Will both sides talk about budget priorities, or will progressives continue to plug their ears and shout; "Neener, neener, neener I can't hear you!"

Now that the battle is over for the 2011 budget, and only 2/3 of a year behind schedule; we can concentrate on the main event remaining on this wrestling card prior to the next election: Approving the 2012 budget. As contentious as the debate over the last CR of 2011 was, it was just a warm-up for the main event.

Thanks to our representatives in Washington DC we now have three different budget proposals to choose from. Actually there are four if we count the President's original 2012 budget that wasn't going to cut anything.  One was proposed by Congressman Paul Ryan, one was introduced by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and then there was the second try the President unveiled Wednesday afternoon (April 14, 2011) during that horrible substitute for leadership at George Washington University.

The opening salvo of this budget debate was fired by House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan. His proposal would keep Social Security and Medicare unchanged for all those currently in the system or within 10 years of entering the system. Medicare would convert to a voucher program for all those younger than 55. It would also convert Medicaid to a state run program financed by federal block grants.

Congressman Ryan's proposal has caused an earth shattering concussion within the administration already.  This, in of itself, is incredible because despite the results of last November's election it was certain that President Obama had no intention of cutting spending at all. You only have to recall his State of the Union speech, or look at his original 2012 budget. Now, not only is the President's first 2012 budget is dead as a hammer. It also means that Obama can no longer afford the luxury of continuing to ignore his debt reduction committee.  Still, I'll bet he tries anyway.

The speech was first revealed on the Sunday talk circuit by administration senior advisor David Plouffe and we can be certain the president will suggest that tax reform is a big part of his plan. How would we know this? On those very same Sunday talk shows last weekend, David Plouffe said; "If the rich were taxed at the same rates they were half a century ago, they'd be paying in over $350 billion more this year alone." An astonishing number; $350 billion in annual tax increases: That would mean raising the tax rate on the rich from its present 35% to 70%. Progressives across the country can be heard saying; "And about time too!"

So we have produced, by Mr. Plouffe's own estimation, an additional $350 billion in "extra" funds to the treasury. This astounding amount of new tax receipts will fully fund government for a month.

It has been conventional wisdom for quite awhile now that progressives aren't just in favor of confiscatory tax rates on the evil rich; they believe that government should be seizing a vastly larger share of corporate profits as well. This site lists corporate profit. Total corporate profit for 2008 (I use this number so as to avoid the argument of recession deflated numbers) is listed as $1.42 trillion. Let's add that to dog washer Plouffe's extra $350 billion in tax increases. That's a total of $1.77 trillion. The Obama administration currently spends $10.4 billion per day. And before anyone starts whining about "The cost of those illegal wars that George Bush started!" Let's put paid to that argument as well. The estimated costs of both wars, plus the enhanced security procedures enacted by Homeland security, is $1.3 trillion over the last nine years. That comes out to $140 billion a year. $140 billion will fund the Obama merry-go-round for almost two weeks!

So, let's review, shall we. Confiscating 70% of all personal wealth created in one year plus 100% of all corporate wealth earned in one year, and one year's worth of all associated war costs will allow the government to run for exactly six months. However, last time I checked, years were twelve months long. If you've already taxed the rich until blood shoots out of their eyes and confiscated 100% of all existing corporate profits, and ended both wars; what to do about the second half of the year, buy lottery tickets? Oh, and what about those people so favored by the liberals in Washington? All the public service unions' pension funds are invested in those very corporations!

But actually, that isn't really the worst case scenario. To get there we need to discuss The People's Budget. According to Dr. JefferySachs; "[The] People's Budget put forward by the co-chairs of the 80-member Congressional Progressive Caucus. Their plan is humane, responsible, and most of all sensible, reflecting the true values of the American people and the real needs of the floundering economy." Here are some highlights;

Raise taxes on the rich and giant corporations. Gee! What a surprise there, huh? Under this proposal the People's Budget would eliminate the existing upper two brackets and replace them with five that begin at 45% and run to 49%. They would also limit itemized deductions to no more than 28%. So that first $106,000 would be taxed at 49% yielding a tax bill of almost $52,000 on those earnings. Remember that $106,000 number as we will revisit it later. It would also eliminate the capital gains and dividends tax rates and treat them as ordinary income for tax purposes. Talk about killing investment in business.

The progressives would cut defense spending to the bone and flatly deny any future funding for any foreign escapade. They will end the ability to pass emergency contingency operation supplementals. Reduce strategic capabilities, severely reduce the size of conventional forces, and restrict R & D Programs

Fix health care by mandating a public option; nuff' said.

Protect Social Security through increased contributions to the Social Security Tax. The People's Budget would raise the taxable maximum on employees and eliminate the earnings threshold. This is the real meat of their proposal. In actuality what this says is that social security taxes will be levied as usual. The $106,000 limit is removed. Social security taxes in their plan will be levied on 100% of all earned income (yes that includes the aforementioned capital gains and dividend numbers). The $106,000 limit is important as it can only be described as the new national salary cap. All income earned above the $106,000 threshold will be taxed at a rate of 90%. Let me repeat that. All income earned above the $106,000 threshold will be taxed at a rate of 90%. However; they don't address the current practice of Washington legislators removing all the cash from that fund and replacing it annually with worthless federal IOU's

 The CPC budget supposedly puts America back to work by spending money on infrastructure projects; the same tired remedy that wasted $860 billion in the Stimulus Package. Remember how well that worked?  Well these progressives have decided "If we'd just spent more it would have been a success." So here they put your money where their mouths are by, in their words, investing $1.45 trillion in job creation, education, clean energy, broadband infrastructure, and housing.  After presenting this recipe for fiscal disaster they have the temerity to call it the centrist choice.

Before you progressives out there stuff fingers in your ears and begin chanting; "Neener, neener, neener!" you really need to comprehend the Teleprompter-in-Chief's second whiff at the ball yesterday. This was nothing more than a political speech to his base. Why do you think he gave this stinker in the early afternoon? Because the people he's targeted to help re-elect him were just rising for their morning coffee about then. He wasn't talking to working people; he was talking to his welfare minions.

It was conventional wisdom that this moron was going to reflexively demand tax increases. It's like getting hit under the kneecap by your doctor. Pull his string and out comes "Raise taxes on the rich. Raise taxes on the rich!" But his condescending descended to a whole new level Wednesday afternoon.  The idiot actually patted himself on the back! He said; "I don't need another tax cut, Warren Buffet doesn't need another tax cut." This guy couldn't carry Warren Buffet's jock strap in the economic arena and I'll prove it. In order for his new economic plan to work as advertised, US economic growth would have to average 5% per year for each year of the twelve years of his plan. The last four years, average economic growth of the United Sates has been 2.7%, 1.9%, 0.0%, and negative 2.6% for a four year average of 0.5%. In order for his economic plan to even have a snowballs' chance in hell of working he has to assume an economic growth rate that is ten times the average growth for the last four years! And this national embarrassment thinks he's the equal of a Warren Buffet! Please!

So there, in a nutshell, are the three proposed budgets that will compete for attention shortly. Paul Ryan's, which does spread some pain, but spreads it evenly. The Congressional Progressive Caucus budget which only serves as proof that liberal/progressives are legally insane, and to a man, should be sterilized in order to protect all of Mankind.  And the Prevaricator-in-Chief's; that is so full of pie-in-the-sky forecasts as to make Alice's trip down the rabbit hole look like a stroll around the block! When are Barack Obama and his progressive flying monkeys going to stop whizzing on our heads while they tell us it's raining?

We simply have to dramatically cut entitlement spending. This means that if you are reasonably equipped to fend for yourself; you must begin to actually fend for yourself! "But what about all those poor people" you say. "Where will they get money for heat?" Oh, I don't know, maybe the same place they get money for those 4-G cell phones with the enhanced data plans, or the same place they get those HD flat screen TV's with the HBO movie channels. Frankly; I don't care how they earn the money to pay their light bill, as long as they EARN IT! The American Public is sick and tired of watching their savings and salaries evaporate because of food, fuel, taxes, and entitlements for the indolent.

This entire mess has gotten to the point that I've actually begun to re-think my philosophy on abortion. There are an estimated 3,700 abortions performed in this country each day. I'm willing to bet that those are being performed either on progressives themselves or on their constituents. I think the federal government should begin paying for all the abortions these people want. If we can just push that number up to around 10,000 per day, most progressives and their slothful constituents will all be dead within ten years. Then the reasonable rest of us can finally get on with our lives.