IS THIS SERIOUS? – AT 9:38 P.M. ET:  Once again we see how this White House treats the citizenry.  Level with us?  Are you kidding?  From Fox:

The White House pushed back Monday on a report that administration officials had examined the impact of a national sales tax as a way to help close the federal budget's gaping deficit.

"The president has not proposed this idea nor is it under consideration," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Not under consideration?  Then where did all this talk about VAT come from?  Did the tooth fairy deliver it last night?

Talk of the tax was kicked up earlier this month when White House economic adviser Paul Volcker said the government should consider imposing the so-called value-added tax. The New York Times then reported Sunday that President Obama's economic team had calculated the impact of a 5-percent VAT.

Oh, now I understand.  Volcker had gone batty and The Times made up the story.  Sure, sure.  I get it.

But the White House denied the claim, saying such calculations are "widely and publicly available" from outside analysts, and that the administration had not done any number-crunching of its own.

White House spokesman Matthew Vogel told Fox News that Obama "is not proposing to cut the deficit at the expense of middle-class families."

I'd love to know how many readers believe that last statement.

Still, while Obama has pledged to eliminate deficit spending by 2015, many doubt he is willing to make the spending cuts necessary to achieve that and suggest he'll be tempted to turn to new taxes like the VAT.

COMMENT:  It's reached the point where you can't believe anything this administration says.  I think in semi-totalitarian countries they call this "guided democracy."  Elect them, then they guide you, whether you want to be guided or not.

Welcome to our children's future.

April 19, 2010