$100 Million Dollars

[Gaspar]

Interesting take on numbers.  Most Americans are incapable of visualizing differences numbers as large as a million, billion or trillion.

I got a kick out of the $100 million budget reduction that President Obama forwarded.  I think it's very clever.  Press Secretary Gibbs did an excellent job of defending the cut and presenting it as a massive amount of money "to the average American".

This token gesture is a very good use of strategy.  Those who balk at the number will be crucified as being insensitive or out of touch with the average American and how HE views a hundred million dollars.  The White House has essentially thrown a class envy gauntlet into the ring that threatens to silence the debate on the size of the new deficit spending program.

They expect the Tea Bag crowd to pick this up and rally around it, and they are probably correct in their expectation.  This "talking trap" will be damaging to conservatives, because there is little hope of forwarding public understanding of these types of numbers. 

Brilliant.

[guido911]

Did you see/read Tapper's rip on Gibbs? If not, here ya go:

http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2009/04/21/tapper-exposes-obamas-budget-charade/

[FOTD]

POTUS asked each cabinet member to come up with 100 mil in cuts. While symbolic, we will see by comparrison what the house and Senate musters up. You do not see the Conservative blogs taking this on like you , Guido. They won't take the bait. This WH strategy will make the chimps in the middle right and far right, the "no" people, look like bat rat spider monkeys come the next election.

"Well, we couldn't offer up any cuts of our own...."

You can hear their skulls going numb.

[guido911]

POTUS asked each cabinet member to come up with 100 mil in cuts. While symbolic, we will see by comparrison what the house and Senate musters up. You do not see the Conservative blogs taking this on like you , Guido. They won't take the bait. This WH strategy will make the chimps in the middle right and far right, the "no" people, look like bat rat spider monkeys come the next election.

"Well, we couldn't offer up any cuts of our own...."

You can hear their skulls going numb.

What are you talking about? What am I taking on? I just posted a link.

[cannon_fodder]

Here's how I think if the $100,000,000 cut.

Lets say the average family in Tulsa makes about $50,000 a year.  The Federal Budget for 2009 is $3,100,000,000,000.  To cut $100mil out of the Federal Budget over 4 years (not all the savings are realized this year, representing a total cut of .00003)  is akin to the average Tulsa family slashing 40 cents out of their annual budget for each of the next four years.

A shower costs 10 cents a minute.  I like long showers.  This morning I was in and out in 1 minute instead of 5.  MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.    If you are looking to make similar significant cuts you could skip a cup of coffee in the morning.  Shave 1 mile off your annual driving total.  Or perhaps begin picking up the pennies you see on the streets to offset the 40 cents.

It's insulting.