Presidential Humor, Deficit Spending Edition

Official: Obama wants agency spending cut by $100M

At first we thought it was a misprint on the headline: Surely it should have read $100B, as in "Billion."

Then we checked the calendar, thinking it might still be April 1st. But no, the president intends to ask his cabinet, in its first official meeting today, April 20th, to find ways to cut $100 million of government spending this fiscal year.

Cost-cutting optimists might call that "a good start," but the more cynical among us call it a "rounding error."

Not to press the issue, but in the hour President Obama and his cabinet will discuss ways to save $100 million, the federal government will have spent $228.3 million more than it has taken in.

Yes, a FY2009 projected deficit of $2 trillion means our federal government of the people, etc., etc. is spending nearly $5.5 billion a day more than it collects in tax revenue, which is $228.3 million an hour.

Surely the president and his advisers can think of more important things to do than waste another $228.3 million trying to find ways to save $100 million.

Do they think we can't do the math? Or can't be bothered? And haven't we been told repeatedly for months that, in a deep recession, ALL government spending, even when spending taxpayer dollars borrowed from our BFFs China, et al, is GOOD spending.

Helps the economy, and all since consumers without jobs can't or won't spend and businesses without consumers can't or won't spend.

Don't worry about the waste, we'll address that some other day when the economy is running on all four cylinders.(And by the way, what metaphor will we use when we switch to electric cars? Maybe we'll be running on all "thousand volts" or something.)

Mr. President, please, for $100 million, don't waste everyone's time.

Partial text of linked story:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama convenes his first formal Cabinet meeting Monday and will ask department and agency chiefs to look for ways over the next 90 days to cut $100 million out of the federal budget, a senior administration official said.

Back from his fence-mending trip to Latin America and the Caribbean, Obama will be reminding the panel that American families are having to make tough financial decisions and need to know the government is spending their money wisely, too.

The official discussed Topic A for the session on grounds of anonymity because it will be behind closed doors.

A second senior official, also speaking anonymously, said Obama will point to cuts already being proposed.

The Veterans Affairs Department has canceled or delayed 26 conferences, saving nearly $17.8 million, he noted, and will be using less expensive alternatives, like video conferencing. The Agriculture Department is working to combine 1,500 employees from seven office locations into a single facility in 2011 - saving $62 million over a 15-year lease term. And the Homeland Security Department has estimated it can save up to $52 million over five years by purchasing office supplies in bulk.

The federal deficit for March alone was $192.3 billion, and $100 million would represent about one-twentieth of 1 percent of that. Obama has brought forward a $3.6 trillion budget for the 2010 fiscal year, beginning Oct. 1, a proposal that would produce $9.3 trillion in deficits over the next decade.