Wonderboy's Disingenuous Spending "Freeze"

Only a few days ago, I wrote about Karl Rove's analysis of Wonderboy's spending binge of early 2009. Growth rates of 20%+ in some spending categories were not uncommon as part of the new administration's first fiscal moves.

Now, in addition to the Congressional Democrats' attempt to snooker Republicans into joining a 'deficit commission,' Wonderboy is floating a ploy to trap them by means of a faux spending "freeze."

The "faux" part comes from the fact that the so-called freeze will only cover about 17% of the federal budget. A mere sliver of its total outlays.

But, as Glenn Beck pointed out on his program last night, there's a seamy underside to Wonderboy's gambit.

Not only does freezing such a small portion of total federal spending, about .5%, as Beck calculated, not do much of any significance for the deficit, but, by freezing certain spending categories, the First Rookie makes them off-limits to Republican cutting, should they regain one or both Houses of Congress in November.

It's a pretty slick trick. For example, Beck pointed out that the EPA would fall under the freeze. I believe he said its budget had been swollen by 25-30% last year. Freezing it now would effectively leave such bloated spending levels intact for the rest of Wonderboy's term.

Fortunately, Americans are being bombarded with punditry exposing this expedient trick by the president. And not buying it.

Numbers after last night's State of the Union address indicated that few voters were swayed by the First Orator's magical wordsmithing. Rather than move back to the center, following three straight major Democratic losses- two governships and a Senate seat in deep-blue Massachusetts- he's moving full speed ahead to the left.

And this parlor trick of having pumped up spending levels in his favorite departments, then offering to freeze them, is cynical and disgusting In effect, Wonderboy is betting that voters are too stupid to realize what he's doing.

So much for transparency, eh?