The other day, Douglas Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office, described current deficits as “unsustainable.” So let’s make them even more so.

The president tells us, with a straight face, that his grossly irresponsible profligate wastrel of a predecessor took the federal budget on an eight-year joyride, so the only way his sober, fiscally prudent successor can get things under control is to grab the throttle and crank it up to what Mel Brooks in “Spaceballs” (which seems the appropriate comparison) called “Ludicrous Speed.”

Obama’s spending proposes to take the average Bush deficit for the years 2001-08 and double it, all the way to 2020. To get out of the Bush hole, we need to dig a hole twice as deep for one-and-a-half times as long. And that’s according to the official projections of his economics czar, Ms. Rose-Colored Glasses.

By 2015, the actual hole may be so deep that even if you toss every Obama speech down it on double-spaced paper you still won’t be able to fill it up. In the spendthrift Bush days, federal spending as a proportion of GDP averaged 19.6%. Obama proposes to crank it up to 25% as a permanent feature of life.

But if they’re “unsustainable,” what happens when they can no longer be sustained? A failure of bond auctions? A downgraded government debt rating? Reduced GDP growth? Total societal collapse? Mad Max on the New Jersey Turnpike?

Testifying to the House Budget Committee, Director Elmendorf attempted to pull back from the wilder shores of “unsustainable”:

“I think most observers expect that the government will act, that the unsustainability will be resolved through action, not through witnessing some collapse down the road,” he said. “If literally nothing is done, then eventually something very, very bad happens. But I think the widespread view is that you and your colleagues will take action.”

Dream on, you kinky fantasist. The one thing that can be guaranteed is that a political class led by Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, a handful of reach-across-the-aisle Republican accommodationists and an economically illiterate narcissist in the Oval Office is never going to rein in unsustainable spending in any meaningful sense.

That leaves Elmendorf’s alternative scenario. What was it again? Oh, yeah:

“Some collapse down the road.”

Speaking of roads: I see that, according to USA Today, when the economic downturn began, the Department of Transportation had just one employee making over $170,000. A year and a half later, it has 1,690.

Happy days are here again!

Did you get your pay raise this year? What’s that, you don’t work for the government? Yes you do, one way or another. Good luck relying on Obama, Pelosi, Frank and the other Emirs of Kleptocristan “taking action” to “resolve” that.

In the last month, the cost of insuring Greece’s sovereign debt against default has doubled. Spain and Portugal are headed the same way. When you binge-spend at the Greek level in a democratic state, there aren’t many easy roads back. The government has introduced an austerity package to rein in spending. In response, Greek tax collectors have walked off the job.

Read that again slowly: To protest government cuts, striking tax collectors are refusing to collect taxes. In a sane world, this would be a hilarious TV comedy sketch. But most of the Western world is no longer sane. It’s tough enough to persuade the town drunk to sober up, but when everyone’s face down in the moonshine, maybe it’s best to just head for the hills.

Well this is just great.

Read the whole thing.

More from Hot Air’s Greenroom.

I have always appreciated the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. But only since this summer and the healthcare initiative have I ever participated in any kind of political activism. Last January and for two months, I really thought that Obama might really be what America needs. However, I now believe that he has demonstrated that he knows how to use the right words, but his actions are incongruous with his message. I now believe that what we are seeing could be called a “Tipping Point”. Every night the media asks “Why don’t the people believe Obama?” I believe it is because so many Americans are also getting a sense of his true agenda. Last August, In my anger, I wrote the following to Congress and the American people. I have sent this to EVERY U.S. Senator, and all major media outlets:

A Pledge to Congress:

Whereas, thousands of homeowners have overextended their spending and are now bankrupt; so have both parties in Congress overextended America’s spending, thereby threatening “We the People” with bankruptcy;
Whereas, both parties in Congress, as well as state and local government, treat “We the People” as a never ending financial supply for government spending;

Whereas, both parties in Congress have demonstrated they cannot control spending, and through their legislation are a major reason for the current financial crisis;

Whereas, many Congresspersons in both parties ignore and violate the very same laws that they expect “We the People” to obey;

Whereas, both parties of Congress have either forgotten or choose to ignore that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are documents detailing the boundaries of government power and influence, from “We the People”;

Whereas, both parties in Congress, through deficit spending, are undermining the Constitution they have sworn to protect and defend from all enemies, foreign and domestic;

Whereas, “We the people” have given the power to the government to govern, “We the people” are skeptical of all politicians that tell us the government is giving us permission, to do anything;

Whereas, many Congresspersons in both parties do not understand that excessive taxation enslaves “We the People”, whether we are rich or poor, pay taxes or not;

Whereas, “We the People” believe our own Congressperson is doing great, while realistically, most multiple-term members of Congress are the problem;

Whereas, to the extent that “We the People” have encouraged or expected our Congressperson(s) to bring home “the bacon”, “We the People” bear part of the blame for the current financial crisis and pledge to never engage in this behavior in the future;

Whereas, “We the People” make difficult spending choices in order to avoid financial disaster; Congress must commit to make difficult spending choices to avoid America’s financial collapse;

Whereas, Congress has neither identified the areas of healthcare excellence, nor analyzed and explained how
a sweeping change to the existing system will impact those areas of excellence;

Whereas, Congress and the President have apparently not included any of the following important stakeholders in the healthcare development process: doctors, nurses, hospital and insurance administrators, lawyers, judges, inventors of medical technology, manufacturing and pharmaceutical administrators, or individuals with real wisdom – retired Americans;

Whereas, both parties of Congress have no problem with adding to the national debt;

Whereas, Social Security is on the path to economic failure due to unrestrained Congressional spending;

Whereas, Congress and the Executive Branch refuse to look objectively at the historical evidence of the Law of Unintended Consequences following government legislation;

Whereas, Congress, even though given the authority by the President to write legislation, many have not even read the proposed bills, and refuse to allow “We the People” to read them before Congressional vote;
Whereas, the current healthcare debate has little to do with health and more to do with political ideology;
Whereas, a large number of “We the People” believe it has been a good day when Congress has not passed any legislation;

Therefore; I, Dennis Hollingsead of Buchanan, Michigan (son of a medical doctor and hospital employee for 17 years), cannot support ANY healthcare proposal, current or future that does not include major stakeholder groups in the development process. Furthermore, I encourage “We the People” to pledge to remove from office at the ballot box, any and all Representatives, Senators, or Federal Executives proposing legislation that adds to the national debt!

Dennis Hollingsead MLS, MMus
Buchanan, MI 49107

Ignore us at your peril. No ObamaCare, no cap-and-trade, and no card check. Quarantine Obama and his liberal allies. Republicans, RINOs, and moderate democrats – you have been placed on notice. Represent the will of the people and survive the political earthquake. Turn your back on us and we will rip through the barricade that surrounds the Beltway, take back our dome, and grab you by the scruff of your neck and throw you to the lions.

Update on the pink slip campaign: Not surprising, there is very little news on the congressional pink slip campaign but the examiner is reporting as of October 1st that 1.5 million pink slips have been sent to Congress. Since then, at least a million more arrived per a conference call I attended last week, with more arriving daily. The pink slips, arriving by regular mail, take about 4-6 weeks to make it to the desk. Like the 9/12 march on DC, this is vastly under-reported by the press, including Fox News. Dereliction of duty.

The success of the pink slip campaign is due in part to the contribution by Federal Express and their agreement to create enough slips to send to all members of Congress at a cost of around $30.00.

The primary U.S. Senate committee responsible for writing climate change legislation will delay its work until September, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer said on Thursday.

Boxer, who earlier this week said she wanted her committee to finish writing its portion of legislation mandating reductions in carbon dioxide emissions before an early August recess, told reporters that instead, “We’ll do it as soon as we get back” in September.

The delay could be a setback to President Barack Obama, who wants quick congressional action on a climate change bill.

Best quote of the day comes from Michelle in reference to the eight GOP cap-and-traitors in the House:

Hey, GOP Cap-and-Tax 8?ers, feeling pretty stupid right about now?

Up next: health care reform.

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Original Post (7/8/2009):
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Cruising the internet this morning, I noted a piece in ABC’s The Note written by Rick Klein that brought a smile to my face. The tide is turning in the battle against the Obamaniacs, the enemy is in retreat, and now is the time to strike the final blow. In Economies of Sale – Obama Agenda Threatened by Economy, Mr. Klein notes:

Look what’s back.

It took a trip abroad, a few Republicans to make some other news, and maybe even one of those once-a-decade funerals that double as international events, but the economy is the big issue again.

It’s never really gone away — though $787 billion in stimulus cash was supposed to have turned things around by now.

But it hasn’t, and here we are. Give us a jobs report, a sliding Dow, a vice-presidential admission, and a presidential certainty that everything was handled right, and we’ve got a fresh dose of the issue that’s always been here — and that’s closer than ever to belonging to the Democrats alone.

(If the domestic divisions weren’t enough, let’s go international: The economy will be a main focus at Wednesday’s G-8 sessions, in Italy, where President Obama spends his day after wrapping up the Russia portion of his trip.)

(And while he’s been away — maybe a bit too much playing by his top aides? So far, President Obama has had to tidy up some mixed messaging coming from his vice president and his chief of staff; it’s only Wednesday.)

On the economy — this time, it’s not as easy to blame the predecessors. This time, the pressure to change course comes from the left and the right.

This time, there’s an ambitious domestic agenda that’s at risk of getting sidetracked.

Now, it’s the president himself on the line.

Dan Balz notes the coming judgement on Obama and the economy:

Nothing may be more important to public assessments of President Obama’s leadership than the state of the economy, and at this point there are political warning lights flashing.

Mr. Balz continues later in the article:

The administration is trying to tamp down talk that it didn’t get it quite right — talk created by Vice President Biden. On Sunday, he told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, “We and everyone else misread the economy.”

And where does all of this leave Obama’s agenda?

Concerns about whether the stimulus package is working, or will, are the last thing Obama needs at this moment. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has set the administration’s calendar to focus all energies this month on the legislative battle over health care. Questions about the economy, and about the need for more stimulus funding, may only complicate hopes for passing what other presidents have failed to get done.

Obama continues to argue that health-care reform is a critical piece of his plan to fix the economy, long term. But even some Democrats worry that the centerpiece of the administration’s economic program is not working as well as they had hoped. Senior administration officials contend that no stimulus effort could offset the full effects of this recession but that the plan is helping and will continue to ameliorate the effects of the downturn.

Just keep telling yourself that, boys and girls, while the adults in the room try to figure out what festering plague infects your frontal cortex to the point where you would believe that any government stimulus would help the economy. Nope, we are smarter than you and know better. Still, stimulus part two is making its debut. Hey, I know, let’s try this, and if it doesn’t work, lets try it again, and again, and again. If the definition of insanity is performing the same act over and over expecting different results, Obama and the Democrats are in dire need of padded cells and straight jackets.

And then there is Michael Gerson of the Washington Post on Obama’s Iceberg:

Around midnight on April 15, 1912, there were a few minutes when Capt. Edward Smith of the Titanic realized his ship was going down — six watertight compartments breached, less than two hours to float — yet his passengers slept in happy ignorance. A historical fate hardened while most of the participants dreamed on.

The jobs report last week opened a long gash beneath the waterline of President Obama’s legislative agenda. Few realize it, but a scramble for lifeboats is about to begin.

Obama and the liberals are creating their own economic Katrina and leaving common sense packed away neatly into suitcases in the attic. Is there a silver lining for Obama and his liberal allies? Yes, given their belief in the hoax of global warming; which the rest of the world is waking up to, they should be smiling. The dim bulbs in their heads certainly lower their carbon footprint. Inside the liberal skull, nature does not abhor a vacuum.

Michael Gerson continues:

By the time the health-care debate begins in earnest, these challenges at the federal level will be unavoidable. Perhaps $1 trillion in spending will be on the table. Some of the resources necessary for a “revenue-neutral” bill may come from savings in the health system. But administration and congressional officials are already hinting at the need for new revenue, including some type of tax on employer-provided health benefits. “The important thing at this point is . . . to keep the discussions going,” says Obama senior adviser David Axelrod, even if discussions include such taxes. “We haven’t drawn a lot of bright lines,” explains White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

To pass his health proposal this year, Obama would first need to violate his word. As a presidential candidate, he pledged that “no one making less than $250,000 a year will see any type of tax increase” — the most memorable number of the 2008 campaign. Taxing health benefits would certainly cross this very bright line and add to the public stock of cynicism.

Second, Obama would need to abandon economic common sense — adding debt to debt or new taxes to a struggling economy. Either way, it would be a sad story.

Or maybe the captain could wake the passengers, end their dreams and announce the obvious: Because the economy has not improved, ambitious health reform must wait.

Back to Rick Klein who informs us:

A little more open: “We need to be open to whether or not we need additional action” to stimulate the economy, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters, per Bloomberg’s James Rowley and Brian Faler.

“Democrats are all over the map on the stimulus and the possibility of a sequel, and it’s not hard to see why: When it comes to a second stimulus, they may be damned if they do and damned if they don’t,” Politico’s Victoria McGrane reports.

The thing about the urgency around quick action: “The Obama administration made its work harder by fostering unrealistic expectations. It projected in February a far rosier economic outlook than private analysts did,” McClatchy’s Kevin G. Hall and David Lightman report. “Obama’s stimulus was designed to create 3.5 million jobs. That would replace only about half the jobs lost since the recession began.”

Need more proof that the economy is back as the issue? “U.S. stocks fell to their lowest level in 10 weeks on Tuesday as talk of a second government stimulus plan heightened fears that the economy is not yet on the path to recovery and that the corporate earnings season starting this week will be weak,” Reuters’ Edward Krudy reports.

(And what happens if unemployment reaches 14 percent –as predicted by Louis Woodhill, at RealClearMarkets?)

About those jobs: “Leading economists agree that the most powerful effects of the stimulus package have yet to be felt. But even if the measure lives up to Obama’s expectations, it would barely offset the 433,000 jobs the nation lost last month alone, and the resulting employment would represent a drop in the bucket compared with the 6.5 million jobs lost since the recession began in December 2007,” Lori Montgomery writes in The Washington Post.

And then there is the warning for Republicans:

A counterpoint, from Bob Shrum in The Week: “For the GOP, it’s another case of buying short-term press at the expense of coherent strategy. The party again reinforced the sense that it has no answers of its own; Republicans came across as transparently eager for a continuing or deepening recession that they can blame on Obama,” Shrum writes. “The GOP will pay a heavy political price if the economy does turn around.”

Translation for Republicans: America wants smaller government. Start acting like conservatives and ignore the Colin Powells who are calling for moderation in the party. Take your balls out of storage and dust them off. We have already seen what a moderate RINO is capable of. Maybe its me, but George Bush and John McCain don’t seem that much different than the bozos leading us now. They can’t even pretend anymore, their attempts at hiding their onerous intentions exposing them as nothing less than a sheep in sheep’s clothing.

Remember, the first round of stimulus started under George Bush, and the biggest growth in government (present companye exluded, of course) happened on his watch with the Medicare prescription drug program. And don’t get me started on immigration or I’ll bust a blood vessel in my head.

What America needs now is fiscal conservatives dedicated to the founding principles of this country – smaller governement, freedom, and opportunity. And let’s not forget fiscal responsibility.

Shrum’s advice to the GOP?

Unless: “the GOP’s spectral rhetoric could spook congressional Democrats into a self-destructive period of doubt and disarray,” Shrum continues. “The casualties would be health reform, the energy bill that still has to pass the Senate, and conceivably a second stimulus package — which Vice President Biden just refused to rule out because it may be needed. The other casualties would be the Democrats themselves; instead of changing the country, the outcome would be a change in the balance of political power.”

I have a dream of success – and keeping my hard earned money away from obnoxious tofu-chomping, sushi-eating potheads. The liberal moto: Let no dream be fullfilled, excellence recognized, nor truth be recognized.

Meciocrity for all, and to all a good night.

More News and Opinions:

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air: Gore: Fighting global warming is like fighting Nazis

Sister Toldjah on Waxman: Not supporting Obama’s agenda means your are “against America”

Michelle Malkin: Cap and Tax 8 Watch: A letter to Dave Reichert

Emperor Misha I on a senior White House official trampling on the constitution regarding the START treaty.