[Transferring wealth to those to whom the wealth belongs]:
“[W]e have lived through an era where too often, short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity; where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election. A [federal budget] surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future. Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day.” –President Barack Obama in his Tuesday night address
[Federal budget equals vision for America]:
“In the next few days, I will submit a budget to Congress. So often, we have come to view these documents as simply numbers on a page or laundry lists of programs. I see this document differently. I see it as a vision for America — as a blueprint for our future.” –Barack Obama
[Government is the be all, end all]:
“I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves; that says government has no role in laying the foundation for our common prosperity.” –Comrade Obama
[Big talk]:
“If a federal agency proposes a project that will waste that money, I will not hesitate to call them out on it and put a stop to it. What I will need from all of you is unprecedented responsibility and accountability…. The American people are watching. They need this plan to work. They expect to see the money that they’ve earned, that they’ve worked so hard to earn, spent in its intended purposes without waste, without inefficiency, without fraud.” –Barack Obama on spending our money, our children’s money and our grandchildren’s money
[Not making this up]:
“We cannot and will not sustain deficits like these without end. Contrary to the prevailing wisdom in Washington these past few years, we cannot simply spend as we please and defer the consequences to the next budget, the next administration or the next generation.” –Barack Obama [**Translation: Get ready for a HUGE tax hike.]
[Cutting the wrong thing]:
“I would be very happy if there was some way to make it a misdemeanor for people to talk about reducing the budget deficit without including a recommendation that we substantially cut military spending.” –Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)
[Non Compos Mentis]:
“You know, I’m embarrassed — you know the Web site number? (looks off camera) I, shh-uhhh, I should have it in front of me and I don’t. I’m, I’m actually embarrassed. Ah, ah ‘scuse me, it — no, it is recovery.gov — recovery.gov, .gov.” –Vice President Joe Biden, who doesn’t seem to know much about the Internet, when asked about the “accountability and transparency” Web site run by the Obama administration
