Budget of the United States Government

[Guest LAW_*]

Read this to get a better understanding of the budget:

 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/

 

Throughout America’s history, there have been some years that appeared to roll into the next without much notice or fanfare. Budgets are proposed that offer some new programs or eliminate an initiative, but by and large continuity reigns.

 

Then there are the years that come along once in a generation, when we look at where the country has been and recognize that we need a break from a troubled past, that the problems we face demand that we begin charting a new path. This is one of those years.

 

We start 2009 in the midst of a crisis unlike any we have seen in our lifetimes. Our economy is in a deep recession that threatens to be deeper and longer than any since the Great Depression. More than three and a half million jobs were lost over the past 13 months, more jobs than at any time since World War II. In addition, another 8.8 million Americans who want and need full-time work have had to settle for part-time jobs. Manufacturing employment has hit a 60-year low. Our capital markets are virtually frozen, making it difficult for businesses to grow and for families to borrow money to afford a home, car, or college education for their kids. Many families cannot pay their bills or their mortgage payments. Trillions of dollars of wealth have been wiped out, leaving many workers with little or nothing as they approach retirement. And millions of Americans are unsure about the future—if their job will be there tomorrow, if their children will be able to go to college, and if their grandchildren will be able to realize the full promise of America.

 

This crisis is neither the result of a normal turn of the business cycle nor an accident of history. We arrived at this point as a result of an era of profound irresponsibility that engulfed both private and public institutions from some of our largest companies’ executive suites to the seats of power in Washington, D.C. For decades, too many on Wall Street threw caution to the wind, chased profits with blind optimism and little regard for serious risks—and with even less regard for the public good. Lenders made loans without concern for whether borrowers could repay them. Inadequately informed of the risks and overwhelmed by fine print, many borrowers took on debt they could not really afford. And those in authority turned a blind eye to this risk-taking; they forgot that markets work best when there is transparency and accountability and when the

rules of the road are both fair and vigorously enforced. For years, a lack of transparency created a situation in which serious economic dangers were visible to all too few.

 

This irresponsibility precipitated the interlocking housing and financial crises that triggered this recession. But the roots of the problems we face run deeper. Government has failed to fully confront the deep, systemic problems that year after year have only become a larger and larger drag on our economy. From the rising costs of health care to the state of our schools, from the need to revolutionize how we power our economy to our crumbling infrastructure, policymakers in Washington have chosen temporary fixes over lasting solutions.

 

The time has come to usher in a new era— a new era of responsibility in which we act not only to save and create new jobs, but also to lay a new foundation of growth upon which we can renew the promise of America.

 

This Budget is a first step in that journey. It the crisis we inherited, the steps we will take to jumpstart our economy to create new jobs, and our plans to transform our economy for the 21st Century to give our children and grandchildren the fruits of many years of economic growth.

 

It is true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or to generate long-term growth. Ours is a market economy, and the Nation depends on the energy and initiative of private institutions and individuals. But at this particular moment, government must lead the way in providing the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this severe and lay the foundation for future prosperity. That’s why immediately upon taking office, my Administration worked with the Congress to pass the

American recovery and reinvestment Act. This plan’s provisions will put money in the pockets of the American people, save or create at least three and a half million jobs, and help to revive our economy.

 

This moment is one of great paradox and promise: while there are millions of Americans trying to find work, there is also so much work to be done. That’s why the recovery Act and our Budget will make long overdue investments in priorities—like clean energy, education, health care, and a new infrastructure—that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st Century.

 

To finally spark the creation of a clean energy economy, we will make the investments in the next three years to double our Nation’s renewable energy capacity. We will modernize Federal buildings and improve the energy efficiency of millions of American homes, saving consumers and taxpayers billions on our energy bills. In the process, we will put Americans to work in new jobs that pay well—jobs installing solar panels and wind turbines; constructing energy efficient buildings; manufacturing fuel efficient vehicles; and developing the new energy technologies that will lead to even more jobs and more savings, putting us on the path toward energy independence for our Nation and a cleaner, safer planet in the process.

 

To improve the quality of our health care while lowering its cost, we will make the immediate investments needed to computerize all of America’s medical records within five years while protecting the privacy of patients. This is a necessary step to reducing waste, eliminating red tape, and avoiding the need to repeat expensive medical tests. We also will fundamentally reform our health care system, delivering quality care to more Americans while reducing costs for us all. This will make our businesses more competitive and ease a significant and growing burden middle-class families are bearing.

 

To give our children a fair shot to thrive in a global, information-age economy, we will equip thousands of schools, community colleges, and universities with 21st Century classrooms, labs, and libraries. We’ll provide new technology and new training for teachers so that students in Chicago and Boston can compete with kids in Beijing

for the high-tech, high-wage jobs of the future. We will invest in innovation, and open the doors of college to millions of students. We will pursue new reforms—lifting standards in our schools and recruiting, training, and rewarding a new generation of teachers. And in an era of skyrocketing college tuition, we will make sure that the

doors of college remain open to children from all walks of life.

 

To create a platform for our entrepreneurs and workers to build an economy that can lead this future, we will begin to rebuild America for the demands of the 21st Century. We will repair crumbling roads, bridges, and schools as well as expand broadband lines across America, so that a small business in a rural town can connect and compete with its counterparts anywhere in the world. And we will invest in the science, research, and technology that will lead to new medical breakthroughs, new discoveries, and entire new industries.

 

Regaining our economic strength also is critical to our national security. It is a major source of our global leadership, and we must not let it waver. That’s why this Budget makes critical investments in rebuilding our military, securing our homeland, and expanding our diplomatic efforts because to provide for the security of the United

States we need to use all elements of our power. Moreover, to honor the service of those who have worn our military’s uniform, we will make the investments necessary to take care of our veterans.

 

For these initiatives to lay a foundation for long-term economic growth, it’s important that we not only change what Washington invests in, but how Washington does business. We must usher in a new era of responsibility in which we empower citizens with the information they need to hold their elected representatives accountable

for the decisions they make. We need to put tired ideologies aside, and ask not whether our Government is too big or too small, or whether it is the problem or the solution, but whether it is working for the American people. Where it does not, we will stop spending taxpayer dollars; where it has proven to be effective, we will invest. This is the approach, for example, we have begun in allocating funds to education, health care, and national security. And as we continue the budgetary process, we will identify more cuts and reallocations for the full Budget presented this spring, and undertake efforts to reform how the programs you fund are managed so that overruns are avoided,

waste is cut, and you get the most effective and efficient Government possible.

 

In the little more than a month my Administration has had in office, we have not had the time to fully execute all the budget reforms that are needed, and to which I am fully committed. Those will come in the months ahead, and next year’s budget process will look much different.

 

But this Budget does begin the hard work of bringing new levels of honesty and fairness to your Government. It looks ahead a full 10 years, making good-faith estimates about what costs we would incur; and it accounts for items that under the old rules could have been left out, making it appear that we had billions more to spend than we really do. The Budget also begins to restore a basic sense of fairness to the tax code, eliminating incentives for companies that ship jobs overseas and giving a generous package of tax cuts to 95 percent of working families.

 

Finally, while we have inherited record budget deficits and needed to pass a massive recovery and reinvestment plan to try to jump-start our economy out of recession, we cannot lose sight of the long-run challenges that our country faces and that threaten our economic health—specifically, the trillions of dollars of debt that we inherited,

the rising costs of health care, and the growing obligations of Social Security. Therefore, while our Budget will run deficits, we must begin the process of making the tough choices necessary to restore fiscal discipline, cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office, and put our Nation on sound fiscal footing.

 

Some may look at what faces our Nation and believe that America’s greatest days are behind it. They are wrong.

 

Our problems are rooted in past mistakes, not our capacity for future greatness. We should never forget that our workers are more innovative and industrious than any on earth. Our universities are still the envy of the world. We are still home to the most brilliant minds, the most creative entrepreneurs, and the most advanced technology

and innovation that history has ever known. And we are still the Nation that has overcome great fears and improbable odds. It will take time, but we can bring change to America. We can rebuild that lost trust and confidence. We can restore opportunity and prosperity. And we can bring about a new sense of responsibility among Americans

from every walk of life and from every corner of the country.

 

Barack OBama

[Guest LAW_*]

The President spoke last night at a press conference about this issue:

 

The budget I submitted to Congress will build our economic recovery on a stronger foundation, so that we don't face another crisis like this 10 or 20 years from now. We invest in the renewable sources of energy that will lead to new jobs, new businesses, and less dependence on foreign oil. We invest in our schools and our teachers so that our children have the skills they need to compete with any workers in the world. We invest in reform that will bring down the cost of health care for families, businesses and our government. And in this budget, we have -- we have to make the tough choices necessary to cut our deficit in half by the end of my first term -- even under the most pessimistic estimates.

 

At the end of the day, the best way to bring our deficit down in the long run is not with a budget that continues the very same policies that have led to a narrow prosperity and massive debt. It’s with a budget that leads to broad economic growth by moving from an era of borrow and spend to one where we save and invest.

[Guest American for Progress]

Last week, reporters excitedly gathered for a GOP press conference where House leaders said they would announce their alternative to Obama's budget. The proposal that GOP leaders presented, however, was a huge disappointment; basically, it was nothing more than a "brochure." Annoyed at being summoned for this non-event, reporters quizzed Boehner on specifics of the plan: "Are you going to have any further details on this today?" "What about some numbers? What about the out-year deficit? What about balancing the budget?" Reporting on MSNBC, host Contessa Brewer exclaimed, "Give me some substance!" The GOP "budget," in fact, contains almost no numbers -- except where they criticize the Obama administration's figures. The few ideas their plan does have include undoing the economic recovery package (which would be hard to do since some of the money is already out the door), and lowering the 35 percent, 33 percent, and 28 percent income tax brackets to 25 percent (regressive cuts that would gut government revenue). According to a Citizens for Tax Justice analysis, more than a quarter of all taxpayers -- mostly low-income families -- would pay more in taxes under this plan than they would under Obama's. On the other hand, "the richest one percent of taxpayers would pay $100,000 less, on average, under the House GOP plan." Additionally, although Republicans claim to be so concerned about the rising deficit, their income tax proposals "would cost over $300 billion more than the Obama income tax cuts in 2011 alone." "The party of 'no' has become the party of no new ideas," quipped White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs in response to the GOP proposal.

 

TAX WINDFALL FOR CORPORATE EXECUTIVES: According to the Republican leadership, the reason that lawmakers didn't release numbers last week is because they intend to do so this week. "The numbers will come next week with a multi-hundred page piece of legislation" that Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is currently drafting, Boehner's office told First Read. Ryan's bill will still likely be short on new, deficit-cutting ideas though. As the Wonk Room's Pat Garofalo has noted, his plan "consists almost entirely of massive tax cuts for corporations and the rich," including lowering the top marginal tax rate to 25 percent, lowering the corporate tax rate to 25 percent, and completely eliminating the capital gains tax. Not only are these tax cuts regressive, but they will result in significant lost government revenue. According to a Center for American Progress Action Fund analysis, Ryan's plan gives the average CEO a $1.5 million tax break, while doing nothing for minimum wage workers.

 

THE RECONCILIATION HYPOCRISY: Republicans are also standing firm against allowing Obama to use the reconciliation process to pass key parts of his budget, such as health care and energy reform. This 25-year-old procedure "allows for the passage of a budget by a simple majority vote rather than the usual 60 votes needed to prevent a filibuster." Republican senators have said that they are prepared to go "nuclear" -- essentially shutting down the Senate through the use of parliamentary maneuvers -- if budget reconciliation is pursued. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) compared reconciliation to "an act of violence" against the GOP. However, Republicans employed the same procedure to pass major Bush agenda items, including the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, and the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005. In fact, in 2005, Gregg defended using the reconciliation procedure, arguing, "The president asked for it, and we're trying to do what the president asked for."

[Guest Human_*]

http://www.mcknights.com/House-to-use-cont...article/129537/

 

The House Budget Committee Wednesday agreed to use the budget reconciliation process as a way to pass significant healthcare reform legislation as part of the fiscal year 2010 budget.

 

While ironing out the details on its $3.45 trillion budget, Democratic lawmakers stymied repeated attempts by Republicans to remove reconciliation language from the proposal. The reconciliation process limits debate and allows a simple majority to pass a bill. Republicans have opposed the use of this process. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said during her weekly press conference that achieving healthcare reform this year is essential, and the best way to reach that goal is by including the budget reconciliation process in the budget package. Meanwhile, the Senate budget plan, which was marked up Thursday, was not expected to include reconciliation language.

 

Current versions of healthcare reform legislation call for the creation of deficit-neutral healthcare reserve fund, which the president and Congress would use to pay for reform measures without adversely affecting the national deficit. After a highly- publicized Senate Finance Committee hearing on long-term care on Wednesday, long-term care leaders are hopeful that any final healthcare reform package will include reforms for long-term care services and supports.

[Guest THE WHITE HOUSE]

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, guys. Good to see you. Well, I just had my first official Cabinet meeting. We have one future Cabinet member missing, but everybody else is present and accounted for.

 

I delivered a few messages. Number one, I am extraordinarily proud of the talent, the diversity, and the work ethic of this team in an unprecedented situation where we had to hit the ground running and get an enormous amount done in the first three months. Everybody here has performed I think at the highest levels. And I'm extraordinarily proud of -- of the quality of this Cabinet.

 

Number two, I emphasized to this Cabinet that we have had to take some extraordinary steps in order to shore up our financial system and to deal with an unprecedented economic crisis. And as a consequence, we've had to spend a significant amount of money, both on the Recovery Act to create and save jobs and to lay the foundations for long-term sustainable economic growth; also, in order to make sure that the financial systems are strong enough to start lending to businesses and communities so that we can start creating jobs again. That was the right thing to do and the necessary thing to do.

 

However, moving forward, we have an obligation, as I talked about in my weekly radio address, or Internet address, to make sure that this government is as efficient as possible and that every taxpayer dollar that is spent is being spent wisely. Joe Biden is doing an outstanding job working with all the Cabinet members to make sure that the Recovery Act is moving out in -- with unprecedented transparency and effectiveness, and I'm very grateful to him and his team for the work that's being done there.

 

Many of the agencies have already taken some extraordinary steps to consolidate, streamline, and improve their practices. Just a couple of examples: Veterans Affairs has cancelled or delayed 26 conferences, saving nearly $17.8 million, and they're using less expensive alternatives like videoconferencing. The USDA, under Secretary Vilsack, is working to combine 1,500 employees from seven office locations into a single facility in 2011, which we estimate will save $62 million over a 15-year lease term. Janet Napolitano at the Department of Homeland Security estimates that they can save up to $52 million over five years just by purchasing office supplies in bulk.

 

So there are a host of efficiencies that can be gained without increasing our personnel or our budget, but rather decreasing the amount of money that's spent on unnecessary things in order to fund some of the critical initiatives that we've all talked about. Obviously, Bob Gates just came out with a historic budget proposal with respect to the Pentagon, and we expect to follow up with significant procurement reform that's going to make an enormous difference.

 

So none of these savings by themselves are going to solve our long-term fiscal problems, but taken together they can make a difference, and they send a signal that we are serious about changing how government operates.

 

So one of the things that -- messages that I delivered today to all members of the Cabinet was: As well as you've already done, you're going to have to do more. I'm asking for all of them to identify at least $100 million in additional cuts to their administrative budgets, separate and apart from the work that Peter Orszag and the rest of our team are doing to go line by line with the budget and identify programmatic cuts that need to be made.

 

And in the next few weeks we expect to cut at least 100 current programs in the federal budget so that we can free up those dollars in order to put them to use for critical areas like health care, education, energy, our foreign policy apparatus, which is so important.

 

So I'm very pleased about the work that we've done. But we've got more to do. And one of the things that everybody here is mindful of is that as we move forward dealing with this extraordinary economic crisis, we also have a deficit, a confidence gap when it comes to the American people. And we've got to earn their trust. They've got to feel confident that their dollars are being spent wisely. And I have every confidence that the team that I've put together is going to be able to deliver on that efficiency and productivity in the weeks, months and years to come. Okay.

 

Q A hundred million dollars, isn't that a drop in the bucket, sir?

 

THE PRESIDENT: It is, and that's what I just said. None of these things alone are going to make a difference. But cumulatively they would make an extraordinary difference because they start setting a tone. And so what we're going to do is line by line, page by page, $100 million there, $100 million here, pretty soon, even in Washington, it adds up to real money.

 

All right, thank you, guys.

[Guest Eric]

The federal government incurred a deficit of close to $800 billion for the first seven months of fiscal year 2009, CBO estimates—$646 billion more than the deficit recorded through April 2008. Notably, receipts in April were about $140 billion (or 35 percent) lower than receipts in April 2008, CBO estimates. The sharpest drop was in corporate receipts; net corporate receipts, largely representing corporations’ first quarterly tax payment for 2009, declined by about $29 billion (or 69 percent). Nonwithheld receipts for individual income and payroll taxes—mainly amounts paid with income tax returns filed in April fell $84 billion (or 36 percent). Refunds of individual income taxes increased by $11 billion (or 24 percent). That change in net receipts associated with income tax filings was roughly in line with CBO’s expectations.

[Guest HUMAN_*]

UNDER ZERO CIRCUMSTANCES where there will be allowed A THIRD SPENDING BILL BY THE DEMOCRATS.

[Guest Human_*]

Just thought you should know. Even though they are not operational YET.

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http://www.federalreporting.gov/

 

Update Notice for Recipients of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) funds

 

 

 

 

The online recipient reporting tool is expected to be available for the quarterly report due October 10, 2009!

 

 

Section 1512(f) of the Recovery Act requires recipient reporting to begin 180 days after enactment, and for reports to be submitted by recipients 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter. This results in an initial statutory reporting deadline of October 10, 2009, with quarterly reports due 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter thereafter.

 

 

Federal Contractors are not required to report on July 10, 2009 (see FAR 52.204-11). However, federal contractors who submit an invoice prior to June 30, 2009 for Recovery Act funded contract performance should maintain the data required by FAR 52.204-11. Cumulative reporting will begin with the October 10th reporting deadline. Check back with this site often for updates and monitor finalization of the interim rule published in the Federal Register at 74 FR 14639.

 

 

Grant, Cooperative Agreement, and Loan Recipients should also maintain the data required for a July 10, 2009 report in order to report cumulatively beginning with the October 10th reporting deadline. Check back with this site often for updates and monitor finalization of the interim rule published in the Federal Register at 74 FR 18449 and the supplemental notice published at 74 FR 14824. OMB will work with agencies to determine the most appropriate method for collecting information from recipients for July 10th reporting.

[Guest Daren]

Here is the best explanation on what is happening to our country.

 

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class.

 

That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

 

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

 

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

 

The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

 

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

 

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

 

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

 

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

 

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

 

Could not be any simpler than that.

[Guest Starless]

Face it Daren, the two major Parties are Commie and Commie-lite! They’ve kept a monopoly on our political scene for the last 100 years. The REAL patriotic parties (The ones who actually represent “We the People” are at a GROSS financial disadvantage!) don’t have a chance to win, because of this monopoly.