RUSH: Most of the American public, especially the segment of the populace that listens to this program are far more informed about the events going on in this country and around the world than your average reporter is. That’s the key. They’re all living in past narratives and news templates and so forth. Yeah, Republicans want to cut Social Security. Republicans hate women and children. Republicans create homelessness. Republicans created people with AIDS. Republicans don’t care. Republicans are cold-hearted, mean, extremists. And all we have to do is position things so that it becomes apparent again and the Democrats win big. This is what they think, hence all of the efforts here to portray Republicans as these Draconian budget cutters.
But again, $800 billion stimulus, Porkulus, what have you, $800 billion. As far as the media is concerned, ‘Hey, no problem.’ In fact, ‘Hey, that’s real compassion.’ That was Obama putting the country back to work, shovel-ready jobs, rebuilding the infrastructure. We had all kinds of stimuli before that. We had TARP. We’ve had any number of financial stimulus acts. This budget deficit is projected now to be $1.6 trillion, and yet we’re told Obama is going to cut the deficit in half in ten years. Eight hundred billion dollars in what turned out to be no stimulus. It’s no problem. One hundred billion dollars in budget cuts is an absolute disaster, a cold-hearted trick, a mean-spirited maneuver by the Republicans. Come on, media, get real. One hundred billion dollars is chump change, spending or cuts, but particularly cuts. You want to try to create the narrative that a hundred billion dollars is gonna lead to mass death, sickness, irreversible economic damage, without calculating the very economic damage done to this country by this regime and this president?
Do you really think you can get away anymore with positioning a hundred measly billion dollars as utter destruction of the United States of America? If $800 billion in stimulus spending did not help the economy, how can 100 billion dollars in cuts hurt it? You’re still $700 billion ahead of the game, for crying out loud. Take a hundred billion dollars away from the stimulus, you still got $700 billion in new spending, and you dare tell us about cuts! There aren’t any cuts. There are meager reductions in the unsustainable rate of growth. Come on, media, you’re better than this. Actually, they’re not. I just thought I’d say it. I am mistaken. The media isn’t better than this. And that is the real crying shame. You can ask what we got from the stimulus. You might also ask what exactly do we get for our $3.7 trillion for the entire federal budget? Besides defense, which is the one thing the Democrats want to do away with, name one thing you get from the federal government. Remember, the post office isn’t part of it. Clearly there are things. It’s being spent on something, ethanol subsidies, farm subsidies, any number of people being subsidized here.
But what are we getting for this as a nation? Where is the boom? Where are all the jobs? Where’s this prosperity? Where’s this new alignment? Where’s all this magic? Where are all the green jobs? Where’s this revolutionary new energy economy? Where is all this? What are we getting for this spending? Zilch, zero, nada. So poor old Jay Carney, first day on the job, his credibility is down the toilet. ‘Yeah, we stand by the budget.’ Well, that’s helpful. You know, we have a game we play now and then called How Gullible Are You? Time for a new season of How Gullible Are You? Do you believe inflation is under control even after you pay your food bill and fill up your gas tank? Do you believe the unemployment rate is only 9% when the regime explains it’s seasonally adjusted? Do you believe the Obamacare program will cut costs and improve services even though your own doctor denies it and is thinking of quitting? Do you believe Obama’s stimulus created millions of jobs and tons of shovel-ready projects? Do you believe that $800 billion in stimulus created a massive economic boom and employment the likes of which the country hasn’t seen but that $100 billion in marginal budget cuts will destroy people’s lives? After all, we’re still $700 billion ahead of the game after these $100 billion in cuts.
Do you believe Obama is fiscally responsible? Do you believe Obama wants to be fiscally responsible? Do you believe Obama intends to ever be fiscally responsible? Clearly, the answer to all those questions is ‘no.’ And what are we faced with? We get stories about how Obama is setting traps for the Republicans. Obama has set traps for the country. Obama has set traps for the United States, lots and lots of traps. Washington Whispers, US News & World Report: ‘The Internal Revenue Service says it will need a battalion of 1,054 new auditors and staffers and new facilities at a cost to taxpayers of more than $359 million in fiscal 2012 just to watch over the initial implementation of [the unconstitutional Affordable Care Act]. Among the new corps will be 81 workers assigned to make sure tanning salons pay a new 10 percent excise tax.’ These 81 new employees will cost 11 and a half million dollars. The IRS wants 81 new agents to monitor tanning salons, 11 and a half million.
”The ACA [Affordable Care Act] will require additional resources to build new IT systems; modify existing tax processing systems; provide taxpayer outreach and assistance services; make enhancements to notices, collections, and case management systems to address and resolve taxpayer issues timely and accurately; and conduct focused examinations to encourage compliance,’ said the newly released IRS budget. In its request, the IRS explained that the tax changes associated with health reform are huge. ‘Implementation of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 presents a major challenge to the IRS. ACA represents the largest set of tax law changes in more than 20 years, with more than 40 provisions that amend the tax laws.” This is from the IRS. ‘Unsaid: The requests are just the beginning, since the new healthcare program is evolving and won’t be fully implemented until about 2014.’
This is just one year’s requests from the IRS. Eleven and a half million dollars for 81 agents to monitor tanning salons, just for this year. It will go up as new elements are implemented. And all the while we’re talking about something that’s been vacated by a federal judge. We’re talking about something which is unconstitutional. ‘The detailed IRS budget documents spell out exactly what most of the new workforce will be doing. For example, some 81 will be tasked just to handle the tax reporting of 25,000 tanning salons. They face a new 10 percent excise tax on indoor tanning services. Another 76 will be assigned to make sure businesses engaged in making and importing drugs pay their new fee, which is expected to deliver $2.8 billion to the Treasury in 2012 and 2013. The new healthcare corps will also require new facilities and computers.
‘Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who’s become a point man in the budget battle, told Whispers, ‘The president’s irresponsible budget empowers the IRS to begin to audit Americans’ healthcare. As the IRS says, Obamacare represents the largest set of tax changes in more than 20 years. Adding hundreds of new jobs and millions of dollars to the IRS isn’t going to make care better or more available for anyone. I will continue to fight to repeal and replace Obamacare with patient-centered reforms that help the private sector — not the IRS — create more jobs.” Here’s a brief with summary from Barrasso himself. The IRS will have to hire thousands of Washington bureaucrats to implement Obamacare measures, we’ve talked about tanning tax; 84 full-time employees at almost $10 million to strengthen oversight of exempt hospitals; 100 full-time new employees, cost $35 million, for new health care coverage information reporting, whatever the hell that is; 150 new full-time IRS agents at a cost of $22 million to assist taxpayers in understanding the new provisions, not complying, just understanding; 150 new agents to help us understand the unconstitutional Affordable Care Act. And $15 million for changes to the call center, the 800 line where you call to have your questions answered. That’s the IRS budget request to implement the Affordable Care Act for just this year alone.