1 Barack Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

2 Never gets old.

3 Barack Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) is tired beyond tired of the trolls at September 16, 2011 10:04 AM (8y9MW)

 

Well.  That didn't take long.  :-)
And it still makes my day.

4 Honesty, Ron Johnson deserves a medal just for retiring Russ Feingold.

I agree that these should be easy, but they're not because they target Federal Employees and, by extension, Public Employee's Unions.

You and I probably both agree that PEUs should not exist, but they do, and they wield a disproportionate amount of power.

Every day, I feel more and more certain that nothing will happen until a collapse really comes.

5 That's a lot of zeros. Perhaps that is how we should frame the argument.

14 trillion is four easy syllables.

$14,000,000,000,000 is twelve zeros.

6 Posted by: toby928™ at September 16, 2011 10:06 AM (GTbGH)
Posted by: Washington Nearsider at September 16, 2011 10:07 AM (wnbjH)

I try to refresh the main page every now and again to give myself the best chance of getting in early.

It's also much better than "First!" and less likely to be embarrassing if someone else manages to hit "post" before I do.

7 Barack Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

Sorry for breaching protocol.

Yes, Barack Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

_{Typed by hand with love.}

8 Cut workforce by 10% by 2015? Obama blew thru that goal already.

9 I just scanned that article about the 20 worst towns in the country, a lot of them in FL and CA, the ones with housing prices down by around 50 percent from the bubble peak, high unemployment, and deep malaise.

Compared to any of them, the DC metroplex is a fairyland, with the shopping plazas all busy, the restaurants booming, real estate prices going up, and everyone happy.

It's going to end, but we just don't know how or when.  Johnson's points are good ones, but none will happen with Zero in charge.

10

Ron Johnson runs successful job-creating business. Obama is a community organizer who gives tax payer money to bogus green companies!

 

Pick.

11

SCOAMF is releasing his deficit reduction plan next Monday.

Looks good so far - he plans for it to do the following:

Be balanced

Reduce deficit more than $1.5T

Close Gitmo

Stop the oceans from rising (really)

Keep Bachmann from saying stupid shit

Lower his handicap three strokes

12 Democrats want everyone to be "workers" -- government workers. But don't call it socialism. 

13 Did he have anything in his plan about no more free cheese.

14 Dear Aceofspades posters and readers:   We have created a new and exciting website which we feel will be of Great Benefit to our Country. Please stop by and visit.   Please note it is at attackwatch(DOT)com.   It is NOT at Attttaaaaacccckkkk  Waaaaaatttttccccchhhh(DOT)com or Attaaaaccck Wwwwwaaaatttchhhhh(DOT)com OR AAATAAACKKWAAAAAAAAATCHHH(DOT)com   as some have said.   We hope to have a line of tee-shirts and coffee mugs available as soon as we work out the complicated details with Word Press. We will soon have brother/sister sites on-line soon: City Watch Town Watch Village Watch Shcool Watch Walmart Watch Neighborhood Watch Block Watch Family Watch Watch Me   Please visit soon and pre-order your tee-shirts and coffee mugs.   Thank you.

15 Cut $1.4T and that would balance the budget. But like CBD says, it will never happen.

16 While it personally gores my ox, I can actually support all of these fixes.

17

I'm also leery of quick fixes that don't address the real big ticket items like Medicare and Social Security but Johnson makes it clear his proposals are just a start.

And I'm leary of any proposal that keeps the massive waste of money programs like the Dept of Ed, Dept. of Energy, USDA, IRS and a myriad of others.  Many of these could be eliminated completely and many more could be reduced by 90% without creating a ripple in the pond.  The real estate alone that these entities wastefully own could be sold for pennies on the dollar and the debt could probably be retired.

18

"American taxpayers deserve a leaner, more efficient government, but the federal workforce has ballooned to over 2,137,000, adding 175,000 positions since President Obama took office. "

This must stop.

Cutting the government work force is a great way to start. I've been saying this for years. As one tiny example: Claire McCatkill's personal staffers and assistants all make six figures. Tax payer funded incomes. They live in fancy DC condos highlighted on HGTV. The left confiscate your money and give it to the very people who are writing the bogus laws that are sucking away all of our rights and freedoms.

19 Over 10 Years...10 years! Sweet.

20 I dunno, I think Perry (if he's the nominee) should pursue Mitch Daniels as a possible running mate.  (I realize Daniels has not made an endorsement yet.)  He's got the stable manager persona that says "competent guy to step in should something happen" and a good record.  Indiana went for Obama last time. 

If we're going to take a flier on a freshman senator, there needs to be a compelling reason.  Rubio (or West, over in the House) both offer a type of campaign charisma and personal story that *might* outweigh their inexperience.  Plus, Rubio is not really an inexperienced politician, he's just new to the national stage.  I don't see that from Johnson. 

21 Give the man a chain saw and be ready to support him with rotten tomatoes aimed at the commie MFM when they start their orchestrated whining, targeting, isolating, ridiculing, etc.

22 very dead sock

23 WOW.
That's big, Johnson

24 If we're going to take a flier on a freshman senator, there needs to be a compelling reason.  Rubio (or West, over in the House) both offer a type of campaign charisma and personal story that *might* outweigh their inexperience.  Plus, Rubio is not really an inexperienced politician, he's just new to the national stage.  I don't see that from Johnson.

Yeah, I mostly think "Freshman" anything should be off the ticket this time.  SCOAMFOTUS has made "no record" leave a very, very bad taste in my mouth.

25

Shit, I haven't had a raise in 12 years, so if I can do it so can those spoiled pampered Government workers, half of them are useless anyway.

 

26 must be that gorilla glue

27 Fap Fap Fap

28 Government workers, half of them are useless anyway.

And the other half are worse (he-yuck, he-yuck).

29

This is great stuff from a real leader, Wisconsin's Ron Johnson, but it doesn't go far enough.  

A few days ago I happened upon a web-site that allows you to access the salaries of government employees.   Of the first ten names alphabetically in the Department of Energy, six of them made more than $119,000 in 2010.   The pigs who feed at the government trough on our tax dollars have done very, very well.  So cutting federal employees by "attrition" is not good enough.   Let's cut 5% right now, and let's cut the pay of the remaining employees by 10% right now, and then freeze it.   Then let's let "attrition" trim out another 10% over the next five years.  

You can call that "shared sacrifice"; I prefer "just deserts."   Seven of the ten wealthiest counties in America are the counties surrounding Washington, D.C.   The federal government has become a mechanism for transferring wealth, but not from the wealthy to the poor.   Instead, it's become a mechanism for transferring wealth from the working middle-class in Middle America to the significantly wealthier governing class in Washington.   It has to stop.  

30 Nice, Drew does he mention destroying the "miracle of baseline budgeting"?  That step alone will save 8% per annum or using the law of seventy-two prevent doubling every 9 years.  Our budget process is by definition insane...only in DC could 3% increases in buget be sold as a 5% cut.

31 Let me be clear: When I say that we need to, uh, pass this bill, this isn't the, um, bill I mean. Pass this bill!

32 Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) is tired beyond tired of the trolls at September 16, 2011 10:09 AM (8y9MW)

Pixy should write some code that will ban anyone who writes "First!" in any other position but #1.

That will cut down on the silliness.

33 @25
Posted by: Jaimo at September 16, 2011 10:28 AM

I guess this is not the best time to do it, but when the economy turns around you should consider looking for a better job. 

34

The progressive left want an army of government workers to rule over your life. And guess what? You get to pay for it. Please - no complaints. The left know whatÂ’s best. Obey.

35 2 things:  When has any democrat in either chamber put forward a list like this to at least discuss and debate?  Their only lists are 1.  Raise taxes  2.  ???  3.  Profit!!11!
Wash, rinse, repeat.

Secondly, even if only 1/3 of this was done, that's still $500B..a lot of coin.  Don't tell me deficit reduction is hard.  It's not.  Yet in 2 previous political battles we've been given a total of $50B in "cuts" and told to die on the next hill.

It's truly going to take 2 or 3 more TP waves and 50-100 more reps/senators like RJ to make real change happen.

36 But it seems like exactly the kind of plan you'd expect from a guy who built his career in the exciting world of "producing plastic sheet for packaging and printing applications", nothing flashy, just practical and useful.

You know what else we don't do in the business world? Baseline budgeting over a ten-year time frame.

I really want to see conservative candidates pushing to excise this crapola practice from the federal budgeting process. It is far too easy to game the system so that no substantial cutting occurs in a timely manner with ten-year baseline budgeting in place

37 #59 stop school busing

38 34  That reminds me, I have an idea for selling vegetable credits when the new diet monitors are brought on-line. 

39

Currently, members of the federal workforce pay $1 for every $14 the federal government contributes toward the defined benefit portion of the FERS program.

What.  The.  Ever.  Loving.  Fuck.  So it's both defined benefit and a 1:14 employee/employer (i.e. me) contribution?  What.  The.  Ever.  Loving.  Fuckity.  Fuck. 

I do not want to hear one more fucking word from anyone who is participating in this plan about how bad they have it.  Not.  One.  Fucking.  Word.  Sorry, my sympathy meter just pegged at negative quintrillion.

40 Or-or-or, uh, do I mean pass that bill? Make no mistake: There is a bill I want passed! Right now! No delay! But I'll let you guys, ah, sort out which bill that is. Which you'll do, um, if you love me!

41 No, don't want Johnson to run for Veep.  Too valuable as an anchor and presence in Wisconsin.  We need to keep all the good guys in the Senate we can.  Mostly the same for Rubio; just pick a Veep candidate who won't hurt the ticket.  I still like McDonnell.

42

Not.  One.  Fucking.  Word.  Sorry, my sympathy meter just pegged at negative quintrillion.

Posted by: alexthechick at September 16, 2011 10:37 AM (VtjlW)

Don't hold back alex, tell me how you really feel.

43

I do not want to hear one more fucking word from anyone who is participating in this plan about how bad they have it.  Not.  One.  Fucking.  Word.  Sorry, my sympathy meter just pegged at negative quintrillion.

Posted by: alexthechick at September 16, 2011 10:37 AM (VtjlW)

Not saying feds don't have it well, but if that outrages you, you should look into how much your local government employees make out with their pension.  It likely makes feds look like pocket change.

44 Good morning.  I would hope that whoever the new Republican President is, he appoints people to DOD, etc with an axe to grind.  I would like for the incoming cabinet heads to be culling the herd in each department, and flat out emptying the building and disconnecting the lights in the DOE, DOA, etc.  First to go, anyone with an Obama, Free Tibet, or Coexsist bumper sticker.

45

Don't hold back alex, tell me how you really feel.

There's not enough profanity, even for me.

Note that I'm not saying that you shouldn't get your paws on all that money while you can and I give you great credit for supporting a plan that would result in your own income/benefits being reduced.  I am saying that the whining about noooooo but but it's so awwwwffuuulll that other people do is going to result in a stompy boot in a very uncomfortable position. 

Not saying feds don't have it well, but if that outrages you, you should look into how much your local government employees make out with their pension. 

Hey, I lived in NEPA for years.  Trust me, I know all about how well they make out.  Oh.  Look.  My eye is twitching again. 

46 How much is saved if instead of school buses stopping at each and every house to pick up students, they stop at "school bus stops" instead, and the students walk from home to the bus stop?

WTF?  Has it gotten so dangerous out there that children cannot do this anymore?

47 It's also much better than "First!" and less likely to be embarrassing if someone else manages to hit "post" before I do.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) is tired beyond tired of the trolls at September 16, 2011 10:09 AM (8y9MW)

--Amen

48 Heh, there's a T-PAW FOR ROMNEY ad at the top of the page.  ZZZZZZ

49 Posted by: I'm in a New York state of mind at September 16, 2011 10:47 AM (4sQwu)

With the exception of some rural areas (where houses are so far apart) that (single stops) is what they do in my town.  Actually, now that I think about it, everywhere I've lived.  You'll see kids congregate at two or three places in a neighborhood to be picked up.

Out in the country, like I said, the houses are farther apart, and the buses have to get there so early, I think they'd rather pick the kids up from their homes just to reduce the danger of little kids walking down some country lane by themselves.

50 OT....Has anyone else read Drudge's top story about buyer's remorse regarding Hill-dog? Made me laugh like someone who'd just got vaccinated.

51 Step 59: Curtail First Lady's clothing budget - redirect surplus GP Medium tents for dressmaking material.

52

Currently, members of the federal workforce pay $1 for every $14 the federal government contributes toward the defined benefit portion of the FERS program.

What.  The.  Ever.  Loving.  Fuck.  So it's both defined benefit and a 1:14 employee/employer (i.e. me) contribution?  What.  The.  Ever.  Loving.  Fuckity.  Fuck. 

I do not want to hear one more fucking word from anyone who is participating in this plan about how bad they have it.  Not.  One.  Fucking.  Word.  Sorry, my sympathy meter just pegged at negative quintrillion.

 

***

We went through this same epiphany in Wisconsin when Scott Walker had the audacity to ask Wisconsin public employees and teachers' union members to pony up a whopping 5.8% of their pay to their pensions and 12.6% of the cost (1 to 7) of their health care premiums.   Once people saw how little they would be asked to contribute compared to private sector workers (for me, as a partner in a law firm, I'm at 100% and 100%) the sympathy meter "pegged at negative quintrillion" here too.

But seriously, Alex, why sugar-coat it so much.   Let your freek flag fly a little.  

53 With the exception of some rural areas (where houses are so far apart) that (single stops) is what they do in my town.  Actually, now that I think about it, everywhere I've lived.  You'll see kids congregate at two or three places in a neighborhood to be picked up.

Out in the country, like I said, the houses are farther apart, and the buses have to get there so early, I think they'd rather pick the kids up from their homes just to reduce the danger of little kids walking down some country lane by themselves.

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) is tired beyond tired of the trolls at September 16, 2011 10:50 AM (8y9MW)

They have single bus stops where I am, except for areas where there aren't sidewalks, even if it's a suburban area.  I guess that's the rule, the kiddies can't walk down a street with no sidewalks, even if it's a back road.

54 OT....Has anyone else read Drudge's top story about buyer's remorse regarding Hill-dog?
Posted by: nightwitch

I'm no Hilary fan, but yeah, I think we'd be marginally better off if she was President. At the very least, I think she likes this country.

And yeah, she's probably laughing her ass off right about now...

55 Is cutting funding for NPR, NEA, and PBS in there?  After that transcript editing done by PBS to save Obama's face, there's absolutely no fucking reason PBS deserves another goddamn penny from taxpayers.

56

And, also, Alex, the actual phrase (which is from the famous "fuck" scene in The Wire) is "fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck."  

Greatest.   TV.   Moment.   Ever.   

Otherwise your post made my fuckity-fuck-fuck-fucking day.

  

57 Re the bus stops, I'm surprised they are going door-to-door.  I don't recall that when I was a kid. 

Even funnier, the extremely tony neighborhood up the hill from us with the huge homes and gorgeous view of the national forest land behind them... communal mailboxes!  I hate communal mailboxes (we had them in our planned community when I was a kid), but I guess they are required now for any new development.  Our nice but not fancy neighborhood down the hill has street mailboxes.  The best thing, of course, is a box at your door... we had that in our neighborhood in Indiana.  Heaven! 

58

Curtail First Lady's clothing budget - redirect surplus GP Medium tents for dressmaking material.

Eliminate the title "First Lady" from anything official, and all of her expenditures using tax money.  Let her fly in Air Force One, but if she needs to go somewhere on her own or take a seperate flight, the cost should be on the Obamas.

59 that goes for all first ladies, I'm not just picking on Moochelle.

60 Posted by: Empire of Jeff at September 16, 2011 10:51 AM

Step 60: Restrict president to one three-week vacation per year at the location of his/her choice. Vacationer to pay for transport, lodging, amenities, etc.

Step 61: All White House-directed spending items over $50.00 to be approved by Congress. (This will do two things: it'll stop the ridiculous siphoning of money to presidential cronies and keep Congress too busy to think about massive new spending....)

61 I dont know how much it would save, but why does Social Security send me stuff every year how much magic money I'm going to receive in 25 years. Stop sending out these stupid notices to people that are not within 5 years of retiring.

62 51 Step 59:
Curtail First Lady's clothing budget - redirect surplus GP Medium tents for dressmaking material.
Posted by: Empire of Jeff at September 16, 2011 10:51 AM (2qc7e)

Step 60:
Reduce First Lady's staff back to level present for Laura Bush ...

63 I thought FERS was gone already?

64

I thought FERS was gone already?

No, CSRS is gone.  FERS is still here.

65 That is a lie about FERS.  It matches 1:1 of employee contributions up to 5% (employee pays 5, employer pays 5%).

 That 14% makes me call pigshit on the whole position paper.

66 So there is FERS and TSP, or just FERS for legacy types

67 >>>I'm no Hilary fan, but yeah, I think we'd be marginally better off if she was President. At the very least, I think she likes this country. I think her experience being "co-president" would've kept her from doing anything too stupid either. Like can you even imagine HER letting Pelosi and Reid take control of writing legislation? Bowing to heads of state? LOL. And at the very least, I think businesses would feel a little less afraid to hire and expand, because I highly doubt she would've pushed Hillarycare 2.0.

68 FERS used to allow matching well above 5%, I thought it was gone all together.

69 My insight and surprise about Government salaries was in 98 /99 I think when they published the salary of Linda Tripp who at that time had become an executive secretary in the Pentagon. Her salary was 96,000.

70 What businesses under Hillary, are you referring to those she has granted a charter and suffers to exist?

71

FERS used to allow matching well above 5%, I thought it was gone all together.

Nope, only to 5%.  All there is now is FERS and the TSP, not even a "legacy FERS."

72 Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

73

They have single bus stops where I am, except for areas where there aren't sidewalks, even if it's a suburban area. I guess that's the rule, the kiddies can't walk down a street with no sidewalks, even if it's a back road.

Posted by: yinzer at September 16, 2011 10:52 AM (/Mla1)

Shit, here in my Baltimore area neighborhood we have 2 different buses that come down the same street to take kids to two separate elementary schools.  They stop within 50 yards of each other.  Talk about a waste...

74 >>>What businesses under Hillary, are you referring to those she has granted a charter and suffers to exist? Don't you think she learned the lessons of her husband's term? AKA talk a big socialist game, but when push comes to shove, nibble around the edges and let people make money, then as President you can basically get away with murder.

75 74 - she doesn't have his "urges", she is all wonk and no "hobby"

76

Johnson covers a lot of my concerns about Perry.

 

Frankly, he's the sort of guy I'd rather see on top of the ticket, though too early to talk about that yet.

77
If federal govmint jobs paid even half of what investment banking jobs pay, we'd maybe have some competent people in there instead of your no-ambitions-but-retirement drones.

Of course, if we paid them decent wages, we'd need to be able to fire just one or two every now and then, you know?

78 $1.4 trillion over 10 years? wooooooooooooooooow. thats a big deal. oh wait not its not, thats nothing.

79

"No. CRS is gone. FERS is still here."

"So there is FERS and TSP or just FERS for legacy types."

Stop it. Stop it! For the love of God, stop it!!!

80 Jay Carney on Fox spewing lies about WH knew nothing about loan to green BS.

81

1. I don't really follow what Obumble has done in hiring but the federal civilian workforce has stayed at about 2,000,000 since the 60's (doesn't count Post Office and other quasi-govt. agencies which will add another million or so), and most of them are under the general payment schedule and average about $65 thousand a year. Half of those are professional/management types and most of them have 4 year degrees or better. These aren't the people you see at the DMV window. Political hires, specialty hard-to-get occupations, and those in the senior executive service (SES), I think tend to get more (also, SES people can be fired pretty easily). The top pay in the general schedule is south of $120,000. These are long term employees at the top managerial ranks. These professional/managerial people are not covered by any unions.

2. Civil Service retirement was phased out in 1983. Those employees contributed 7% of salary to a defined benefit program which was matched by govt. Didn't pay into SS and aren't eligible for it (unless qualified under non-govt. emplyment and then SS is reduced by a percentage for CSRS)

3. Federal Employemnt retirement system (FERS) replaced CSRS and consists of 2 parts, a retirement system and a 401K system. The retirement system consists of a defined benefit portion which extracts .8% from an employee's basic pay and Social Security which extracts 6.2%, adding up to the previous 7%  as under CSRS. I suspect that goes into the general fund. The defined benefit part when collected is not a munificent amount, but I'm not going to do the calculations. It's on the internet.

4. The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is the government 401K program. The government contributes 1% of base pay regardless of what employee does, then matches the first 3% of employee contributions dollar for dollar and the next 2% at $.50 on the dollar for a total match up to 5% of employee contributions. The employee can go up from there to a total of $15,000. This all has to be invested in a govt. sanctioned mutual fund entity. Years ago that entity was Wells Fargo. Don't know who runs it now.

There's a lot of misinformation out there about federal government employment and it's red meat for a lot of people. Just a  hint, though. Most government employees go to work every day and try to do their job to the best of their ability just like everyone else. All of this is available on the interwebs and it's probably more reasonable and useful to look it up yourself rather than listening to politicians and bomb throwers. Your call, though, I guess.

82 Why not just say 140 trillion over 10 years?

83 Dennis @ 81. 

Good post. Provides a good rundown on the retirement systems.

TSP now uses funds that generally follow the major indexes, along with "safe" investments in Government backed securities.

84 $1.4 Trillion over 10 years?

Are you kidding me?

What is this guy a dhimmicrap?

l'il barry dunham snorts that much in blow. Winning The Future much?

How about a plan to ELIMINATE $14 TRILLION in 14 days?

THAT WOULD GET SOME ATTENTION

85 This web site is my breathing in, really fantastic pattern and perfect subject matter.

86 Has anyone else read Drudge's top story about buyer's remorse regarding Hill-dog? Dubizzle وظائف خالية