Bill Clinton's $139 million-a-second State of the Union "promise-a-thon"
WASHINGTON, DC -- Did you have trouble keeping up with the blizzard of new federal programs and increased government spending that President Bill Clinton proposed in his State of the Union address on Thursday?
If so, you're not alone, says the Libertarian Party.
"Bill Clinton was talking faster than a used car salesman, making more promises than a late-night TV infomercial, and flaunting a longer list of hand-outs than Santa Claus," said Steve Dasbach, the party's national director. "No wonder Americans had trouble keeping score: Every time you blinked, you'd miss another $139 million in new federal spending."
No, that "$139 million" is not just a figure of speech: It's the amount of spending the Libertarian Party estimates Clinton proposed during each second of his State of the Union address, said Dasbach.
For Americans who had trouble keeping up with Clinton's annual "promise-a-thon," here's the Libertarian Party's State of the Union score card:
* Length of speech: 89 minutes
* Total proposed new/increased federal spending: $743 billion ($400 billion for Medicare, $343 billion for other programs)
* Proposed new spending per HOUR of speech: $495.3 billion
* Proposed new spending per MINUTE of speech: $8.3 billion
* Proposed new spending per SECOND of speech: $139 million
* Total proposed new/expanded federal programs: 101
* Number of federal programs Clinton promised to reduce or abolish: 0
* Number of positive social/economic trends Clinton took personal credit for: 10 (job creation, economic growth, lower poverty rates, federal surpluses, a "revival of the American spirit," reduced crime, fewer teen births, reduced welfare, helping "parents succeed at work and at home," and increased volunteering.)
* And number of times Clinton told the truth: 1 (His Freudian slip that Al Gore had a plan to make communities more "liberal.")
Looking at all those numbers, there's one thing Libertarians want every American to remember, said Dasbach: "When Bill Clinton doles out promises at the rate of $139 million a second, it's your money he plans to spend. After all, no politician can do anything for you until he takes something from you.
"So don't get too excited about all these new programs. Every promise Clinton makes is actually a promissory note -- and your name is on it. This State of the Union speech didn't demonstrate that Bill Clinton is compassionate; it just proves that he has mastered the art of trying to bribe Americans with our own money."
All that said, there is one thing Libertarians are thankful for, said Dasbach: "We're grateful that Clinton's State of the Union speech didn't last longer. At $139 million a second, American taxpayers couldn't afford it."
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