It Doesn’t Add Up

By William L. Garvin

“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that, "the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.”
Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006

President Obama has obviously flip-flopped from Senator Obama. After introducing over one hundred new spending programs, the President just presided over the largest single month deficit in United States history. In February alone, the $229 BILLION deficit pushed the national debt to $15.5 TRILLION! Pay attention to the contradictions between his words and his actions. They don’t add up.

Recently, the President said “Now, because of these new standards for cars and trucks, they’re all going to be able to go further and use less fuel every year. And that means pretty soon you’ll be able to fill up your car every two weeks instead of every week. Over time, that saves you, a typical family, about $8,000 a year.” For analysis, let’s use a gasoline price of $4.00 per gallon. That means you would be saving 2,000 gallons per year which means you are currently using 4,000 gallons per year. Researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute say the average fuel economy of cars, light trucks, minivans and SUVs purchased in February was 23.7 miles per gallon. While the average family drives 15,000 miles per year, President Obama’s fictional family must drive 80,000 miles per year at 40 mpg to achieve his savings. It doesn’t add up.

President Obama spoke in Cleveland about ObamaCare: "Your employer, it's estimated, would see premiums fall by as much as 3,000 percent, which means they could give you a raise." A White House press spokesman later said the president meant to say annual premiums would drop by $3,000. However, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that health care premiums INCREASED in 2011 by nine percent. Again, it doesn’t add up.

Additionally, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid requested $30 million from the President’s campaign fund, the same amount they received in 2008 and 2010 to elect key Democrats. Despite having held over one hundred mega-fundraisers, the President said no. Plus, neither he nor VP Biden is scheduled at fundraisers for any congressional candidate. Once again, things just don’t add up.


Then there’s Nancy Pelosi staging Sandra Fluke and her preposterous contention that birth control pills could cost “$3,000 over three years of law school.” WalMart, Kroger, and Target advertise the pills for $9.00 per month. Even the outside number presented by Planned Parenthood is $50.00 per month. Apparently they don’t teach math at Georgetown Law School. That may account for the former president of the “Law Students for Reproductive Justice” stupendous mathematical “misrepresentation.” It just doesn’t add up. Rushing to her defense was HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, “The reduction in the number of pregnancies compensates for the cost of contraception.” She also said the estimated cost is “down not up.” China’s one-child policy would be even more cost effective wouldn’t it, Madame Secretary? So would fifty million abortions. It doesn’t add up.

Comically, Consumer Reports doled out $107,850 to test the highly taxpayer subsidized Fisker Karma. Unfortunately, the “all show and no go” vehicle completely broke down and couldn’t even complete the testing process. That certainly didn’t add up. Since the Department of Energy keeps on giving, take a look at the “L Prize.” This was a $10 million award recently presented by Secretary Steven Chu for a “green” light bulb that is “affordable for American families.” Phillips received the award for an LED bulb that costs FIFTY dollars! There are already LED bulbs on the market for nearly half the price. Nothing adds up unless it’s in the liberal “new math” world that continues to squander your money.