Obama: "Washington is a place where tax dollars are often treated like Monopoly money"

No really, he said that yesterday. Nothing like railing against Washington when you and your political party run it! Here is the relevant, gag-inducing paragraph:

As we were driving in, I was saying, boy, it's just good to be back in the Midwest, this is about as close as I've been to home in a while.  And part of the reason it's just good to be back is because Washington is a place where tax dollars are often treated like Monopoly money -- they're bartered and traded, and they're divvied up among lobbyists and special interests, and where waste -- even billions of dollars of waste -- is accepted as the price of doing business.  When we proposed, by the way, those $20 billion in cuts last year, we were ridiculed by the press, said, "Ah, that's just a spit in the bucket."  Now, I don't know about here in St. Charles, $20 billion, that's real money, isn't it?

Here are a handful relevant Reason headlines; for a fuller list click this:

The President's 2011 Budget Contains More Rosy Scenarios Than a Romance Novel
Presidential Promises and Pretenses
The "terrible mistake" of "borrow[ing] against our children's future to pay our way today"
Tomorrow We Scrimp, But Today We Spend!
CBO Gently Reminds America of Coming Budgepocalypse
Obama's Empty Cost-Containment Rhetoric
You've Got Just Three Months to Reduce Your Spending By One Cup of Coffee!
The Government's Endless Appetite for Spending
Obama's Era of Even Bigger Government

Comments

[Xeones]

Jesus wept.

[jester]

Jesus saves (his tears for more serious shit.)

[sage]

Jesus listens...to Slayer.

[Chinny Chin Chin]

Jesus is a lumberjack, and wields a Husqvarna

[ed]

Jesus is a pandering scumsucker named Obama.

[Medic001]

Jesus is doing Bong hits.

[BlogDog]

(mrslave)Jesus Christ!(/mrslave)

[R C Dean]

When we proposed, by the way, those $20 billion in cuts last year, we were ridiculed by the press, said, "Ah, that's just a spit in the bucket."

So, if I get this right, the ones complaining that his cuts were too small are the ones who treat tax dollars like monopoly money?

Words. Fail.

[Pro Libertate]

Do you feel that Obama's public statements weaken the prestige of your JD?

[Rewrite]

I apologize for repetitiveness, but this is a great visualization of Obama's budget cuts: http://www.wimp.com/budgetcuts/

[Rewrite]

Take that portion of a penny at the end an multiply it by 20 -- then take 10 Valiums and call me in the morning.

[marlok]

That whole bit about how out of touch you are if you shrug at a 20 billion dollar cut has got to be one of the weakest attempts at a talking point Obama has attempted.

If the criteria for a "large" cut is whatever impresses a yokel on the campaign trail, why doesn't he just cut 10,000 dollars?
"A small you cut, you say? I don't know what rich, elitist background you come from, but where I come from, $10,000 is a lot of money."

[The Other Kevin]

My blood pressure is seriously high today after reading the last half dozen or so posts.

[theOneState]

Monopoly money -- they're bartered and traded, and they're divvied up among lobbyists and special interests, and where waste -- even billions of dollars of waste -- is accepted as the price of doing business

What edition of Monopoly is that?

[Marc]

The edition of Monopoly, existing or hypothetical, which makes the metaphor not idiotic.

[adam]

Hmm...maybe this could be a new board game. Penn Ave. Ind. Ave, etc.?????

[Tulpa]

I think that's called Bipartisan Duopoly. Not very catchy, I'll grant.

[Shyne]

Kids playing Monopoly keep better track of their cash than the disgusting vermin-parasites who live in Washington and swim in our loot, lewdly defecating from time to time.

[sage]

Thanks for the visual.

[Mike M.]

President Obama has finished in last place in a beauty contest. Please reimburse the bank half a trillion dollars.

[sage]

Racist.

[President Bill & Ted Obama]

And part of the reason it's just good to be back is because Washington is a place where tax dollars are often treated like Monopoly money -- they're bartered and traded, and they're divvied up among lobbyists and special interests, and where waste -- even billions of dollars of waste -- is accepted as the price of doing business.

"And dude, you should see me doing it, it's totally sweet!"

[Troy]

Hey Obabma, Go straight to jail, do not collect two hundred dollars, and for gods sake, please SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!

[Tapeworm]

Hey Obabma, Go straight to jail, do not collect two hundred trillion dollars.

FIFY

[sage]

I must admit, I do like spelling his name like that.

[Maverick]

Where are this guy's handlers? Or are they all yes men? "Sure, Mr. President, go ahead and say that. It'll play well in the Midwest. Be sure to remind everybody that you used to live there. Reminisce a bit."

Because something like this would've been better: I don't know, Mr. President. The Monopoly metaphor might not be so great. People might be reminded about how the stimulus money was bartered and traded and divvied up among lobbyists and special interests. And healthc . . . oh, I understand that that subject might be sore for you. We'll move along . . . not to mention, some smart ass might photoshop you in the Monopoly Guy's place and Monopoly alludes to your collusion with Wall Street.

Now, Der Humpink!

[Marc]

The hilarity of Der Humpink cannot be overstated.

[Maverick]

We are all humping. We need to hump together.

The new age of humping is dawning

[Iason]

Being from the St. Louis area (St. Louis County, to be precise), if Obama tried to call Chicago the Midwest, he would get some of those famous Whoopi Goldberg eyes-over-the-glasses looks. Aside from the St. Louis City liberals, we fully acknowledge Chicago as Great Lakes and Southern Illinois as Midwest.

[Tapeworm]

I think by home he ment Indonesia, which I believe is closer to St. Louis, MO, than DC.

[PapayaSF]

I grew up in Michigan, and it was always considered part of the Midwest. Chicago, too.

[Tulpa]

Growing up in the Chicago area, we always thought of St Louis as part of the South. Ex-slave state and all.

[Iason]

I'm so Southern, y'all!

[jester]

Now, I don't know about here in St. Charles, $20 billion, that's real money, isn't it?

C'mon, guys, he was just trying to be cute. He was at St. Charles Place and 'Monopoly'. I know, lame, lame and in reality Washington is not on the board game and St. Charles is.

[Adam]

Is there no end to this man's shamelessness? I know the answer, I just have to ask the question. Politicians are truly the lowest form of life on Earth.

[bleek obummer]

What's next? "Read my lips, no new taxes"?

[TXLimey]

Well, he did add the caveat "for families making less the $250K a year" Still broke it in record time.

[Groovus Maximus]

He already did that: Remember the "It won't raise your taxes....not one single dime?"

Well, it it apparently is not a single dame that is being raised.

More like a Quadrillion or so.

[john]

hey groovus maximus, you must not have filed your taxes this year or you would have known that 95% of americans cot a tax break this year.

[Aresen]

St. Charles Place is $20 Billion!?

It used to be only $140 in my old Monopoly set.

Course, that was before Parker Bros got TARP funds.

[Evil Libertarian]

He says this on the very day the Feds announce that they set a single-month record for running up the taxpayers' credit card?

The sound you hear is every blood vessel in my brain exploding at once.

[MoDo]

As we were driving in, I was saying, boy,

Et tu, Obama?

[P Brooks]

This is a guy who should be put in the pillory and pelted with rotting vegetables. And large, jagged rocks.

[jester]

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl.....xtbin=Late for the Sky

Looking at this list, Chicagopoly comes the closest to Obama's world.

[jester]

okay didn't paste right. this'll work:

http://www.lateforthesky.com/20/About_Us.htm

[?]

One more for the "Whitest President Ever" files: As we were driving in, I was saying 'boy.' To his driver, Morgan Freeman.

[John]

Please go here:
http://www.jaxobserver.com/201.....ext-mayor/

And vote for Kevin Hyde, he's the only true conservative in the race!!!!!

[GoNavy]

No one, absolutely no one, could be a worse president than George W. Bush!

[Tapeworm]

I used to think that too.

[Silverman]

True. But Obama is on his way to proving that one can be just as bad.

[gaijin]

We're really setting the bar high, aren't we?

[Arty]

If an honest election were held today Bush would wipe his ass with your lying, thieving, sack-of-shit, home-boy, socialist, Democrat-traitor. Pardon the redundancies.

[Arty]

I left out incompetent and inept. The idea that any man with Obama's lack of qualifications and lack of character could get through the nomination and electoral process to become president would have horrified even Democrats not that long ago. Never mind that he'd be one of them.

[Hazel Meade]

Does that mean that tax dollars are spent to build unnecessary housing on increasingly expensive real estate?

I guess he's right ...

[guy in the back row]

Hey, at least Edward Tufte is now graphing the TARP money expenditures.

No more chart junk!

[J sub D]

Obama lecturing others on fiscal responsibilty is like Madonna preaching the virtues of chastity.

[Nick]

They are both talking about getting fucked by a huge cock, hence "like" a virgin.

[spambot]

Park Place with hotels! Pay up BITCHES!!!

[josey]

'like monopoly money'

Superfluous similes are fun.

[gaijin]

When we proposed, by the way, those $20 billion in cuts last year, we were ridiculed by the press,..

The press? So what? Oh right, image is everything.

[Hazel Meade]

Speaking of which:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/.....0&.v=4

The head of the Federal Housing Administration is warning that boosting the minimum down payment borrowers must provide to qualify for FHA-backed home loans could threaten the housing market.

FHA commissioner David Stevens said during a House hearing that his agency would back 300,000 fewer loans per year if the mandatory down payment was hiked from the current level of 3.5 percent to 5 percent. That's a 40 percent drop.

The result would be much lower demand and a potential "double-dip in housing prices," Stevens says.

The FHA does not make loans, but offers insurance against their default. It has been insuring roughly 30 percent of new loans, and is the largest backer of mortgages to first-time buyers.

Yay ... more government insistence on looser loan terms.

[Aresen]

Don't worry. The value of real estate always goes up.

.

Oh...wait...

[Vindicare]

...from the files of "We didn't learn our lesson: Real Estate Edition"

[Graphite]

When we proposed, by the way, those $20 billion in cuts last year, we were ridiculed by the press, said, "Ah, that's just a spit in the bucket." Now, I don't know about here in St. Charles, $20 billion, that's real money, isn't it?

Why did he just open his speech with, "Now, I know all y'all folks is complete and total retards but ... "

[Aresen]

If it was an audience of his supporters, one can assume that "y'all folks is complete and total retards".

Restating it is unnecessary.

[Gilbert Martin]

That kind of Obama blather is just more of the same old same old from him.

He entire career is based on pretending to be something he's not and convice people he's not doing what he's actually doing.

Thus he's a "pragmatist" instead of an idealogue, a "post partisan" instead of a hyper partisan and a Washington "outsider" instead of the most inside insider there is.

Oh and also "fiscally responsible" intead of being the most profligate spender in the entire nation's history.

[BakedPenguin]

Pardon me if this has already been said, but it would be great if Washington spent money like Monopoly money. The largest bill in Monopoly is only $500.

[Aresen]

I take it you've not seen the DC version?

In any case, as the US dollar reaches parity with the Zimbabwean dollar, it will all become much clearer.

[sage]

Yeah, then a single monopoly game will be shipped on a pallet.

[Tulpa]

If anything, the Obama administration reminds me of this Calvin & Hobbes strip:

Hobbes: Just a minute! What are you doing? You can't just take money from the bank!

Calvin: You've got hotels on every piece of property you own. I can't afford to pay you, so I'm sticking up the bank. It's a robbery!

Hobbes: You can't do that!

Calvin: I'm the banker, right? Am I going to risk my life over a few thousand dollars?

Hobbes: The rules don't say you can rob the bank. That's cheating.

Calvin: Do the rules say you can't rob the bank? Huh? Do they? Just roll the dice and accept this as a tragic turn of events, OK?

[M. Report]

It would be funny if it were a joke;
HCR gives the IRS collection authority:
Right out of your bank account.

[Voros McCracken]

Have they ever released a Monopoly where the prices have been adjusted by CPI?

[jd]

Jesus saves ... Gretzky grabs the rebound and scores.

[M. Report]

Imagine my surprise when I found there are some Economists who claim that,
for a sovereign issuer, it literally
_is_ monopoly money, and they can
print as much as they need. 🙁

[Jack S]

You guys are hilarious. It's no where near as bad as you are making it out to be: http://zfacts.com/metaPage/lib.....-GDP-L.gif

[Astroprisoner]

Washington is a place where tax dollars are treated like Monopoly money?

Is that an analogy?.or a confession?

[Andrew_M_Garland]

How can you respect money when you know that it is printed up around the corner at the Mint, and created electronically like mass emails at the Fed?