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And now, a little screaming from Steny Hoyer.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  May 27th, 2010 at 09:00 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

He’s finally noticed that the hull’s full of iceberg, so it’s time to get those deckchairs rearranged:

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said during a Wednesday morning meeting with committee chairmen that he and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) intended to hold them to a Friday deadline to submit detailed lists of duplicative and wasteful programs that can be eliminated from the $3 trillion budget.

“You need to produce something on this,” Hoyer said, according to a person in the room. “You all need to find some programs to cut.”

Hoyer’s rattled for a bunch of reasons: Boehner’s letter canceling Republican earmarks; the YouCut initiative, which is resonating more than many people expected; and, of course, because Democrats have been enthusiastically – excuse me: ‘pornographically’ – demonstrating the difference between ‘bad and worse‘ when it comes to fiscal responsibility since the start of this election cycle.  Only it’s now close to the end of the election cycle, and the expected wave of support for Democratic policies has been somehow… delayed.  So: time to start looking busy, apparently.

I am indulgent on this, I suppose: it won’t do them any good in the long-term, watching them flail is amusing, and they’ll probably cut something that will seriously annoy their base support.  In fact, Rep. Cantor should add something like that in next week’s YouCut list; it’s always nice for the rest of the country to come together to show their dislike of the Democratic progressive base…

Moe Lane

Crossposted  to Moe Lane.

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COMMENTS

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  • NeoKong

    I can think of one.

  • yoyo

    1. Social Security, for anyone under 50 yrs old at the end of FY2011.
    2. ObamaCare
    3. Medicare, no new enrollee’s
    4. Medicaid, period.
    5. SCHIP
    6. NEA
    7. TSA
    8. DHS
    9. EPA
    10. DNI
    11. Fannie/Freddie/Sally
    12. HUD
    13. BLM
    14. DOL
    15. IRS
    16. BATF or FBI, choose one.
    17. DCMA or DCAA, choose one.
    18. OMB
    19. GM/Chrysler
    20. NSA or CIA, choose one.
    21. Farm Subsidies

    THEN, repeal:
    – Sarbanes/Oxley
    – Allowance of Federal Employees to Collectively Bargain

    This would be a fairly good start. Shave a couple Trillion off the budget, fo’ sho’.

  • renny

    Just a small start toward productive efficiency among the incompetent and insufficient..

    Isn’t there a pattern here? SEC drones spent 8 hours a day with porno in 2008 as the economy melted–the liberal equiv. of fiddling while DC burned.

    And, now, we learn MMS, overseers of deep oil well drilling, was also deep in the throes of porno delights while no one was vetting the permits or watching the inspections in a 5000-foot well, which, now is, well, gushing.

    If, I, as a certified teacher (now retired) had been caught with porno on my computer, I could have been suspended, had my certification revoked, and never been able to teach again (in NJ).

    How about the fed. agencies issue rules that prevent gov’t employees from accessing porn on the job? Just think how much more they could accomplish. On the other hand, maybe we are just as well off that they do as little as the can.

  • renny

    Sorry.

  • Hugh

    like Earned Income Credit, etc. That’s good for another 100 billion or so per year. We also need to return to all sharing in the cost of government in some way. WE THE PEOPLE mens just that. All need some skin in the game.

  • Russ Martin

    immediately cut all retirement and health care benefits for former elected federal officials including presidents and congress.

  • johnt

    badly needed federal programs, the “usual” are hurt most.

    It’s all pablum for the fools, though those addicted to the love of government,”progressives”, may be upset,
    Prediction, biggest cuts will come in Defense, war being unimportant when compared to domestic control.

  • wolfster38

    UN
    Flights for Nancy and all who are in the House, take coach.
    Any meals and drinks we pay for.
    Limo service. Drive yourself.

  • E Pluribus Unum

    I can’t think of a single one I disapprove of. But I do have my favorites.. My loudest amens to #1,2,4,5,9,11,19, and both repeals.

    Nice work, yoyo.

  • Common_Cents

    A no brainer in the real world but unthinkable for CONgress.

  • cwilson

    I’m not sure 15 years is enough time for people to adjust, plan, and modify their investment strategies to compensate for the expected loss. (This is if you assume, incorrectly, that the current system WILL actually be there and solvent in 15 years, otherwise — but many people are still living in dreamland).

    I think I’d set the cutoff at 45; that’s twenty years. (And I’d be under the cutoff either way, so no self-interest here).

  • E Pluribus Unum

    Since I will be that age after FY 2011.

    But it’s very easy to get into the weeds with details here. SS is a disaster, it’s a money pit, it’s something like 1/3 the entire budget(???I don’t know the percentage) and growing. It needs to die. It was never the government’s business. How to kill it as equitably and as fairly as possible is a level of detail that goes beyond the scope of yoyo’s list.

    Another argument, another day.

  • E Pluribus Unum
  • janis

    for Congress and their lifetime benefits in their goldplated medical plan. The one that none of us will ever get to participate in.

  • yoyo

    Thanks to Reagan. Remember?

    And all of this is assuming, of course, that at 65 1/2 yrs (or 67 1/2) you can no longer work.

    Remember, 65/67 is just a number. Just how many people who can work don’t, just because they are subsidized not to.

    What is to keep engineers, doctors, lawyers, CongressCritters, Senators, Presidents, business owners, managers, consultants, administrators, secretaries, scientists, teachers, and (STOP MAKING ME LIST STUFF!!!! LOL) others from continuing to work until 75, if they are still healthy? Right now, it is SS and Medicare that keeps them from working.

    [I am acutely aware that I only listed white collar jobs...but if after 50+ yrs in the workforce, you have not moved up to some sort of white collar position, you have bigger issues that need addressed.]

    So, I think 25 years is PLENTY of time to get your retirement in order.

  • yoyo

    Coming from you makes the complement all the more worth it.

    And given the list, I think it is safe to assume that I will NOT be winning any elections for CongressCritter, Senator, or President any time soon!

    ‘:o)~

  • teresakoch

    Seems to me that is one of their CONSTITUTIONAL DUTIES, and they are shirking it……

  • admdavid

    Dept of Energy
    Dept of Education
    Dept of Interior
    Dept of Health & Human Services
    Dept of Housing & Urban Development
    Dept of Commerce

    And all their related agencies, commissions, etc.