Obama to Cut Budget?

In the news today is that President Obama asked the Cabinet to cut $100 million dollars from the budget within 90 days. (Admit it, you've been so blinded by the not just billions, but trillions of dollar figures they are throwing around these days that $100 million initially sounds like a rather small amount, doesn't it? Unless its the lottery, and then it sounds a lot bigger!) This proposed cut represents only .0029% of the entire budget.

Its a good start, but it doesn't go far enough, and it doesn't begin to address the damage that has already been done by the stimulus bill (called 'porkulus bill' by many), that could yet be repealed. Its kind of like saying you are going to seriously diet, and then when you are finished wolfing down your super-size McDonald's french fries and you get to the bottom of the container, deciding not to eat the last little crumb of a fry that is left and feeling good about your self-control. News flash: denying oneself a french fry crumb doesn't change the fact that you may be a glutton. Our federal government has definitely become a glutton, and the Tea Party movement brings attention to that and calls for much-needed fiscal discipline. Obama has recognized that his rhetoric (the 'Fiscal Responsibility' summit held recently) alone isn't going to cut it, and so will attempt to appease people with the smallest amount of action conceivable.

Before you argue, lets put this in perspective of the typical American family, who has been "cutting back" and "living within their means" in both word *and* deed. If your family of four earns $50,000 a year, and you magnanimously cut .0029% of your annual budget, you will only have spent $145 a year less than you would have otherwise. Or $36.25 per person. Thats *before* federal, state, and local taxes are taken out, so its a generous example indeed. Don't get me wrong -- I'm a believer in "every little bit counts", but somehow, I have trouble looking at this Obama pronouncement as anything more than a very pitiful attempt to appease an American people who are rightfully indignant about the profligate spending of the federal government and haven't been satisfied with his rhetoric. Get out the scalpel and go to it for real!

UPDATE: Saw a funny video last night where Press Secretary Gibbs tried to say that $100 million was a lot of money where he comes from, but he couldn't pull it off because Jake Tapper immediately reminded him that Gibbs himself said that $8 billion in earmarks was a miniscule amount in the appropriations bill. He was unable to formulate a response to that. Whoops. Nice try, Gibbs.