Memorial Day...

Re(1): 'The Call of Cthulhu', The Belmont Club, Wretchard T.C.
Re(2): 'Americans will die for liberty', The Telegraph, Andrew Gimson

I fear that many confuse the sound of Spartan piping at Thermopylae with the signed or whispered or shouted orders at Diyala and Auschwitz and Andersonville. On this Memorial Day, I think we should take a moment to redefine the difference.

On this day I voice my deep appreciation for the soldiers who have fought - and who are now fighting - men who don the livery of evil. I honor those who have paid the ultimate cost for the ultimate endeavor.

May good always triumph!!!

Sorry Libs, The Federal Deficit will not balloon this year :-&

The one grand hope you have regarding ‘Deficits as Far as the Eye Can See!!!’ is that the spineless Democrat acceptance of the $100 Billion in ‘off-budget’ Iraq Occupation supplemental will bust the budget. It will not. You will have to hope for more al-Qaeda murders (whoops, I forgot. The freedom fighting group that calls itself ‘Al-Qaeda In Iraq’ is not in Iraq) and Biblical natural disasters to blow the improving budget outlook.

Why? Three reasons:

1. The Defense Department is currently spending as if the supplemental was passed
2. And, even the DOD cannot spend that kind of money that quickly
3. And, the stock market is boiling…

Thus, there will be no marked increase in monthly spending. The DOD will simply backfill other budget line items. And, folks are still making tons of taxable money in the stock market - even if the market crashes!!!.

I expect an FY2007 deficit (for you Lib ignits October 2006 to September 2007) to be about $70 Billion. That is, less than 0.6% of GDP. Yup, rounding error - or the equivalent of a six pack of cheap beer per month for Americans at the poverty level.

There is always hope. Maybe you all could create al-Qaeda influenced cells here in America and prove that playing offense in the Middle East is not making Americans safer here. What will you call your organization – ‘Ignit Lefty al-Qaeda Supplicants in America’. Has a nice ring to it!!!

Deficit News You Won't Hear on MessNBC!!!

Re(1): 'Montly Budget Review, May 2007', Congressional Budget Office
Re(2): 'Monthly Treasury Statement, April 2007', United States Treasury

Carnac must retire from the Federal Budget prognostication business...

I mentioned in an earlier post that BusHitler, the 'Great Monkey Ape', seemed to be streamlining the budget process. I even mentioned the whole TQM approach of measuring and managing processes. The fact that the woefully incompetent - and slow - Congressional Budget Office is quickly reviewing and posting information based on the Monthly Treasury Statement is testament to that fact that the budget process is now more manageable.

The CBO actually crunched and posted an adjustment to their estimates four days after the end of April. This is very good, and a very positive thang. But, if they did it right it does make predicting tax receipts and government expenditures a bit boring.

Oh well...

Here are the numbers:

	April	to Date	Change	Annual Projection
Revenues:	$385	$1,506	+11.3%	$2,677,533
Expenditures:	$209	$1,589	+2.9%	$2,731,353
Deficit:	$176 surplus	$83	-54.9%	$53,831

However, things are far bleaker if one uses the ratios from the remaining months as the determinant factors:

	April	to Date	Change	Annual Projection
Revenues:	$385	$1,506	+12.1%	$2,697,449
Expenditures:	$209	$1,589	+6.3%	$2,822,886
Deficit:	$176 surplus	$83	-49.6%	$125,437

This would incorporate the $100 Billion dollar Defense Supplimental. Even the DOD can only spend so much money a month on gold plated screwdrivers!!!

But, and this is a rather large sized but...

There is no additional Katrina money being spent!!!

Thus, I still lean toward my preseason pick of $68 Billion as the FY2007 deficit...

Oh, the humanity...

My guess is that we will hear nothing of this. I mean the gnashing of teeth over a deficit of 0.51% of GDP should be audible from the moon.

The end is near...

The end of annual deficits, I mean!!!