearly every turn, though in every case with little detail to back it up. With less than two weeks to go before taking the helm at the White House, he'll make the same pitch on Thursday, delivering a speech laying out why he wants Congress to quickly pass his still-evolving economic plan.

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[jerrag]

OK, paint me racist; or not, but I have ALWAYS wanted an opportunity to say something like this and it almost fits here:

"KEEP YOU COTTON PICKIN HANDS OF MY SOCIAL SECURITY!"

Want to stimulate the economy, give every legal citizen man and woman over 21 a check for ten grand! This will stimulate the economy a hell of a lot better then giving the bucks to the banks who are just holding on to it, the car manufacturers who will never pay it back anyhow, and any other outfit, give the bucks to us, it will get to all those other folks MUCH faster then giving it to them after they jump through all the hoops the idiots in congress place on the table, and without all the add on pork barrel items that get attached to such bills, just give us the bucks, we will pay off credit card debt, pay off car loans, buy crap from Wall mart and Kmart as well as the rest of the companies that are in trouble!

Sounds WAY to simple but you know it will WORK so much better then all those clowns in congress come up with, and I can assure you it will beat the HELL out of anything old Obama comes up with!

[Terri]

Yep, everybody wants the government to give them a handout.

This may come as a big shock to you but as a taxpaying American I have no more interest in giving you my money than I do in giving it to GM.

You want 10 grand? Get a job.

[ddrinsp]

Pelosi, speaking before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, offered her own assurance that the stimulus plan would be responsible and that Democrats are committed to long-term fiscal discipline.

Yeah . . . Right . . . Since when are the Democrats committed to responsible, long-term fiscal discipline? Talk about the fox watching the hen house!