Obama budget to cut deficit by $1.1 trillion

In his third annual budget, Obama is expected to introduce a five-year freeze on discretionary spending and a pay freeze for government workers. Severe cuts are expected to many programmes that have previously had the president's support. Home energy assistance for low-income families would be halved, and an initiative to restore the environmental health of the Great Lakes would be reduced by a quarter. The community development block grant, which goes to state governments to develop low-income areas, and funding for the Forest Service, stewards of the forests, are also likely to be cut.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/13/barack-obama-cuts-us-budget

He's dancing to save his life. This is a ridiculously small start, but it's a start.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/13/obama-budget-proposal-cut_n_822689.html

Less than two months after signing tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans into law, President Barack Obama proposed a spending plan to Congress that cuts funding to programs that assist the working poor, help the needy heat their homes, and expand access to graduate-level education, undermining the kind of community-based organizations that helped Obama launch his political career in Chicago.

>>insert little guy banging his head against a brick wall here<<

Obama warns spending cuts could hurt U.S. recovery


http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/16/us-usa-budget-idUKTRE71E0ZL20110216

Strawberry wrote:Severe cuts are expected to many programmes ... The community development block grant, which goes to state governments to develop low-income areas....

Those outside of the US may have little idea of what these things generally consist of.

One may picture "communities" of people cheerfully cleaning up their neighborhoods, educating themselves, or otherwise accomplishing worthwhile tasks.

Nothing could be further from the truth. These "community" grants are nothing but a code word for "minority" giveaways, and accomplish less than nothing. The $ ends up in the hands of the unscrupulous, and is frittered away on dead end "projects".

goodmockingbird wrote:

Strawberry wrote:Severe cuts are expected to many programmes ... The community development block grant, which goes to state governments to develop low-income areas....

Those outside of the US may have little idea of what these things generally consist of.

One may picture "communities" of people cheerfully cleaning up their neighborhoods, educating themselves, or otherwise accomplishing worthwhile tasks.

Nothing could be further from the truth. These "community" grants are nothing but a code word for "minority" giveaways, and accomplish less than nothing. The $ ends up in the hands of the unscrupulous, and is frittered away on dead end "projects".

Mbird , how much $$$ do you think those new road signs cost "Putting America To Work " the taxpayers?
We have 9 elementary schools in our district and 10 districts within 100 mile radius, All have new state of art schools the last 2 years.
all at prevailing wage pay and only to union and minority contractors.

WHEN's the White Side gona show UP???
Edit: ^^right^^

Strawberry wrote: funding for the Forest Service, stewards of the forests, are also likely to be cut.

How in the world did forests manage to function and replenish themselves for all those millions of years without federal funding?

goodmockingbird wrote:

Strawberry wrote: funding for the Forest Service, stewards of the forests, are also likely to be cut.

How in the world did forests manage to function and replenish themselves for all those millions of years without federal funding?

Forests would be fine if left alone, but when corporations see them as a "resource", they get used up pretty quickly. There would not be much forest in the US at all were it not for the Forest Service and it's enforcement of logging policies.

Our government is trying to sell off our forests

They say they done a U turn because of the public outcry but within a day theyre trying to do it through the backdoor.

I'd love to jar a tree up the backside of one of them Conservatives who think its OK to sell of assets that belong to the country.