Friday Digest: AARP and CBO Realize Debt is Bad

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Digest · June 24, 2011 The Foundation "He that goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing." --Benjamin Franklin Government & Politics AARP and CBO Realize What Democrats Don't -- Debt is Bad Hands are off current seniors' entitlements You know the debt situation is bad when even AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) changes its tune on Social Security. After staunchly opposing any and all reforms for years, the association announced last Friday that it would be willing to consider changes to the massive FDR-era entitlement program. AARP, one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the country with some 40 million members, concluded that it wants a seat at the table when change is discussed, and that meant offering concessions, even if it won't champion them. The association's board recognizes the impending demise of Social Security and felt it couldn't afford to ignore the momentum for entitlement reform that has built for years. AARP was primarily responsible for killing President George W. Bush's partial privatization plan in 2005. So it's no surprise that the debate over its now-softened stance was contentious. Many members were so riled that AARP was forced to walk back a bit with a statement reasserting their complete support for Social Security. It's important to note, however, that no one is talking about cutting benefits for today's seniors. Yet leftists have shamelessly demagogued the issue with that straw man. Their relentless smear campaign is labeling thoughtful reformers such as Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as extremist. They have ignored the scope of the problem and the facts surrounding proposed solutions. Now that AARP might participate in entitlement discussions, the job for opponents of reform just became tougher. In related news, the Congressional Budget Office released this week its 2011 Long-Term Budget Outlook. CBO now predicts that in one of two scenarios -- depending upon whether the Bush tax cuts are extended or not -- federal debt will reach 101 percent of GDP by 2021, which is two years earlier than last year's outlook predicted. The other scenario, accounting for supposedly increased revenue if the Bush tax cuts expire, shows the debt reaching more than two-thirds GDP by 2021. For the current year, the CBO predicts a deficit of $1.4 trillion, and much of that is because of entitlement spending. According to the CBO Director's Blog, those projections "understate the severity of the long-term budget problem because they do not incorporate the negative effects that accumulating additional federal debt would have on the economy, nor do they include the impact of higher tax rates on people's incentives to work and save." As if on cue, the Federal Reserve issued a forecast for a weak recovery this year and next, despite the federal spending and money-printing binges undertaken over the last three years. Or maybe -- just maybe -- it's because of those things. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke insists, however, "I don't think that sharp, immediate cuts in the deficit would create more jobs," he said. "Deficit reduction is at best neutral for job-creation." So how are deficit-reduction discussions proceeding? Not so good. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) have withdrawn from talks led by Vice President Joe Biden because, as Cantor said, they have reached an "impasse on taxes." In other words, Democrats insist on raising taxes, and Republicans refuse. Not only do Democrats not "get it" on taxes, but they're actually calling for more spending -- even unabashedly referring to another "stimulus package." How is it that Democrats so consistently come up with the wrong solution? This Week's 'Alpha Jackass' Award "If you don't touch revenues and you leave in place the tax cuts for the top 2 percent that were put in place by President Bush ... and you're trying to bring our deficits down over time, then you have to do exceptionally deep cuts in benefits for middle-class Americans and you have to shrink the overall size of government programs." --Treasury Secretary Tim "Tax Cheat" Geithner The top 2 percent are often small business owners who create most of the jobs in this country. And heaven forbid we might have to shrink government! Hypocrisy on Display Democrats have changed their tune on the national debt over the years. In 2006, under Republican leadership, they were spending hawks. Since their election wins that year, however, it's been an entirely different story. See for yourself. From the 'Non Compos Mentis' File "If the Constitution was intended to limit the federal government, it sure doesn't say so." --Time magazine's Richard Stengel, who also asks if it even still matters. Au contraire. Stengel must be the product of some gubmint-run educational institution preaching the gospel of a "living" constitution. Has he ever heard of the enumerated powers or Bill of Rights? Confronting the Obama Agenda The Patriot Post is on the front lines opposing the Obama agenda at every turn. Whether it's skyrocketing federal spending, the health care takeover, industry nationalization, or tax increases and regulation, we stand in the way of Leftist action with every edition we publish. And we know the Constitution limits the federal government. However, we need your help to weather a serious third-quarter funding drought. At this point, we're only a third of the way toward our goal and must still raise $168,422 by Independence Day. Please, if you're able, make a secure online donation today to The Patriot Post's 2011 Independence Day campaign. If you prefer to support us by mail, please use our printable donor form. Thank you, and God bless! Nate Jackson Managing Editor Hope 'n' Change: Waivers Waived ... for Now The ObamaCare waiver program is quietly coming to an end, or at least morphing into something else to take it out of the news. In a typical Friday afternoon news dump, the Obama administration announced last week that it's changing the way it will grant waivers to temporarily exempt companies and organizations from complying with the health care law. The waivers were originally created to bridge a major flaw in ObamaCare that would have ousted millions of lower-wage workers from their current insurance plans. The waivers were meant to expire after one year, but can be renewed until 2014, at which point ObamaCare will have completely sunk its claws into the insurance market. The 1,433 issued waivers have been a growing PR problem for the administration. The process of granting waivers has taken place completely behind closed doors, with each month's fresh tally further proving that ObamaCare is a disaster. After all, if it was such a good law, there wouldn't be a need for millions of people to be exempted from it, many of them the lower income families the plan was meant to aid in the first place. A massive granting of waivers to undeserving establishments curiously located in Demo Rep. Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district didn't help. The Government Accountability Office concluded that there was nothing suspicious about how the waivers have been distributed, but only last week did the White House release a list of applicants who have been denied. Republicans have been calling for months for this and other information. The new method doesn't improve ObamaCare's transparency problem; it only removes the much-despised program from the news cycle in advance of next year's presidential election. Currently the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approves a new batch of one-year waivers every month. Now, applicants have until Sept. 22 to apply for waivers that will last until the end of 2013. Current recipients whose waivers will expire some time after the deadline may renew for the full two-year period. Regardless, there are many other flaws in ObamaCare, and it's certain to remain a hot topic in next year's election. Another recently discovered ObamaCare screw-up is that it allows access to Medicaid by early-retiree couples earning up to $64,000. This costs an additional $450 billion over 10 years that would add three million non-needy people to an already overburdened program. Government budget analysts claim the error was caused by changes in the Medicaid eligibility calculation of income. Perhaps if there had been an opportunity to read the bill before it was rammed through Congress, this and other stupid mistakes would have been caught. But, then again, maybe they weren't mistakes at all. New & Notable Legislation Several Senate Democrats introduced the Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health (MARCH) for Military Women Act this week to support taxpayer-funded abortions performed on military personnel while in the service. This bill, also introduced in the House by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), would reverse a ban that prohibits Department of Defense personnel from performing abortions at domestic and foreign DoD facilities. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Patty Murray (D-WA) co-sponsored the legislation, which quickly received support from the ACLU, NARAL and Planned Parenthood. This is only the latest in a long line of attempts to reverse the ban. None of the previous Senate attempts have ever reached cloture, and with more Republicans now in the chamber, it's difficult to imagine success this time. Bill Clinton introduced taxpayer-funded abortions in military facilities in 1993, but all military physicians refused to perform or assist in the procedures. The ban was put in place three years later. From the Left: Sensitivity Training Under the Obama regime, it appears that federal employees, including the military, will provide a proving ground for various theories on how to make homosexuality palatable to the general public. Take the example of a sensitivity training model dubbed the "LGBT Special Emphasis Program" brought over from, of all places, the Department of Agriculture. The USDA training coins the term "heterosexism" to deride the belief that marriage should be between one man and one woman by equating this faith-based (and nature-based) principle with racism. For example, proponents see a golden opportunity for changing hearts and minds in the military, which had until recently been subject to the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for homosexuals serving within their ranks. It doesn't stop there, however, as USDA officials have asked the Office of Personnel Management to extend the training government-wide. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsask, in particular, is pushing the training. The former Iowa Democrat governor launched a department-wide "cultural transformation" and hopes to force that upon the rest of the government. National Security A Media Taboo Continues It's not too shocking anymore to uncover a terrorist plot. Regardless of how small or insignificant it may appear to be, a nation on high alert always seems to catch someone in the planning stages of mayhem. So it was with the case of Yonathan Melaku, a 22-year-old lance corporal in the Marine Corps Reserves and a native of Ethiopia. He was caught with a cache of ammonium nitrate, which is the kind of stuff one can use to blow up a building when the proper materials are added. Melaku's arrest was the talk of Washington because he was caught snooping around Arlington National Cemetery, which was closed at the time, and his car was later found near the Pentagon. More clues emerged when his notebook praising al-Qa'ida and the Taliban was discovered. However, a key element of the story was missing. It wasn't the lack of co-conspirators or the assertion of the Associated Press that "the suspect is not thought to have been involved in a terrorist act or plot." (Sure, people walk around with potentially explosive ammonium nitrate all the time.) No, lost in most background reporting was the fact Melaku is Muslim. So as not to equate the potential of terrorism with the Religion of Peace™, it seems that news organizations are hesitant to bring religion into the discussion except on those rare occasions when it suits their agenda (in other words, only when it involves a supposed Christian engaged in malfeasance). Apparently, we're supposed to forget that radical Islamic terrorists tried to destroy the very Pentagon at which Melaku's car was parked. Perhaps it's now so common an assumption that would-be terrorists are Muslim that reporters aren't bothering to report that fact. Somehow, though, we doubt it. TSA Stands for 'Take Some Assets' There has been much outcry over the enhanced "security" procedures implemented by the Transportation and Security Administration. Now the arrest of a TSA agent shows that Big Sis is not only stealing our dignity; her agents are stealing our belongings. A Houston agent was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor after an undercover cop posed as a Good Samaritan and turned in a wallet containing $1,000 in cash. The wallet, however, didn't go to lost-and-found, but instead found its way into the agent's backpack. For those who think this is the isolated act of an underpaid government employee, think again. The thievery has become nothing short of epidemic. In fact, a Newark agent was arrested after it was discovered that he was moonlighting as an eBay merchant. His merchandise? A $40,000 trove of goods he had stolen from the luggage of unsuspecting travelers. While agents at the New York City-area airports seem to be the biggest culprits, this is a nationwide problem. In fact, since its inception in the wake of the September 11th attacks, 500 TSA agents have been fired or suspended for ripping off airline passengers. Yet TSA continues to make excuses, saying that less than half of one percent of its employees are thieves. Now, imagine a private corporation offering up such a lame defense. Immigration Front: Mexico v. Georgia Mexico, long a source of illegal aliens and southern border anarchy, now wants to export that lawlessness further into the U.S., all with the assistance of the usual American Leftist cadre. The state of Georgia recently passed an anti-illegal immigration law similar to one passed by the state of Arizona and subsequently shot down by the Despotic Branch. Georgia's new law would allow police to investigate the immigration status of certain suspects, as well as to punish people who transport or harbor illegal immigrants or who use fake identification to obtain jobs. It also requires businesses to use the federal E-Verify program to ensure that newly hired workers are in fact eligible to work in the U.S. In other words, just like the Arizona law, Georgia's statute seeks to ensure that we remain a nation of Rule of Law, and not of rule of men. Naturally, Mexico and several other Central- and South American countries, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, the leftist Southern Poverty Law Center, and numerous other anti-American groups, are seeking to have the will of the Georgia people overturned by judicial diktat. Just as the Obama regime argued against the Arizona law, Mexico argues that Georgia's law is poorly conceived and would burden people who "look like illegal immigrants." Mexico also argues that the law "substantially and inappropriately burdens the consistent country to country relations between Mexico and the United States of America." One might think that the murderous Mexican drug cartels who shoot and kill American citizens and federal Border patrol agents using illegal arms provided by the Obama regime's Department of Justice (more on that below) would be something that "burdens" country-to-country relations, but apparently not in Mexico's eyes. Sadly, it will be a Clinton judicial appointee who decides whether Rule of Law still holds in Georgia. Business & Economy NLRB Gives Workers a Quickie Having been pooch-slapped by even the Left for its attempt to pass "card check" (read: union-thug intimidation) legislation through Congress, Big Labor is at it again. This time, it's circumventing Congress by using the rule-making power of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to do its heavy lifting, in one of the most far-reaching rule changes in NLRB history. Current rules are "labor-friendly" enough, as it is. Unions are allowed to secretly gather signatures under the radar and then ambush employers with an election petition at the last minute. Employers then have little more than a month to make their best case to employees for not unionizing. As a consequence, unions win in roughly two-thirds of these elections. Under the NLRB's proposed "streamlining" rules, however, the deck-stacking grows worse, through implementation of so-called "quickie elections," where the time from petition to election is shortened -- in some cases to as little as 10 days. The rules also deny employers many pre-election litigation rights, as well as the ability to mount challenges to pre-election rulings, since such challenges would be overcome by events in the wake of a vote to join a union. Ideally, Executive Branch vassals such as the NLRB would be unbiased arbiters of fairness, but like so many executive organizations, the NLRB has become nothing more than another blunt-force means to Team Obama's statist ends. As evidence supporting this truth, consider the fact that Barack Obama stuffed the NLRB full of former union lawyers, including one so unsavory that he needed a recess appointment because even a Democrat-controlled Senate refused to confirm him. Let's also not forget the recent lawsuit the NLRB filed against Boeing for having the business acumen (a.k.a. union-hostile effrontery, using Big Labor's lexicon) to locate its new 787 Dreamliner plant in a right-to-work state -- South Carolina -- where labor costs are considerably lower than in unionized Washington state. With reliably-Democrat-voting union membership still reeling from its decades-long decline, it's obvious where Obama's allegiance -- as well as that of his minions, like the NLRB -- lies. Administration Opens the Oil Reserve The 28 member nations of the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced the release of 60 million barrels of oil reserves over the next 30 days to put downward pressure on oil prices. The Obama administration said that 30 million barrels would come from our domestic Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which currently holds 727 million barrels. The IEA claims the release is because of disruption of supply due to events in Libya. However, Libya produces just 2 percent of the world's oil (1.5 million barrels per day), most of which goes to Europe. Perhaps replacing that much will have a positive short-term effect (oil did drop $5 a barrel on the news), but it's not a solution to the problem of high oil prices, or for Obama's sagging poll numbers. In 2000, Bill Clinton likewise released 30 million barrels of SPR oil over 30 days. As a result, the average price of gasoline fell by just one cent. By law, we must replace these 30 million barrels later, too, which means we're pouring oil from the deep end of the well into the shallow end. Instead of gimmicks like this one, the administration should remove restrictions to onshore and offshore drilling. Experts say that Alaska's wildlife reserve could supply one million barrels of oil every day. We know that "supply-side economics" is to leftists what holy water is to demons, but in this case and in so many others, it's the best answer. And adding supply for 30 days that must be demanded back later isn't it. Regulatory Commissars: This Just In, EPA Regulations Cost Jobs While Barack Obama spews "job-creation" rhetoric, his administration's penchant for regulations tells a different story. Case in point: two proposed EPA regulations that will cost many, many jobs. According to a study by National Economic Research Associates (NERA), the Clean Air Transport Rule (CATR) and Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) requirement, both of which target the utility industry, will cost 1.44 million job-years by 2020(a job-year is one full-time job for one person for one year), while hiking average retail electrical prices for consumers by 11.5 percent. Manufacturers use about one-third of the nation's electricity, and any cost increase above 10 percent for these users is directly passed on to consumers. But what do a few jobs and higher costs matter in the quest for "environmental protection"? Apparently not much to this administration. Meanwhile, speaking of the environment, global warming just got the cold shoulder from the U.S. Supreme Court. On Monday, the High Court rejected a lawsuit by states and conservation groups attempting to use the courts to force power plants to cut greenhouse gas emissions. In a unanimous opinion (Justice Sonia Sotomayor recused herself), the Court stated that the authority to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions lies with the EPA and not with the courts. Plaintiffs will now target the EPA to push for regulations. Of course, given the jobs already at stake should proposed regulations be implemented, one can only wonder how many more jobs the new regulations will cost. The answer can't be good. 'Made in China' Not What It Used to Be It used to be that the "Made in China" label translated to "inexpensive," but no more. The costs of imported goods are going up, due to a combination of a deflated dollar, a rising yuan, and higher wages in China. China is also consuming more as a nation, including cotton, the demand for which is driving up the cost of shoes and clothes. Rather than holding down inflation in the U.S. (as in days past), Chinese products are now costing more for the American consumer. Experts say there is a simple remedy for this problem: The U.S. needs to start producing and shipping more goods overseas and importing less. As is often the case, the simplest answer is also the one that make the most sense. No one blames the Chinese for demanding better jobs, wages and lives. But we should be fighting for our national interests just as staunchly. Culture & Policy Second Amendment: Gunrunner Developments Kenneth Melson, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is expected to resign in the coming days in the wake of investigations into Operation Fast and Furious and Project Gunrunner. To briefly recap, Gunrunner is an effort by ATF and the Justice Department to allow guns to make it into the hands of Mexican drug gangs allegedly for the purpose of tracking them. However, two American law enforcement officials have been killed with these guns, as well as countless Mexican citizens. Melson is either falling on his sword or being thrown under the bus, given that Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) has held very public hearings about the issue. Even the Leftmedia has had to take a glance every now and then. As evidence that this was all a construct to further the objective of gun control here in the U.S., the administration is looking to replace Melson with Chicago ATF bureau chief Andrew Traver, who was rejected last time the administration tried to give him the keys to the gun safe. Since 2006, the ATF has been without a Senate-confirmed director because a suitable head has not been found. Traver is an anti-gun zealot who would be a disaster as acting director. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, ATF celebrated its first "gay pride" event, with keynote speaker Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), who is openly homosexual. In a news release, ATF said the celebration was intended to recognize the "accomplishments and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans to ATF and the nation, and to promote awareness of the LGBT culture." Furthermore, said Melson, "ATF works to ensure sexual orientation discrimination and prejudice are not tolerated in our workplace. ATF is an equal employment opportunity environment where effective and equitable participation is encouraged." How about doing what ATF should be doing -- protecting Second Amendment rights for Americans of all stripes? Judicial Benchmarks: Walmart Wins a Big One The New York Times editorial headline declared "Wal-Mart Wins. Workers Lose." It was referring to the Walmart sex discrimination class action complaint dismissed this week by the Supreme Court. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the "decision sets back the cause of equality for women." Naturally, they're both wrong. This case wasn't even close. As the New York Times editorial stated, Walmart "got what it wanted from the court -- unanimous dismissal of the suit as the plaintiffs presented it." What separated the conservative majority opinion from the leftist minority opinion was the treatment to be given to the defendants' allegations in the complaint. The Walmart lawsuit, filed in 2001, accused the world's largest retailer of systematically paying female workers less than men and providing them fewer opportunities for promotion. The class claimed 1.6 million current and former female Walmart employees, and it was this broadness that doom the suit. The majority opinion concluded the allegations against Walmart were too vague and the evidence too weak to establish the common injury essential to encompass all women employed since 1998 in the roughly 3,400 U.S. Walmart stores. In the wake of this decision, lower courts will more carefully review the factors defining a class for the purpose of bringing a class-action suit. Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that the plaintiffs must identify a "specific employment practice." Merely showing that discretionary policy has produced an overall sex-based disparity will not do. In the dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for what the Times laughably calls the "moderates," wrote that the allegations met the test earlier Supreme Court decisions have set out for employment-discrimination suits, but the minority would have sent the case back to the trial court to consider whether the class action should have gone forward in a different form. Hence, the unanimous dismissal of the action in its current form. Faith and Family: NBC Omits 'Under God' From Pledge It has long been apparent that the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance are considered scandalous by many on the Left. So, the gang of tolerance has decided to eliminate them wherever possible. During the NBC broadcast of the U.S. Open golf tournament, which ironically was contested not far from our nation's capital, the network's intro segment twice left out the words "under God" from a piece in which children recited the Pledge. Damage control was quick but half-hearted, as host Dan Hicks later gave an on-air apology for the omission but didn't mention the actual words left out. We know that Barack Obama is an avid golfer, and chances are he was following the U.S. Open since it was played at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, practically in his own backyard. But bending over backwards to be politically correct -- like the president who repeatedly and deliberately fails to mention our Creator when quoting from the Declaration of Independence, for example -- goes way too far. And Last... Three years ago, James Richard Verone lost a job he held at Coca-Cola for 17 years. He soon became a convenience store clerk, but the constant bending, standing and lifting proved to be too much for him. According to the Gaston Gazette, "The Gastonia [North Carolina] man's back ached; problems with his left foot caused him to limp. His knuckles swelled from arthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome made daily tasks difficult. Then he noticed a protrusion on his chest." Verone qualified for food stamps, but not for medical benefits. So rather than be a burden on this siblings, he decided to do the next best thing -- rob a bank. He didn't do it for the money, though. He did it so he could go to prison and get free health care. Verone says he's not political, but asserted that he wouldn't be in jail today if the U.S. had socialized medicine. (Any guesses who he voted for, if he voted?) One glitch in his plan, though, was that he handed the teller a note demanding just $1, which resulted in a charge of larceny, not bank robbery, meaning he'll get less time in jail. So when he gets out in about 12 months, he says he'll do it again. That's certainly the something-for-nothing spirit engendered by the Obama administration's efforts to be all things to all people. Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis! The Patriot Post Editorial Team (To submit reader comments click here.) Patriot News Review Obama Flubs Speech to Troops by Claiming Dead Soldier Is Alive TIME Magazine: Does the Constitution Still Matter? Van Hollen: GOP Not 'Concerned About the Need to Reduce the Deficit' Dem Congressman: Obama Doesn't Have 'Time' for Debt Negotiations Pelosi On Debt Crisis: 'Largely Accrued by President George W. Bush' New Jersey Passes Chris Christie's Benefits Reform More News The Right Opinion Charles Krauthammer: Who Takes Us to War? Jonah Goldberg: GOP Should Hope Primary Race Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint Suzanne Fields: Don't Know Much About History Mona Charen: How the Democrats Nearly Destroyed the Economy Lawrence Kudlow: Did the IEA Just Deliver a QE3 Quick Fix to Save Obama's Skin? David Limbaugh: Just When You Thought Our Fiscal Nightmare Couldn't Get Any Worse Linda Chavez: Wal-Mart Case Is a Victory for Consumers Oliver North: The Drawdown Begins Michelle Malkin: The Reckless Folly of the 'Undocumented Immigrant' L. Brent Bozell: Even Bedtime Stories Get Profane R. Emmett Tyrrell: The Presidential Race Made Easy Paul Greenberg: 50 Ways to Beat the Heat More Opinion Grassroots Commentary Tim Tebow's Talk We Can Do This Unless We Don't Huntsman Fakes One for the Gipper Challenging Our Debt It Ain't a Horserace, Doodah, Doodah What Are the Polls Telling Us? More Commentary Policy and Analysis Heritage Foundation Insider Heritage Foundation Research American Enterprise Institute Center for Strategic and International Studies The Cato Institute Hoover Institution National Rifle Association Ludwig von Mises Institute Citizens Against Government Waste National Center for Policy Analysis The Heartland Institute (Please pray for our Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world, and for their families -- especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.) Follow The Patriot Post:

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