The form to the left is a page from the "Stimulus" bill that was signed into law on February 17, 2009 by Barack Obama, the President.
First, thank you to Renk from the Live with Renk Show out of Battle Creek. He posted this on his website and I got it from him. You might be able to see it clearer at his site. http://www.renkandfile.com/
This page is from Title X page 19. Notice the bill is typed up, but somebody (I have no idea who) crossed out the amount listed and changed it to a much higher number. It's not whited out and typed over. It's not backspaced away and retyped. As Maynard G. Krebbs would say, that would be too much "work". Instead, they drew a line through it and wrote in by hand the new figure.
This just amplifies the complete incompetence of the people that we elect to be our "leaders". There is no working the numbers to figure out if they will actually help create jobs. There is no analysis to come up with a proper figure to accomplish what they claim to want to accomplish. There is no careful thought nor deliberation. What this is, is someone saying, 'Barack wanted an $800 Billion dollar bill and we're short $1.5 Billion, so lets boost this number up by that much."
This is an embarassment. But then, we should be getting used to embarassment from this Congress and this President. Here's another example.
The Prime Minister of Great Britain came here for a meeting with the President. He came bearing gifts. Gordon Brown gave to our President an ornamental pen holder made from the remnants of the anti-slave ship, the HMS Gannet. Mr. Brown also gave Mr. Obama a First Edition, seven volume set of Winston Churchill biographies. Both of these gifts were well thought out treasures. They had meaning. Thought was put in to these gifts.
What do you think President Obama gave to Prime Minister Gordon Brown? This is really embarassing. You might want to sit down.
President Obama, the new leader of the free world. Arguably the most powerful man in the world, gave the Prime Minister of Great Britain, one of our greatest friends and allies, a 25 DVD set of American Movie Classics.
As I said, this is embarassing. Our laws and bills are made hastily just changing numbers with a papermate and the most thought for a gift to one of our best friends in the world is whether to tell little Rahm Emanuel he can keep the change left over after handing him $6.00 to run down to Walmart and buy the 25 DVD set of classic movies from the $5.00 bin of movies.
You're welcome to comment.
Brett
1 comment:
Follow up: From the Telegraph UK
President Barack Obama dislikes Britain, but he's keen to meet the Queen
President Obama has been rudeness personified towards Britain this week. His handling of the visit of the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to Washington was appalling. First Brown wasn't granted a press conference with flags, then one was hastily arranged in the Oval office after the Brits had to beg. Obama looked like he would rather have been anywhere else than welcoming the British leader to his office and topped it all with his choice of present for the PM. A box of 25 DVDS including ET, the Wizard of Oz and Star Wars? Oh, give me strength. We do have television and DVD stores on this side of the Atlantic. Even Gordon Brown will have seen those films too often already.
A bit of regal glamour is quick to woo Barack Obama
This was coupled with Michelle Obama's casual choice of gifts for the Brown sons - matching models of the helicopter which ferry her husband around. While Sarah Brown had spent time choosing gifts for the Obama girls, Michelle had clearly sent an aide to the White House gift shop at the last moment.
All in all, he doesn't think much of us, as I explained in my post here earlier this week.
But what's this? Something, suddenly, seems to have made the Obama White House perk up and start to take an interest in the Brits. The Queen has invited the President to tea when he's here for the G20 in April. And he's in through the front door of Buckingham Palace faster than a Harley Davidson roaring along Route 66.
Note how the coolness of Team Obama disappears when a bit of regal glamour is introduced into the equation. He might not like the Brits, but he can recognise a global superstar when he encounters one. He wants to be associated with her. He's shameless.
If Obama, or someone in his inner circle, had spent two minutes thinking about what present to get Brown then they could easily have come up with something appropriate. He likes books. He loves American history. Get him a signed first edition of a good Robert Dallek book such as the brilliant Flawed Giant on LBJ. Come to think of it, Obama should read it too, if he hasn't yet, as it reveals a great deal about how a Presidency can go so wrong.
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