Showing posts with label Congressional Budget Office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Congressional Budget Office. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Obama: How Can You Say Things Are Improving??? 8 reasons why you're wrong!

RealtyTrac: April foreclosures rise 32 percent
MIAMI – The number of U.S. households faced with losing their homes to foreclosure jumped 32 percent in April compared with the same month last year, with Nevada, Florida and California showing the highest rates, according to data released Wednesday.

Median home prices fall in 88 percent of cities
WASHINGTON – Home prices fell in nearly nine out of every 10 U.S. cities in the first quarter of this year as first-time buyers looking for bargains dominated the market.

Retail sales drop unexpectedly in April
WASHINGTON – Retail sales fell for a second straight month in April, a disappointing performance that raised doubts about whether consumers were regaining their desire to shop. A rebound in consumer demand is a necessary ingredient for ending the recession

U.S. credit rating at risk: former agency chief
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The United States is at risk of losing its triple-A credit rating unless it starts putting its finances in order, a former head of the agency in charge of fiscal accountability said in the Financial Times on Wednesday.

U.S. posts first April budget deficit since 1983
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States posted its first April deficit in 26 years, a record $20.91 billion shortfall as a deep recession caused revenues to collapse in the year's biggest tax collection month, the U.S. Treasury said on Tuesday

US trade gap widens for first time since July
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US trade deficit increased in March for the first time in seven months as exports sank to a 2004 low amid the global economic crisis crippling trade, Commerce Department data showed Tuesday.

Dollar falls to multi-week low against euro
LONDON (AFP) – The dollar struck a near-seven week low against the euro on Tuesday as safe-haven demand for the US currency declined on prospects for an improvement in the battered global economy, dealers said.

White House forecasts higher budget deficit
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Monday raised its forecast for this year's U.S. budget deficit by $89 billion due to the recession, millions of new unemployment claims and corporate bailouts

Monday, May 4, 2009

Obama Owns This Financial Tsunami

There may be many parties responsible for our Economic Earthquake, but Obama will own the Financial Tsunami.

If you listen to Obama, the economic earthquake is over. All of this after Obama continually terrorized the American public with threats that if he wasn't allowed to immediately take extreme measures that the entire economy would collapse. Now, Obama is on his 'feel good' campaign to convince the American public that "He" has now put us onto the path of economic recovery.

But let's not start the economic recovery party just yet, there's someone at America's front door. It's the "Financial Tsunami." You know, the guy that sometimes shows up after being triggered by an economic earthquake. A financial tsunami that was triggered by staggeringly destructive economic decision making.

Hey, wait a minute! Obama only sounded the alarm bells about an economic earthquake. There was no mention about a Financial Tsunami. What gives?

Well, some might describe that as an "inconvenient truth." If Obama had mentioned that his actions taken after the economic earthquake might precipitate a financial Tsunami, he may not have been able to convince the American people to go along with the drastic measures that he and congress insisted had to be implemented in order for our economy to recover from the '100 year' economic earthquake.

But what about all the Economic Earthquake Experts that Obama has on his team? Shouldn't the experts have known this Tsunami would happen, and shouldn't they have warned us about its imminent arrival? Yes and yes.

The fact that these so-called economic earthquake experts failed to educate the American public about the possibility of a pending financial Tsunami can only be explained in two ways:

One - They're either stupid and aren't the experts they proclaim to be, or
Two - they intentionally misled the public in order to further their agenda

It may come as a surprise, but the following New York Times article actually indicates that the worst part of our economic situation may not be over with. It's also an indication that the "inconvenient truths" may be starting to surface in the Maimed Stream Media and that the consequences for the measures taken by Obama and Congress might have made things worse, especially for the long term.

Obama continues to spoon feed the American public his verbal opium. Obama and his staff are on a mission to ensure that the euphoria he created while campaigning for President continues. He knows it's the only way he can keep the American public at bay. He offered them his Messianic vision of hope and change, that had no substance, and brainwashed them into believing that they needed it.

The majority of Americans who voted for Obama still hang on his every word. However, regardless of his status of self-proclaimed Messiah, there will actually be a day of reckoning for even him.

Right now, Obama continues to stand on his Messianic stage. His supporters face him, jaws dropped, drooling uncontrollably. All the while, a financial Tsunami is racing up from behind them. Obama has chosen not to warn the unsuspecting masses.
Rees

Worries Rise on the Size of U.S. Debt
The nation’s debt clock is ticking faster than ever — and Wall Street is getting worried.
from The New York Time
By Graham Bowley and Jack Healy

As the Obama administration racks up an unprecedented spending bill for bank bailouts, Detroit rescues, health care overhauls and stimulus plans, the bond market is starting to push up the cost of trillions of dollars in borrowing for the government.

Already, in the first six months of this fiscal year, the federal deficit is running at $956.8 billion, or nearly one seventh of gross domestic product — levels not seen since World War II, according to Wrightson ICAP, a research firm.

The rising tab has prompted warnings from the Treasury that the Congressionally mandated debt ceiling of $12.1 trillion will most likely be breached in the second half of this year.

Last week, the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee, a group of industry officials that advises the Treasury on its financing needs, warned about the consequences of higher deficits at a time when tax revenues were “collapsing” by 14 percent in the first half of the fiscal year.

“Given the outlook for the economy, the cost of restoring a smoothly functioning financial system and the pending entitlement obligations to retiring baby boomers,” a report from the committee said, “the fiscal outlook is one of rapidly increasing debt in the years ahead.”

While the real long-term interest rate will not rise immediately, the committee concluded, “such a fiscal path could force real rates notably higher at some point in the future.”

The trouble is that government borrowing risks crowding out private investment, driving up interest rates and potentially slowing a recovery still trying to take hold. That is why the Federal Reserve announced an extraordinary policy this year to buy back existing long-term debt — $300 billion over six months — to drive down yields. The strategy worked for a while, but now the impact of that decision appears to be wearing off as long-term interest rates tick up again.

Then there is the concern that the interest the government must pay on its debt obligations may become unsustainable or weigh on future generations. The Congressional Budget Office expects interest payments to more than quadruple in the next decade as Washington borrows and spends, to $806 billion by 2019 from $172 billion next year.

“You’re just paying more and more interest and having to borrow more and more money to pay the interest,” said Charles S. Konigsberg, chief budget counsel for the Concord Coalition, which advocates lower deficits. “It diverts a tremendous amount of resources, of taxpayer dollars.”

One worry, however, is that there are fewer eager lenders to buy all that American debt. Most of the world is in recession, and other nations have rising borrowing needs as well. As other nations’ surpluses turn to deficits, America will face competition in global financial markets for its borrowing needs. For the moment, the United States is actually benefiting from a flight to quality into Treasuries brought on by the global financial crisis, which helped reduce rates to record lows this winter. But the influx will not continue forever.

China has lent immense sums to the United States — about two-thirds of its central bank’s $1.95 trillion in foreign reserves is believed to be in United States securities — but it has begun to voice concerns about America’s financial health.

To calm nerves and fill the deficit hole, the government is getting creative. The Treasury is ramping up its auction calendar, holding more frequent sales of government debt and selling the debt in expanded amounts. It is now holding sales of its 30-year bond each month, up from four times annually.

It is also resuscitating previously discontinued bonds, such as the seven-year note and the three-year note, to try to mop up any available money all along the yield curve. There is even talk of issuing billions of dollars of a new 50-year bond, though the idea has not won official approval.

On a second front, the Treasury and the Federal Reserve are trying to bolster the mechanics of the market — to make sure every auction goes smoothly. With such enormous sums involved, every extra basis point on the interest rate the government pays could mean extra billions of dollars for the taxpayer. Earlier this year, when demand was hesitant at a Treasury auction and when a British bond auction went poorly, investors grew nervous that the government might struggle to sell its mountain of debt.
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Sunday, May 3, 2009

Obama's first 100 days from a black's perspective

from Renew America
By Lloyd Marcus
May 3, 2009

Remember the Soup Nazi on the Seinfeld sitcom? If you annoyed the chef, he would yell, "No soup for you!" When I hear the mindless reasoning of Obama supporters, I want to scream, "NO VOTE FOR YOU!"

All of our spending as a nation up until this point in time is dwarfed by Obama's spending in only 100 days. And yet, he promises fiscal responsibility. Our great grand kids will be paying his debt. Various areas of private sector freedoms are being infringed upon as Obama boldly goes where government has never trespassed before. My goodness, he fired the CEO of a private company, GM, and nobody cares. Such government overreaching should scare the 'bee-gee-bas' out of you.

And yet, I realize those embittered with 'class envy' love Obama's power grab and redistribution plans. Manipulative politicians have suckered you into believing that you have little because others have too much. What a tragic, dis-empowering and repulsive mindset. Losers. Losers. Losers. Winners think completely the opposite. America is the greatest nation on the planet with opportunity for ALL who are willing to GO FOR IT!

Now, let's talk national defense. In a nutshell, Obama wants to make 'nice-nice' with those who want us dead. Believing his own fawning press, Obama thinks the power of his charisma will transform evil megalomaniacs and religious zealots into allies. How arrogant, narcissistic, and scary is that? Mr President, what part of "we will kill ALL (infidels) who do not embrace our religion" do you not understand?

And another thing, despite my flaws, my wonderful wife thinks I'm the best thing since sliced bread. Is it too much to ask that our president feel such pride and affection for his country? Obama is constantly trashing our way of life and referencing policies abroad as the lead we should follow.

I realize this is after the fact, but what the heck were you Christians thinking? You voted for a guy who voted to let babies die that survive abortions. Sadly, I believe it all comes down to two mindless emotional things. Obama is black and his speeches make you feel good.

While I am ranting, if one more conservative congratulates me because we have our first black president, I am going to slap them. Well, not physically, but in my brain. In essence, they're saying, "Obama is wrecking our country, but you should be proud, Lloyd, because he is black like you." Lord, help us!

© Lloyd Marcus
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Friday, March 20, 2009

It's Obama's Crisis Now

By Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
from The DC Examiner
3/20/09

You might have missed it, but a key moment in Barack Obama's young presidency occurred Wednesday afternoon as he began his trip to California to become the first sitting president to appear on a late-night comedy show. Heading for his helicopter, Obama made a statement about the AIG bonuses, and he didn't use the word "inherited." As in "we inherited this crisis."

"Ultimately, I'm responsible, I'm the president of the United States," Obama told reporters. "The buck stops with me." That makes it official: Barack Obama didn't start the financial crisis, but he owns it now.

Before anyone gives the president an award for political courage, remember that provisions regarding the bonuses -- and who knows what else -- were buried deep inside the $787 billion economic stimulus bill that Obama and his fellow Democrats rushed through Congress. Every single Republican in the House voted against it, and all but three GOP senators did the same. There's no way Obama can blame the stimulus, and its contents, on anyone other than himself.

"What's beginning to happen is his actions are starting to have consequences," a Republican pollster told me. "And this is one of those. He hurried everybody through that process, and it's now his actions that are causing things that people are unhappy about."
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Republicans Pounce on Congressional Budget Office Estimates

Friday, March 20, 2009
by Mark Murray
from MSNBC

From NBC's Mark MurrayRepublicans have seized on today's news that the budget deficit, per the Congressional Budget Office, will top $1.8 trillion this year and will reach nearly $1.4 trillion in 2010 -- more than the Obama administration's estimate.

Said Sen. John McCain in a statement: “The Congressional Budget Office report proves that the Administration has indeed engaged in a policy of generational theft. The CBO numbers show the reality of the fundamentally flawed assumptions of the president’s budget and make clear what it really is: a risky, debt-ridden threat to the nation."

Here's Sen. John Thune: “These numbers are staggering and prove that spending in Washington is out of control. It is unconscionable to borrow this much money from China and force American families and small businesses to cover the cost through higher taxes."

And House Minority Leader John Boehner: "We simply cannot continue to mortgage our children and grandchildren's future to pay for bigger and more costly government. Families and small businesses across America are making difficult budget decisions each and every day during this recession, and it's time for Washington to do the same. Unfortunately, the President's budget doesn't do that."
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Congressional Budget Office: Annual deficits will be much worse than Obama thinks

"The nation’s debt would grow to 82 percent of the overall economy by 2019 under Obama’s policies, compared to the previous average of 40 percent…"

This country can't survive with a debt ratio like that.
Rees

posted at 3:15 pm
March 20, 2009
from Hot Air.com
by Allahpundit

Good news and bad news. The good news is, the GOP’s chances of a comeback are looking brighter than ever. The bad news is, I’m not sure what’ll be left for them to come back to.

To put these numbers in context, bear in mind that last year’s deficit of $459 billion was the largest on record.

In a new report that provides the first independent analysis of President Obama’s budget request, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted that the administration’s agenda would generate deficits averaging nearly $1 trillion a year over the next decade — $2.3 trillion more than the president predicted when he unveiled his spending plan just one month ago.

And while Obama would come close to meeting his goal of cutting the deficit in half by the end of his first term, the CBO predicts that the nation’s annual operating deficit would never drop below 4 percent of the overall economy over the next decade, a level administration officials have said is unsustainable because the national debt would grow too rapidly.

By the CBO’s estimate, for example, the nation’s debt would grow to 82 percent of the overall economy by 2019 under Obama’s policies, compared with a pre-recession average of 40 percent…

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (N-N.D.) has said the gloomier CBO forecast would require “adjustments” to Obama’s budget, though he declined to specify what changes would be necessary.

Adjustments in numbers or adjustments to the whole grand Great Society II scheme? Only the former, promises Obama budget guru Peter Orszag, vowing not to sacrifice The One’s health care/energy/climate change/education agenda. To which I say, we’ll see about that.

Robert Reich lays it out plainly: “The Wall Street bailout is starting to look like the most expensive tax-supported fiasco in history… The president cannot afford to lose the public’s confidence that his administration is a careful steward of the public’s money. The public was willing to go along with a large stimulus package. But it won’t go along with a second stimulus, and certainly not another TARP. And until the public feels confident that its money isn’t being thrown down a rat hole, it may balk at other ambitious undertakings such as healthcare or education or the environment.” Indeed, which means all that stands between Obama and a congressional revolt is the bank-healin’ mojo of … Tim Geithner. Good luck, Barry.

Exit question: Why do I have a sudden irresistible urge to start watching Glenn Beck?

Update: The GOP goes appropriately nuclear.
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