Doing their fair share? When did that ever happen?

The one from the State of the Union that really disturbed me very much was this:

The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and remote. That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.

There was a specific reason the founding fathers set up the three branches of government. They did not want a king or emperor that could make or break laws at a whim.

As it is -- the president can use the bureaucracy to try regulating the ones he doesn't like already. Just look at the rule proposed by the ATF to track multiple gun sales in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico.

And he's asking for more power. Bite me!

Obama's proposed streamlining of the government is a sideshow of distraction. The savings are tiny, but the request for power is huge. He wants the power to to eliminate and create federal agencies. Compare this to President Nixon, who created the Environmental Protection Agency using a similar power. The EPA is now poised to control all business under the theory of controlling carbon emissions. Who knows what Obama could create under the theory of say "Consumer Protection"?

Obama proposes to save $3 billion. In the language of Washington, this is $300 million per year over 10 years. But, consider the huge amount that this is a tiny part of.

Table 3.1

The US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates US government spending for the 10 years 2011-2020 to be $42,883 billion ($42.8 trillion). Compare this to the 2011 spending of $3,650 B, tax revenues of $2,670 B, and a deficit (borrowing) of $980 B. ( Revenues are in Chapter 4, table 4.1 )

So he proposes saving $3 B out of $42,883 B over 10 years. All he needs is a bit more power to create the agencies he wants at his discretion.

"The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and remote. That’s why I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people."

Read: I've asked this Congress to grant me the authority to do whatever the fuck I want.

Forget ideology; you should vote for Ron Paul on sheer ethics. He's the only motherfucker not lying to you.

Committed to job creation - ha. All he had to do is sign a paper and voila jobs. The Keystone Pipeline could have been a feather in his cap. He could have made it palatable to supporters.

Never mind he even lied about that. So by not agreeing to the pipeline he stopped some job creation, second he broke a promise on getting off Middle Eastern oil.

Also every politician promises to streamline, improve, make more transparent, ad naueseum. Most people have learned is it will neither be done or be half-assed or take forever to be implemented, or cost a fortune.

It takes a certain level of incompetence to mess up a system but I am surprised time and time again the skill almost art form how government does it.

"he stopped some job creation"

Thank God. We don't need another oil company boondoggle trashing our country.

I mean, we're pumping Alaskan oil, and we don't get very much of it. The oil companies sell it to foreign countries. Why should we pump Canadian sludge through our countryside when we can't even use American oil?

Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, well, if you're anti-Obama, then it's okie-dokie?

Not.

Gog,
What were the prior boondoggles by the oil industry that have trashed the US? How about a link.

Until magical unicorn farts that give 1000 miles to the fart come along. America will need oil. I agree it is a shame that America can not use it's own oil from Oil Shale to Gulf of Mexico.

But in the end I think you and most Americans would rather get nice sludgy oil from a friend then from those nice folks from Saudia Arabia the proud sponsors of 9/11 or Venezuela aka sorry we are taking your company for the wonderful people of Venezuela *cough* military *cough or Nigeria aka pesky oil spill let's just throw some dirt on it, plus do not forget to shoot the natives protesting over there about it, too.

As to why not much Alaska oil, well once again - a pipeline. How does the oil get from there. Well by ship of course. Exxon Valdez anybody. Think of what life would be like with a Keystone/Alaska connection.

True oil sands may not be the most pristine, but wow the industry is getting better and more efficient at getting it aka less C02 and pollution/wasted water.

Well if you don't want it Gog. We heard Lee, Hong and billion others guys would love our oil. Now apparently they are getting pressure about buying from Iran. They still need oil, ours is just a good. A pipeline to West Coast BC is a whole short of a distance then the Gulf of Mexico.

Hi Andrew,

I think they spilled a quart or two in Alaska in the water when some tiny little ship hit a rock or something. Plus another teaspoon leaking onto the tundra from the sell-it-to-the-foreigners-and-fuck-America pipeline. I heard off of Texas about a cup a and a half plopped into the Gulf when some sort of drill broke.

That sort of thing.

Multi-billion-dollar corporations are our most trustworthy citizens. All should be forgiven in the name of job creation.

Like Apple, creating all those jobs in China, for instance.

Clean air, clean water, renewable energy, a government uncorrupted by unfettered greed - these are the desires of morons and Communists.

Yep I will take corporations over government any day. Because I can effect the corporation a heck of a lot more then I can the government (which is a no as I am not American and can not vote) besides government has more protections from be exempt from laws or taxes.

Still that does not mean I give permission to any company to run roughshod over us. Sure as heck would call for heads if the skipped or screwed up. For example I think BP should pay for all damages it as caused. Those cost will prompt BP and others to be more careful. Because we the customers have a better chance of changing one then changing the government. Did exxon get away with there drunk captain. Nope even today seeing the name exxon causes some people to pause.

Yep damn Apple for not giving Americans the chance to build iphones. Never mind that because iphones are abundant many Americans have them and use them. But they more then just use iphones for calling, they use apps, which are likely programmed by westerners and sold by. Never mind those apps and functionality are used to sell American services and businesses. In the end yes America did miss out on manufacturing them, but with a cheap iphone the Americans got to shine and sell with it's major forte - service industry.

And as to clean air, water, renewable energy, and responsible government. Shock - I am for those too. I also for cute pugs dressed as pirates, irate red heads who write advice. But damn my pragmatic side. You can want those things but they will not be handed to you. You can work for those things, but it will not be easy.

As a side point if America did buy oil sands oil, it would get the cleaner water, air and well a more trustworthy government. True oil sands does use energy to process, but here is the think it is getting better and better and more efficient at it. The levels of CO2 is getting lower each year. Also many of the companies also sipon off any natural gas too. Unlike places like Nigeria and Venezula decided to just let that just burn and flare. Water the oil companies use less and less each time. Never mind that it recycles the water and even purifies it. Let's compare to a place like Nigeria aka the land of a thousand oil spills that never get cleaned up. Plus responsible government if let say Canada messes up in some way, I think we would very likely listen and smarten up. What about Chavez or the Saudi do you think they will listen.

Argh got to run.