Hopefully optimistic!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note from Blog Editor

 Today, Pres. Obama announced he was going to make  reductions in government waste. I can only hope that the cuts will be drastic ones as we need to get our house in order. Given Pres. Obama's track record I do not believe this will happen. With the size of government growing and the budget growing, we have no choice but to make drastic cuts to both. We need to push Pres. Obama and our congressmen to do the right thing, or we have the possibility of becoming a second rate country. Let us all unite and work to make the United States of America strong and free.

 Samuel Burns

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Obama to announce plans to cut government waste

Obama, Biden to announce administration plans for reduce waste, inefficiency in government 

Julie Pace, Associated Press, On Monday June 13, 2011, 7:27 am EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama will announce new steps Monday to reduce government waste, arguing that inefficiency, fraud and abuse are especially troubling during tough economic times.

Obama was to sign an executive order creating the Campaign to Cut Government Waste. According to a draft of the order obtained by The Associated Press, Obama will call for a new oversight board to work with federal agencies to cut back on waste and improve their performance. The order also requires cabinet secretaries to hold regular meetings with Vice President Joe Biden to report progress.

Monday's announcement comes as the White House grapples for ways to both boost sluggish economic growth and quell public anger over the mounting deficit.

"As we work to tackle the budget deficit, we need to step up our game," Obama said in a video message to be released Monday.

"No amount of waste is acceptable -- not when it's your money; not at a time when so many families are already cutting back," he said.

Biden and other administration officials were to discuss plans to cut back on waste

In prepared remarks for Monday's event, budget director Jacob Lew said wasting taxpayer dollars through inefficiency "is particularly offensive at a time of such fiscal challenges."

One of the campaign's first steps will be targeting waste and duplication among federal websites. The administration will halt the creation of new websites, as well as shut down or consolidate one-fourth of the 2,000 government websites in the next few months.