Money Matters
Posted by Michelle Moquin on December 3rd, 2013
Good morning!
This is an article from last year and it is so worth reading that I am posting it today on “Money Matters.”
Form Forbes:
It’s enough to make even the most ardent Obama cynic scratch his head in confusion.
Amidst all the cries of Barack Obama being the most prolific big government spender the nation has ever suffered, Marketwatch is reporting that our president has actually been tighter with a buck than any United States president since Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Who knew?
So, how have the Republicans managed to persuade Americans to buy into the whole “Obama as big spender” narrative?
It might have something to do with the first year of the Obama presidency where the federal budget increased a whopping 17.9% —going from $2.98 trillion to $3.52 trillion. I’ll bet you think that this is the result of the Obama sponsored stimulus plan that is so frequently vilified by the conservatives…but you would be wrong.
The first year of any incoming president term is saddled—for better or for worse—with the budget set by the president whom immediately precedes the new occupant of the White House. Indeed, not only was the 2009 budget the property of George W. Bush—and passed by the 2008 Congress—it was in effect four months before Barack Obama took the oath of office.
Accordingly, the first budget that can be blamed on our current president began in 2010 with the budgets running through and including including fiscal year 2013 standing as charges on the Obama account, even if a President Willard M. Romney takes over the office on January 20, 2013.
So, how do the actual Obama annual budgets look?
Courtesy of Marketwatch-
- In fiscal 2010 (the first Obama budget) spending fell 1.8% to $3.46 trillion.
- In fiscal 2011, spending rose 4.3% to $3.60 trillion.
- In fiscal 2012, spending is set to rise 0.7% to $3.63 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate of the budget that was agreed to last August.
- Finally in fiscal 2013 — the final budget of Obama’s term — spending is scheduled to fall 1.3% to $3.58 trillion. Read the CBO’s latest budget outlook.
No doubt, many will wish to give the credit to the efforts of the GOP controlled House of Representatives. That’s fine if that’s what works for you.
However, you don’t get to have it both ways. Credit whom you will, but if you are truly interested in a fair analysis of the Obama years to date—at least when it comes to spending—you’re going to have to acknowledge that under the Obama watch, even President Reagan would have to give our current president a thumbs up when it comes to his record for stretching a dollar.
Of course, the Heritage Foundation is having none of it, attempting to counter the actual numbers by pretending that the spending initiated by the Bush Administration is the fault of Obama. As I understand the argument Heritage is putting forth —and I have provided the link to the Heritage rebuttal so you can decide for yourself—Marketwatch, in using the baseline that Obama inherited, is making it too easy on the President.
But then, with the Heritage Foundation being the creator of the individual mandate concept in healthcare only to rebut the same when it was no longer politically convenient, I’m not quite sure why anyone believes much of anything they have to say any longer. With their history of reversing course for convenience, I can’t help but wonder, should they find themselves reviewing the spending record of a President Romney four years from today, whether they might be tempted to use the Obama numbers as the baseline for such a new Administration.
*****
Readers: It’s a bit quiet out there. No doubt you are having trouble getting on. (sigh)
Peace & Love….
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)
Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:
Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129
Thank you for your loyal support!
All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012
“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream
" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"
December 3rd, 2013 at 10:58 am
Sure, but the republicans will just find something else to fault him for.
December 3rd, 2013 at 11:56 am
*sigh* Irene, you are too right (and I’m so glad someone got in other than myself!).
We all need to ‘follow the money’ when watching how things play out and who are they with the money?
The 1% and they are 99% of the time: republican.
So, how’s the planking going, fabulous women of MM blog?
I feel the strongest I ever have, and when you feel strong physically and emotionally there isn’t anything you cannot do, look past or get over AND do quite the opposite: Bring.It.On.
Please – report in some of your personal findings if you have any, would love to hear if its affecting you, I am a holistic type and love to study that phenomena, how strength and natural beauty come together and foster big changes in beliefs and attitudes, it’s what I live for…
Luv, Zen Lill
December 3rd, 2013 at 12:10 pm
I don’t think your article holds water. To my knowledge Congress has not passed a budget in the last two or three years? You as Obama are blaming everything on Bush. What about Obama’s 800 billion dollar stimulus,and the bale out and the theft of GM and Chrysler? What about the explosion of entitlement programs. And last but no least the attempted take over of our health care system, Obamacare?
What about the 2008 and 2009 democratic congress? Pretty tough to come up with facts when you dont have a budget from 2010-2013. May you should take a look at your research and re-write the article?
December 3rd, 2013 at 12:12 pm
Doug, I suspect you are forgetting-or never knew- that a full 1/3 of the stimulus was a tax cut, thus not a federal budget expenditure.
December 3rd, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Please somebody tell me this is wrong the nigger can’t be that good.
December 3rd, 2013 at 12:32 pm
Gosh Zen Lill, if you saw some of the truly hateful comments on yesterday’s blog you might change your mind about others getting in. I honestly think that it is better that those kind of people are kept out.
December 3rd, 2013 at 12:33 pm
Michelle what ever happened to the “Health Info” comments? I used to look forward to them.
December 3rd, 2013 at 12:34 pm
Beverly, you could be right. With all the nigger this and nigger that. I never use the word myself.
December 3rd, 2013 at 12:38 pm
Government spending has grown less under President Obama than since anyone since Eisenhower; those are the facts and can’t be argued with. Gov’t spending grew the most under Reagan and Bush Jr.
December 3rd, 2013 at 12:40 pm
Facts won’t scare anyone.
That is precisely why the GOP and their communication arm, Fox, use anti-facts to keep everyone scared.
December 3rd, 2013 at 12:46 pm
Peca, Just wondering, but how is FOX any worse than CNN or MSNBC?
December 3rd, 2013 at 1:24 pm
Beverly, I did not see yesterdays comments (obviously and sorry now that I did, but thank you?) you’re right.
Why are people so full of hate?
- ZL
December 3rd, 2013 at 7:56 pm
If you are wondering about why fox may be worse here are a few examples.
how about doctoring photos of on air guests of opposing view points?
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.aoltv.com/media/2008/07/fox-20080702-redicliffe%282%29.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.aoltv.com/media/2008/07/fox-20080702-steinberg%282%29.jpg
Or, you know, just flat out lying
oh and this news cast about Muslim girls getting an hour to swim at the YMCA. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/02/fox-news-ymca-muslim-girls-sharia-law_n_4373268.html
Cheap race baiting at every opportunity.
December 3rd, 2013 at 7:57 pm
Zen Lill I don’t especially hate niggers, it’s just they smell so bad.
December 3rd, 2013 at 8:08 pm
Truly Michelle, sometimes there are some seriously sick animals on this blog. But I guess if it was censored we might think that the country isn’t as bad as it is.
December 3rd, 2013 at 8:15 pm
My brother is a cop. He sits around with his other cop pals on sundays watching football exchanging stories about how they force girls to give them head to avoid speeding tickets or how they have humiliated some OTW.
I have been secretly taping them. I will send a copy to you Michelle. It is so horrible as to make you want to vomit. I am now afraid of the police. My brother says that I am a white girl and if I am stopped to tell the my brother is a cop. This doesn’t reassure me that I won’t be abused like some of the girls they talk about.
I am 23, when I send you the tape, could you make me a girls. I graduated from a major University last year Cum Laude. I have been accepted at a very prestigious engineering University, but I’d rather be a girls and kick male ass.
Emma
December 3rd, 2013 at 11:16 pm
Maximize Niacinamide’s Effect on Joint Mobility and Osteoarthritis
by Dr. David Williams
Bone & Joint Health
Early studies have documented that everyone past the age of 20 has some degree of degenerative changes taking place in the cartilage lining their joints-even if they don’t notice any pain or stiffness yet. The damage is simply the result of wear-and-tear on the joints. And it stands to reason that individuals who have subjected their joints to more trauma will exhibit more damage.
By the age of 40, 90% of the population have definite signs of wear-and-tear arthritis that can be demonstrated by X-ray. Even at this point, the majority of these people will still not experience any of the characteristic arthritic symptoms, such as joint pain, stiffness or immobility. If you live long enough, you will experience symptoms of arthritis. Fortunately, niacinamide can go a long way in both preventing and minimizing arthritic joints.
Niacinamide Triggers Permanent Joint Repair
After several months on niacinamide arthritic patients who were unable to raise their arms above shoulder level before treatment were easily able to raise their arms over their head. What makes these cases even more remarkable is that these patients also reported a decrease in joint pain and inflammation.
Niacinamide is not considered an anti-inflammatory compound or analgesic. Apparently, it is niacinamide’s ability to trigger actual repair of the joint surfaces that leads to the dramatic reduction in pain and inflammation. Considering all the side effects and risks associated with anti-inflammatory drugs like prednisone and cortisone, niacinamide is a welcome alternative.
These Five Factors Help Maximize Its Effect
1) Adequate protein is necessary for joint repair. Cartilage is high in protein, and without an adequate intake of protein, repair can’t take place. That is why I suggest you take a protein powder supplement if you suffer from arthritis.
There are dozens of other protein products on the market, made from everything from eggs to blue-green algae. While there’s nothing wrong with these products, if you’re older keep in mind that it can be difficult to digest some of their ingredients. The whey-based protein I’ve recommended seems to be easily digested by almost everyone, without the need for additional digestive enzymes.
2) All the B vitamins work in conjunction with each other. Therefore, you can expect better results if you take niacinamide along with a good multivitamin containing a broad balance of B vitamins.
3) Don’t expect a joint to heal properly if it is continually being traumatized by repetitive use or abuse. Arthritis in the knee joint won’t heal, for example, if one continues to jog or bang on a carpet stretcher, if that happens to be your line of work. Obesity also creates constant trauma to the weight-bearing joints. One way to minimize routine joint pressure is by wearing shoes with thick, shock-absorbing soles and swimming for exercise.
4) Niacinamide must be taken at very regular intervals during the day to be effective because it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and the central nervous system. It also clears from the body quite rapidly. The recommended dosage of niacinamide is 250 milligrams every three hours for six dosages. This adds up to a total of 1,500 milligrams of niacinamide a day, taken over an 18-hour period.
For severe joint dysfunction, the recommended dosage is 250 milligrams every two hours for eight dosages. This adds up to a total of 2,000 milligrams a day, taken over a 16-hour period.
For extremely severe joint dysfunction, the recommended dosage is 250 milligrams every one-and-a-half hours for 10 doses, making a total of 2,500 milligrams a day. (In these cases the dosage may be even increased to 250 milligrams every hour for 16 hours, for a total of 4,000 milligrams a day.)
It is important to note here that the intervals mentioned above must be adhered to, and not just the daily dosage amounts.
December 3rd, 2013 at 11:56 pm
GOOD AFTERNOON TO EVERYONE!
January is shaping up to be quite a month for both insurance and health care providers. It turns out that a huge volume of the information pouring from the as-yet-incomplete “back end” of ObamaCare is invalid. Some sources say fully a third of the policy data passed from Healthcare.gov to insurance providers is inaccurate or incomplete.
That means thousands of people – tens of thousands, if one is inclined to accept the Administration’s dubious boasts of 100,000 enrollments – incorrectly believe they have purchased insurance coverage for 2014. Many of them will learn the ugly truth when they attempt to process claims at the doctors’ office.
That’s going to be a paperwork nightmare doctors are not equipped to handle, especially in small practices. The insurance industry can’t absorb millions of dollars in fraud lawsuits from people angry that they were falsely told they had purchased insurance. (Neither can the federal government – the real culprit – in the unlikely event it allows itself to be sued for ObamaCare’s failures.)
The most likely “solution,” already previewed in the extremely loose protection against fraudulent ObamaCare claims, will be treating almost every claim as valid, pouring more taxpayer money into the tottering system, and promising that all the confusion will be straightened out later – say, by the time the IRS begins assessing “tax / penalties” against people who have not purchased valid insurance coverage, in accordance with the notorious ObamaCare individual mandate.
Will it even be possible to manually verify thousands of policies before the individual mandate deadline in March? That doesn’t matter to the Democrats who subjected Americans to the hell of ObamaCare. They’re living one news cycle at a time, crawling from one disastrous headline to the next, using whatever deceptions and obfuscations are necessary to keep public outrage from boiling over to “repeal” levels. It’s a rather different set of “customer service” goals than what you’d find at private-sector companies… which is one of the many compelling reasons such affairs should be left in the private sector, where they belong.
John Hayward
Senior Writer
On Twitter: Doc_0
December 4th, 2013 at 1:18 am
LeTa0 wrote: What’s the deal with replying to you? I have no idea why my responses to you are being “moderated.”
5 hours ago DoubleDD
Sorry, I’ve had the same problems. I bet you didn’t even cus me out? I know I’ve been there. some of the simplest rebuttals get blocked in Huff post. I’m sorry I don’t agree. Every American should be able to speak their mind.
Reply Fave
LeTa0 wrote:
I think I’ve figured out Huff’s purpose. By moderating the comments to certain people’s post one can create an image of intelligence or stupidity or anything in between of the Conversation starter or a frequent poster.
By not allowing a person to respond to a response to him/her Huff can create the same image of that person. So by using their ability to anonymously censor your postings they get a way to de facto define who you are to those that read your posts.
All you get to see is “This comment has been deleted.” with no explanation of why or knowledge of who made the deletion.
“Big Brother” is alive and well.