Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You

Today’s New York Times reports it, but we tried to tell the Cheeto gang back in January ’08.

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama said Wednesday that overhauling Social Security and Medicare would be “a central part” of his administration’s efforts to contain federal spending, signaling for the first time that he would wade into the thorny politics of entitlement programs.

You know those “entitlement” programs we’ve all been paying into since forever? The ones that keep old people and fatherless children from wandering the streets homeless and starving? The President-elect is planning to mess around with them.

Speaking at a news conference in Washington, he provided no details of his approach to rein in Social Security and Medicare, which are projected to consume a growing share of government spending as the baby boom generation ages into retirement over the next two decades. But he said he would have more to say about the issue when he unveiled a budget next month.

Well of course he didn’t provide any details. Has he ever? He’ll leave the details up to his borderline libertarian, deregulation-minded economic advisors.

Should he follow through with a serious effort to cut back the rates of growth of the two programs, he would be opening up a potentially risky battle that neither party has shown much stomach for. The programs have proved almost sacrosanct in political terms, even as they threaten to grow so large as to be unsustainable in the long run.

Interesting. The NYT says Social Security and Medicare are “unsustainable in the long run.” Now why would that be? It wouldn’t have anything to do with the trillions that were just handed over to a bunch of criminals in Wall Street investment banks, would it? You know that legislation Obama lobbied so hard for?

Mr. Obama also was poised to name Cass R. Sunstein, an American legal scholar, to an existing White House post as the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. A transition official said late Wednesday that Mr. Sunstein would oversee government regulations and devise new approaches for government efficiencies.

“Government efficiencies?” Why now all of a sudden, after the U.S. Treasury has been emptied out to help the superrich? Isn’t that kind of like closing the barn door after the horses have already gotten out?

For now, Mr. Obama is seeking to keep the spotlight focused on the economic recovery plan he is urging Congress to pass. He is set to offer a campaignlike address explaining the proposal on Thursday at George Mason University in Virginia, his first speech since winning the election. In the interview, he offered some soothing words to Republicans and the financial markets about his ideological approach, saying it was only the scale and urgency of the economic crisis that led him to support a huge stimulus plan.

“I’m not out to increase the size of the government long- term,” he said. “My preference would be that the private sector was doing this all on their own.”

Hmmm…sounds familiar. I think Barack “Gipper II” Obama is planning to do the same thing to the U.S. that he did to Chicago. Lots of government money gets funneled to his supporters and pals, infrastructure programs get funded and somehow all that money ends up in somebody’s pockets–or in their offshore bank accounts.

All you had to do was read his hopey dopey book, O-bots. He spelled it out for you. Reaganomics II, trickle down–this time with another Great Depression on the way and no “safety net.” Thanks Kool-aid slurpers. We needed an FDR and instead we’re getting your idea of a “messiah.” I did so want a Democratic President this year.