Obama Dangles Money Saving Carrot By Closing Gitmo

When President Obama recently announced his plan to close Gitmo, he said it would save between $65 and $85 million a year.  This from a guy who, when leaving office next year, will have almost doubled our national debt to nearly $20 trillion dollars, and who will leave the next President 1/2 trillion dollars a year in continuing debt.  So much debt, that for the the first time in our history, Moody's had to downgrade our nation's credit worthiness. So, saving a mere $85 million is laughable. 

Saving any money by closing Gitmo is most likely a fallacy.  Obama has a long history of getting things wrong whenever he and money are involved.  Remember how ObamaCare was going to save the average American family $2500 a year for their health insurance?  Still waiting on that one while premiums have nearly doubled that amount. Or, the stimulus plan that was supposed to keep unemployment under 8% and take it down to 5% by early 2013.  Instead, it went to 10% and didn't hit 5% until late last year.  This resulted in more than 1/2 trillion dollars being spent in extended unemployment benefits.  Or, how about all those green energy projects where $2.2 billion was wasted by his Energy Department on failing startup companies.  In fact, one solar project at Ivanpah was so badly designed that it now needs another $540 billion dollars for a bailout after Obama had already given that project a $1.6 billion loan.   These dollars aren't even in the $2.2 billion previously mentioned because that tally was done before the Ivanpah project was finished in 2014.

Yes, Barack Obama is a real money saving machine.  The reality is that saving $85 million is comparable to swatting a gnat on an elephant's behind.

References:

Obama gives Congress plan to close Guantanamo Bay prison: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-obama-gitmo-20160223-story.html

History of the United States public debt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States_public_debt

Historical Federal Receipt and Outlay [and Deficit] Summary: http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=200

Obama Promised Healthcare Premiums Would Fall $2,500: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-09-25/obama-promised-healthcare-premiums-would-fall-2500-family-they-have-climbed-4865

Unemployment benefits cost: $520 billion: http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/29/news/economy/unemployment-benefits-cost/

Obama clean energy loans leave taxpayers in $2.2 billion hole:  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/27/obama-backed-green-energy-failures-leave-taxpayers/?page=all

A renewable energy company touted publicly by President Barack Obama which lists Google as an investor is requesting a $539 million federal grant to help pay off part of a $1.6 billion federal loan it received to build a solar plant in the Mojave desert: http://dailycaller.com/2014/11/09/google-owned-solar-company-requests-540-million-bailout-to-help-pay-1-6-billion-loan/

Closing Gitmo Won't End It As a Recruiting Tool

Come hell or high water, Barack Obama is dead set on closing Gitmo before he leaves office, and it doesn't matter how many of the remaining worst of the worst he releases into the world.  In doing so, the President will erroneously believe he has shutdown a main recruiting tool for the terrorists.  However, he would, as usual, be wrong.

When Gitmo closes, ISIS, Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Taliban, and all the other terrorist groups will see this as a win for them and a defeat for the United States.  They will relish that fact because they know that this "defeat" can be used as a "real" recruiting tool. Mark my words.

References:

January 2016: Obama vows to 'keep working to shut down' Gitmo | TheHill:  http://thehill.com/policy/defense/265688-obama-calls-for-closing-guantanamo-amid-releases

January 2016: http://www.redstate.com/2016/01/13/president-obama-releasing-hardcore-terrorists-deadly-ploy-close-gitmo/President Obama Releasing 10 More “Hardcore” Terrorists:

Obama: ISIS using Gitmo to rationalize 'demented, sick' violence: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/260724-obama-guantanamo-an-enormous-recruitment-tool-for-isis