One
thousand, four hundred and twenty fourthats the number of days that
have passed since the Democrat-controlled Senate performed their
constitutional duty to pass a budget, more than a year before the
ubiquitous iPad was invented. Judging by the contents of that budget, we
can see why Democrats were scared to reveal their plans before Obama
was safely re-elected and no longer accountable to the voters. It is
unbridled recklessness that passes for the Democrat budgeting process.
Such
sheer irresponsibility reminds me of P.J. ORourke, the civil
libertarian who once said Giving money and power to government is like
giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. Admittedly, it is not fair
to compare elected Democrats to drunken teenage boys who, even with a
fleet of cars and a swimming pool filled with whiskey could not hope to
achieve as much damage as is being done by Democrats right now.
The
Senate budget demands nearly one trillion dollars in new tax increases,
on top of the nearly $700 billion already conceded by Republicans just a
few months ago in the Fiscal Cliff deal. An almost equal amount would
supposedly be cut from spending, but considering the bait-and-switch
tactics that have become the modus operandi for Democrats, it is hard to
believe that those cuts would ever come to fruition.
The
whole exercise has become Kabuki Theater, a laughable dance of fools
and charlatans that has no basis in reality. It is impossible to take
seriously the trustworthiness of a party which demonized as harsh and
draconian the previous budget submitted by Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI),
which contained near-double digit increases in the entitlement
spending, and took more than three decades to balance the budget. In a
nation of rational adults, the Paul Ryan budget would have been seen as
irresponsible, and it is only due to the unadulterated insanity of the
Democrat budget that the Ryan budget seemed reasonable.
The
most recent Republican House budget takes a full decade to balance the
budget, but only by assuming that funding for ObamaCare would be
repealed; something that would never make it past the
Democrat-controlled Senate or Obama. That has about as much chance of
happening as Obama rejecting the corrupt special interest money he has
long preached against (you can buy four face-to-face meetings a year
with Obama for a cool half million dollars by donating to his re-branded
Organizing for America campaign apparatus). By comparison, the Ryan
budget is far more responsible, achieving deficit reduction and economic
stimulus through growth rather than tax increases,Find a great
selection of customkeychain deals. but even it relies on unrealistic assumptions.
How
do we get to a point where we can pass realistic, responsible budgets
that fund the legitimate functions of government, stimulate economic
growth by reducing the crushing tax burden, and in the process reduce
the skyrocketing national debt (the interest payments on which we now
spend more on than education, homeland security, transportation, and
taking care of our veteranscombined!)? Its impossible to know, since
Democrats claim we have no debt problem. Thats like me saying that
having a monthly credit card INTEREST payment higher than my mortgage
payment is just fine.When describing the location of the problematic howotipper.
Americans get nothing in return for those hundreds of billions of
dollars in interest payments. How many of the salaries of those
firefighters, schoolteachers, and policemen that Obama surrounded
himself with in a press conference before the sequester kicked in could
have been paid with the $359.8 BILLION dollars paid in interest on the
debt in FY2012? That would be 7,196,000 of these fine workers at $50,000
per year.
But
alas, getting Democrats to act responsibly is probably not an
achievable goal in the near future. Senate Budget Committee Chairman
Patty Murray, referring to the stark differences between the House and
Senate budgets, said We have presented very different visions for how
our country should work and who it should work forbut I am hopeful that
we can bridge this divide. Who our country should work for? Shouldnt it
work for ALL Americans? Or have we now decided that certain Americans
are no longer worthy of equality under the law?
The
Democrat/Senate budget raises even more taxes, cuts hundreds of
billions more from the defense budget (more than has already been cut,
which former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, no defense hawk, warned
would weaken Americas military readiness), and once again leaves
entitlement and welfare spending, the primary drivers of the rising
deficits and debt, virtually untouched.
Questions
about gas prices come up all the time, particularly when motorists see
more than one price at the pump. Massachusetts does have rules that
prohibit placing a surcharge on the use of a credit card. However, as
much as it seems like the same thing, a gas station can discount the
price for customers paying in cash.
So,Cheap logo engraved luggagetag at wholesale bulk prices.Choose the right bestluggagetag in
an array of colors. discounting is fine and surcharging isnt. While
most stations charge the same price for cash or credit, there is a
reason why some discount for the use of cash C or, in this case, a
smartphone or checking account-linked card. Gas stations tend to have
pretty tight margins and steering customers away from credit cards helps
them to avoid the fees assessed for every transaction, something that
cuts into the bottom line.Find a great selection of customkeychain deals.
The
folks at Framingham-based Cumberland Farms dont see themselves as
elitist, noting their low-price coffee and soda. Cumberland Farms said
it introduced its SmartPay system to avoid credit card and debit card
processing fees and pass some of the savings to customers in the form of
discounts.
If
customers dont have a smart phone, they can pick up a SmartPay card,
which is linked to a checking account and works like a debit card.
SmartPay cards are available at Cumberland Farm stores.
The
SmartPay Check-Link payment program was designed to be as inclusive as
possible for all of our customers, whether they use a smartphone or
prefer the free SmartPay payment card, said Kate Ngo, Cumberland Farms
senior manager of brand strategy.
As
much as bank fees might be an issue for some consumers, free checking
accounts with minimal balance requirements are available at local banks
and credit unions. So, most folks, whether they have a smartphone or
not, should be able to figure out a way to get this discount C if it
really mattered to them.
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