Pirate's Cove

I bet you forgot, as I did, that February 16th was Stimulus Day. Reince Priebus did not, and offers up this op-ed in The Washington Times

Two years ago today, President Obama signed into law a “stimulus package” that his administration promised would keep unemployment under 8 percent. What has been the result of nearly $1 trillion spent on the so-called “stimulus?” Twenty-one months of unemployment at or above 9 percent, 2.6 million jobs lost, unsustainable budget deficits and an ever-growing national debt.

Americans rejected the Democrats’ reckless tax and spend policies last November. Despite this “shellacking,” Mr. Obama‘s proposed budget ignores the will of the American people and reflects a complete lack of seriousness for our fiscal crisis.

In my capacity as the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, it is my job to help hold President Obama accountable for his lack of leadership.

No offense, Reince, but your primary job is to raise money for the GOP and get Republicans elected. If you smack Obama around while doing that, fantastic. But, the rest of what you wrote is spot on.

Looking at the president’s fiscal 2012 budget, my job may have just gotten a little easier. As the reviews come in, it’s clear the president didn’t live up to his own standards.

Under the president’s spending plan, 2012 will be the fourth consecutive year of running deficits in excess of $1 trillion. As a result of Mr. Obama‘s spending spree, the federal debt will soon be equal to the entire U.S. economy.

Instead of showing the leadership this country wants and deserves, the president continues to punt on real fiscal responsibility, making none of the tough decisions to cut spending – at no point in his budget would we spend less than we are taking in, raising taxes by $1.6 trillion and adding $13 trillion in new debt.

And what’s the unhinged leftist (and wishy washy Republican) answer to all this debt? Why, to raise taxes! Witness John Cole

I’ve said this before, and I will say it again. Unless your proposal includes a substantial increase in taxes and a substantial amount of cuts to the military budget as well as ending the farm subsidies and giveaways to big oil and big energy and big business, you can kindly just shut up about the deficit and the debt. Additionally, any cuts to entitlements need to include cuts to the CURRENT recipients, not grandfathering the boomers and then wondering why the cuts never materialize in the future.

If you aren’t going to do those things, just shut up. You aren’t serious.

This is the point where I ask John and anyone else who supports what John is saying “since you hate the “Bush tax cuts” so much, and think we need higher tax rates, have you been sending extra money to the IRS at the pre-2001/2003 rates, and will you do so this year?” This usually ends with a massive, monstrous, incredible deflection from those I ask the question to, things like “It’s not about me, it’s about all of us” and “If Bush hadn’t gotten us involved with two illegal wars….” To which I respond “so, the answer is no?”

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.