cry havoc

What gets me is that the White House hasn't presented a solid budget. There's no way to say, "we could do A, B, or C, and live up to our promises but D and E are out of the question." Hell, we don't even really have a budget on the table - IMO - because there are so many gaps. For instance, normally when the White House presents a budget, it includes tables which indicate the previous amounts alloted, and the major projects, and the amounts expected to be alloted in this budget. It's not always the way things end up, but it's a representation of the White House's priorities -- if it's not clear, the WH's budget is then matched against the Congressional budget (which is most often represented as a 'response' budget, of sorts).

But without those tables and the finer detail, it's leaving a great deal open. Not the least of which is that under Social Security, the page simply said, "SSA will be reformed with personal accounts" or some such. No budget presentation at all--so it's very hard to pin things down.

I don't know if the second post will cheer you up or make you froth at the mouth--or just confuse you completely. If it does any of the three, let me know. Haven't gotten too many responses on it, but I think people are intimidated by economics, and don't see what impact it could possibly have on their personal lives. After all, most economists are just talking heads on some television news show. ;D