Thursday, July 14, 2011

"Quit Believing the President"

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Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, told House Speaker John Boehner yesterday afternoon to "quit believing the president" in his threats regarding not raising the debt ceiling.

What threats?

Here's what CBS said to the President regarding Social Security checks, veterans' checks, disability checks, etc. and what the President told CBS' Scott Pelley on the CBS Evening News.

Someones pants may be on fire.

Pelley to the President: "Can you tell the folks at home that, no matter what happens, the Social Security checks are going to go out on August 3rd? There are about $20 billion worth of Social Security checks that have to go out the day after the government is supposedly going to go into default."

President Obama: "Well this is not just a matter of Social Security checks. These are veterans checks, these are folks on disability and their checks. There are about 70 million checks that go out each month."

Pelley: "Can you guarantee, as president, that those checks will go out on August 3rd?"

President Obama: "I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue [raising the debt ceiling], because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it."

Rep. Gohmert, responding to a reporter: "The Speakers' getting bad advice. I guess the problem with the Speaker and him saying that is, he believed the President and I would encourage the Speaker not to believe the President anymore, when the President says things like that. Because the fact is if he'll do his homework he'll find there is such a thing called Social Security Trust Fund, and the Social Security Trust Fund will be able to pay seniors their checks for many months to come even if Congress does nothing."

He said of President Obama's comments, "It's dishonest---scare tactics."

So, whose pants are on fire?

CNS NEWS
has done the homework for us, but are saying that anyone can look it up on the U.S. Treasury website.

The Facts?

Federal revenue for June could have paid all Social Security benefits and all veterans' benefits and Veterans Affairs programs almost three and a half times over. And there's more.

During June, tax revenue income to the government was $196.99 billion. That is enough to pay not only all Social Security, veterans, etc., for the month but additionally, the interest on the federal debt, Medicare, Medicaid, the Indian Health Services, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, all workers salaries and federal workers insurance benefits, Justice Department programs and Defense Vendors. With some left over.

CNS has itemized all of it for us.

President Obama: "I cannot guarantee the checks will go out..."

The Facts: Why, Mr. President? What is more important than these people? What are your priorities? What is your motive in saying these things?

Representatives Gohmert, R-Texas, Steve King, R- Iowa and Michele Bachmann, R- Minn, introduced legislation Tuesday of this week that will ensure that the federal government prioritizes payments to members of the Armed Services in the event the U.S. reaches the debt limit.

Psalms 11:3 says, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

Be Prayerful. Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Informed. Be Active.