2011: A Budget Odyssey

Via Allahpundit:

If Treasury were to decide to delay payments, it would need to re-program government computers that generate automatic payments as they fall due — a massive and difficult undertaking. Treasury makes about 3 million payments each day.

Hat tip: Iowahawk.

Barry Is So Fly

In an interview with Fox News' Neil Cavuto, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty likened the federal government to a drug dealer. "Instead of running around and saying, 'We'll take the money because it's free money,' let's call it what it is: the federal government is basically a drug dealer trying to give out free samples, or give people a taste, get them further addicted."

Pawlenty is a racist because, by extension, he really called a black President a drug dealer in three...two...one.

When The Sow Rolls Over, The Piglets Come A-Runnin'

News here of some 2000 groups--including businesses and unions--who have applied for and been approved for $5B in "bridge funding" designed to ensure that they don't drop "early retirees" from their healthcare rolls before the 2014 bennies begin to kick in.

You can read the delight with which the Post reporter mentions Koch Industries as one of the groups who have applied, as the brothers in charge of Koch have been vocal and financially active detractors from the healthcare monstrosity created by the Obama Administration.  The same delight attends to the report that some state governments who are questioning the constitutionality of the healthcare legislation have also applied for the funding.

Our entitlement addiction rolls on....and will lead to our ruin.

David Brooks on the Elderly

David Brooks with a common-sense view, though I am not hopeful for its adoption. One stat floored me--the feds spend $7 on Seniors for every 1$ they spend on children. Yikes.