Generously Offers Americans a Choice Between Higher Taxes or Food PoisoningIn his press conference earlier today, the President claimed that failure to find additional tax revenue could result in the elimination of food inspections by the Federal Government. (Here's the clip.) Talk about the politics of fear! The Federal Government spent over $3.5 Trillion last year. According to one source, the national government, via the Department of Agriculture, spent less than $11 billion in 2010 on "animal and plant health inspections, food safety, grain and packing inspections, and conservation activities." Is President Obama really asserting that, absent tax increases, he could not find $10 billion in non-essential spending in a $3.5 Trillion federal budget that would be better spent on food inspections?
Speaking of non-essential spending, the President's plea for more tax revenue is particularly ironic in light of his Administration's opposition to the bipartisan effort to eliminate the $6 Billion in annual subsidies to the Ethanol Industry. Apparently the President believes the National Government has ample funds to subsidize the use of corn as a fuel but somehow cannot locate the money necessary to prevent Americans from eating tainted food. This is a common tactic by so-called "Progressives," viz., invoke the need to fund core functions of government while at the same time supporting the existence and expansion of programs that simply transfer income from taxpayers to special interests.
