One would think a party that’s supposed to be a tool of greedy capitalists under the control of Daddy Warbucks would be capable of analyzing a budget. But evidently Republican leadership is no better at dealing with monetary matters than your average foreclosure participant.
It now appears that last week’s budget deal was even worse than conservatives initially feared. A new Congressional Budget Office calculation concludes the agenda–setting, budget cuttery–defining, take–that–Harry–Reid budget slices a mere $352 million in outlays and direct spending.
This means the budget deal that was so depressing last week is even more pathetic than initially thought.
Here’s how the numbers work. Originally conservatives were promised cuts of $100 billion. Once the Boehner regime assumed power, it was uh–oh, we don’t have full year of spending ahead of us after all (it appears no one in leadership owns a calendar) so on a pro–rated basis voters will get $61 billion in cuts.
Except we didn’t.
Instead, $38 billion in “cuts” was heralded as a fiscal new day that put President Obama on the ropes and set the agenda for real cutting when Congress votes on increasing the debt ceiling.
Now the CBO tells us we were flim–flammed and the $38 billion is actually $352 million. So, to put this in perspective, the $38 billion “cut” was only a measly one percent of the total budget. This new figure of $352 million is in reality only one percent of $38 billion, which I think — math don’t fail me now — means the actual budget cut conservatives received is one–tenth of a percent.
Of such are budgetary victories made in the age of Obama.
And while we are discussing spenders, we don’t have to limit ourselves to Washington. Here at home Supervisor Frank Principi has big plans for your tax dollars.
He’s been pushing his “New Woodbridge” vision for two and a half years, starting in 2008 with a “charette” he sponsored.
The original “charette” focused on developing a “transit triangle” with “walkable blocks, green spaces and trails to connect the community.” This sounds more and more like Jamestown, which was also a
triangle featuring walkable blocks, woodland trails, no cars and a howling wilderness outside the walls.
Evidently none of us rednecks could pronounce “charette” so Principi followed that with a “Smart Growth Symposium” last week. The price tag for Principi’s vision is $1 billion, since central planning always carries a premium over market pricing.
For Democrats “smart growth” always means “no roads.” Instead, Principi favors every boutique transportation option known to man: buses, rail, rickshaws, blimps, zip lines and human cannonballs. Anything but the automobile.
Principi’s real favorite is the ferry. Not since Noah have we seen a leader so eager to transport humans on the water.
Unfortunately, for Admiral of the Ocean Sea Principi the one test of the ferry, in May 2009, was a failure. This dry run, which Principi called the “Commuter Ferry Summit” was a test on the USS Minnow departing from Occoquan to Washington on a two–hour tour, yes a two–hour tour.
But wouldn’t you know it, the two–hour tour wound up being a four–hour float–a–thon. The ferry had to contend with driftwood, other vessels, a “no wake” zone and other assorted nautical delays. Year–around ferry passengers would have to contend with fog, rough water and other weather variables.
All of which serve to make a life on the water much less attractive for commuters.
Principi envisions spending $600 million in “stimulus” money before the first ferry launches. Since this is a people ferry and not an auto ferry, passengers will need a place to park before getting on the boat and a means to get from the harbor to work once they dock. Each step adds cost and, more important, time to the journey.
Principi’s touting a $16 round trip fare, but a more realistic estimate is over $20 and even that estimate will leave a $2.5 million yearly deficit taxpayers for to subsidize. And to make a real dent in northbound traffic on I–95 the river will have to look like D–day every morning.
Hawaii started a ferry service in 2007 that went belly up because even people who live on islands didn’t want to support the cost. This is the third time in eight years we’ve looked at a ferry and the answer is always the same: it’s all wet.
Taxpayers do want transportation alternatives, which means a choice in roads. But to Democrats, like Principi, alternative always means spending tax dollars on transportation modes that 90 percent of the public don’t wish to enjoy.
