Using kids for props, Obama unveiled his gun plan. Or, as the ultra liberal Arizona Republic newspaper headline screamed, “Obama Outlines Sweeping Gun Plan”. Sweeping is a good choice of words. No one is touting the plan, just the act. But, the act, which most Americans know is like the recent big tax hike, will do little to curtail violence. Not when it comes to keeping kids safe in schools. But, it will do one thing, the one thing that all Obama plans do. It will increase the deficit. You see, nothing Obama does is small or free. It always has a price tag and it never has any way to finance that cost increase.
I, like most of you, have not paid much attention to the big Biden/Obama gun law proposal. I, like you, know it’s just a political show. Obama campaigning for his third term. I decided to just look at the cost aspect of his proposal. Here’s the breakdown.
1. Invest $20 million in fiscal year 2013 to give states stronger incentives to share background data.
2. Provide $10 million to the CDC for additional research on the relationship between video games, media images and violence.
3. Provide $14 million to help train 14,000 police officers and others to respond to shootings. (cops across America have to wonder who will pocket this cash)
4. Provide $20 million to expand the National Violent Death Reporting System to all 50 states.
5. Give $150 million to school districts and law-enforcement agencies to hire school resource officers, psychologists, social workers, and counselors.
6. Provide $30 million in one-time state grants to help schools districts develop emergency management plans.
7. Provide $50 million to help 8,000 more schools train their teachers and staff to create safer and more nurturing environments(sorry, I’m still laughing over this one)
8. Provide $55 million for new initiative to see students get treatment for mental health issues.
9. Provide $25 million for state-based strategies supporting individuals ages 16-25 with mental-health or substance-abuse issues.
10. Provide $25 million to offer students mental-health services for trauma or anxiety(assuming this fails)
11. Provide $50 million to train 5,000 additional mental-health professionals serving children and young adults.
There you have it, almost a half-billion in spending to solve the Newtown problem. Spending solves everything. Except the nation’s spending problem and no one solves that.
