On January 14, at his press conference, Barack Obama famously declared (video below) that if Republicans don’t approve debt ceiling increases or continuing resolutions as he demands them, Social Security checks and veterans’ benefits will be delayed.

Everybody get that?  The first to feel the pain will be old people and veterans. This is rank demagoguery, shamelessly and proudly delivered in his usual condescending style.

Notably, Obama did not mention any of his 479 federal agencies and departments that could face cuts. They will go right on getting paid and growing every year as they have been, while old people and veterans get stiffed.  Astounding.  See the long list (below) of Obama’s 479 agencies and departments.  Among them, can you find one or two that might be closed or curtailed?

I can.  But evidently, Barack Obama cannot.

Incredibly, President Obama also implied that the US might not make its debt payments on time. The mere mention that debt service might be disrupted is a grossly irresponsible thing for any government official to say, let alone the president. But Obama did it anyway.

Such is the hubris and reckless disregard for our country that this man has.  And after threatening default on the debt, he and his minions have the nerve to reach out and cripple independent credit agencies that downgrade US debt securities?  Breathtaking.

There is plenty of tax revenue income coming in every month to pay for Social Security, veterans’ benefits, and debt service, and Obama knows it. Yet he prefers to pose as a helpless victim of Republican behavior.  Now who is holding whom hostage?

Make no mistake.  If any check or debt payment is delayed, it’s because President Barack Obama has deliberately and unnecessarily chosen to delay it.

That brings up the same old question — namely, is Obama behaving as he is out of ignorance or malice?  It might as well be malice, because the results will be about the same either way.  But even if it’s ignorance, it’s of a particular kind. As Thomas Sowell has said:

There is innocent ignorance and there is invincible, dogmatic and self-righteous ignorance.

Barack Obama has many remarkable attributes, but surely ‘innocence’ isn’t one of them.

So …

Here are the 479 federal agencies and departments whose budgets and bureaucrats our “compassionate” President puts ahead of Americans receiving Social Security and veterans’ benefits.

List of Federal Agencies and Departments, August, 2012 (source: usa.gov)

1. •AbilityOne Commission
2. •Access Board
3. •Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
4. •Administration for Native Americans
5. •Administration on Aging (AoA)
6. •Administration on Developmental Disabilities
7. •Administrative Committee of the Federal Register
8. •Administrative Conference of the United States
9. •Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
10. •Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
11. •African Development Foundation
12. •Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
13. •Agency for International Development (USAID)
14. •Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
15. •Agricultural Marketing Service
16. •Agricultural Research Service
17. •Agriculture Department
18. •Air and Radiation Hotline
19. •Air Force
20. •Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (Treasury)
21. •Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau (Justice)
22. •American Battle Monuments Commission
23. •AmeriCorps Recruiting
24. •AMTRAK (National Railroad Passenger Corporation)
25. •Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
26. •Antitrust Division
27. •Appalachian Regional Commission
28. •Architect of the Capitol
29. •Archives (National Archives and Records Administration)
30. •Arctic Research Commission
31. •Armed Forces Retirement Home
32. •Arms Control and International Security
33. •Army
34. •Army Corps of Engineers
35. •Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Interagency Coordinating Committee
36. •Atlantic Fleet Forces Command
37. •Bankruptcy Courts
38. •Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation
39. •Bonneville Power Administration
40. •Botanic Garden
41. •Broadcasting Board of Governors (Voice of America, Radio|TV Marti and more)
42. •Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade (Treasury)
43. •Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (Justice)
44. •Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
45. •Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
46. •Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
47. •Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
48. •Bureau of Industry and Security
49. •Bureau of International Labor Affairs
50. •Bureau of Justice Statistics
51. •Bureau of Labor Statistics
52. •Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
53. •Bureau of Prisons
54. •Bureau of Reclamation
55. •Bureau of the Census
56. •Bureau of the Engraving and Printing
57. •Bureau of the Public Debt
58. •Bureau of Transportation Statistics
59. •Capitol Visitor Center
60. •Census Bureau
61. •Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
62. •Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
63. •Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
64. •Central Command (CENTCOM)
65. •Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
66. •Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
67. •Chief Acquisition Officers Council
68. •Chief Financial Officers Council
69. •Chief Human Capital Officers Council
70. •Chief Information Officers Council
71. •Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
72. •Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
73. •Civilian Radioactive Waste Management
74. •Coast Guard
75. •Commerce Department
76. •Commission on Civil Rights
77. •Commission on Fine Arts
78. •Commission on International Religious Freedom
79. •Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)
80. •Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
81. •Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
82. •Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
83. •Community Planning and Development
84. •Compliance, Office of
85. •Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US CERT)
86. •Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
87. •Congressional Research Service
88. •Constitution Center
89. •Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
90. •Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
91. •Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
92. •Copyright Office
93. •Corporation for National and Community Service
94. •Corps of Engineers
95. •Council of Economic Advisers
96. •Council on Environmental Quality
97. •Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
98. •Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
99. •Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
100. •Court of Federal Claims
101. •Court of International Trade
102. •Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia
103. •Customs and Border Protection
104. •Defense Acquisition University
105. •Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
106. •Defense Commissary Agency
107. •Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)
108. •Defense Contract Management Agency
109. •Department of Defense (DOD)
110. •Defense Field Activities
111. •Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS)
112. •Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
113. •Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
114. •Defense Legal Services Agency
115. •Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
116. •Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
117. •Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
118. •Defense Security Service (DSS)
119. •Defense Technical Information Center
120. •Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
121. •Delaware River Basin Commission
122. •Denali Commission
123. •Department of Agriculture (USDA)
124. •Department of Commerce (DOC)
125. •Department of Defense Inspector General
126. •Department of Education (ED)
127. •Department of Energy (DOE)
128. •Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
129. •Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
130. •Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
131. •Department of Justice (DOJ)
132. •Department of Labor (DOL)
133. •Department of State (DOS)
134. •Department of the Interior (DOI)
135. •Department of the Treasury
136. •Department of Transportation (DOT)
137. •Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
138. •Director of National Intelligence, Office of
139. •Domestic Policy Council
140. •Drug Enforcement Administration
141. •Economic Adjustment Office
142. •Economic Analysis, Bureau of
143. •Economic Development Administration (EDA)
144. •Economic Research Service
145. •Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs
146. •Economics and Statistics Administration
147. •Education Department
148. •Election Assistance Commission
149. •Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of
150. •Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
151. •Employment and Training Administration
152. •Endangered Species Committee
153. •Energy Department
154. •Energy Information Administration
155. •English Language Acquisition Office
156. •Engraving and Printing, Bureau of
157. •Environmental Management (Energy Department)
158. •Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
159. •Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
160. •European Command
161. •Executive Office for Immigration Review
162. •Export-Import Bank of the United States
163. •Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO)
164. •Farm Credit Administration
165. •Farm Service Agency
166. •Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board
167. •Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
168. •Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
169. •Federal Bureau of Prisons
170. •Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
171. •Federal Consulting Group
172. •Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
173. •Federal Election Commission
174. •Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
175. •Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
176. •Federal Executive Boards
177. •Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council
178. •Federal Financing Bank
179. •Federal Geographic Data Committee
180. •Federal Highway Administration
181. •Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac)
182. •Federal Housing Finance Agency
183. •Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds
184. •Federal Interagency Committee on Education
185. •Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy
186. •Federal Judicial Center
187. •Federal Labor Relations Authority
188. •Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer
189. •Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
190. •Federal Library and Information Center Committee
191. •Federal Maritime Commission
192. •Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
193. •Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
194. •Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
195. •Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae)
196. •Federal Railroad Administration
197. •Federal Reserve System
198. •Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
199. •Federal Student Aid Information Center
200. •Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
201. •Federal Transit Administration
202. •Financial Management Service (Treasury Department)
203. •Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, National Commission
204. •Fish and Wildlife Service
205. •Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
206. •Food Safety and Inspection Service
207. •Foreign Agricultural Service
208. •Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
209. •Forest Service
210. •Fossil Energy
211. •Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
212. •General Services Administration (GSA)
213. •Geological Survey
214. •Global Affairs (State Department)
215. •Government Accountability Office (GAO)
216. •Government Ethics, Office of
217. •Government National Mortgage Association
218. •Government Printing Office (GPO)
219. •Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration
220. •Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation
221. •Health and Human Services Department
222. •Health Resources and Services Administration
223. •Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Office
224. •Helsinki Commission (Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe)
225. •Holocaust Memorial Museum
226. •Homeland Security Department
227. •House Leadership Offices
228. •House of Representatives
229. •House of Representatives Committees
230. •House Office of Inspector General
231. •House Office of the Clerk
232. •House Organizations, Commissions, and Task Forces
233. •Housing Office (HUD)
234. •Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission
235. •Immigration and Customs Enforcement
236. •Indian Affairs, Bureau of
237. •Indian Arts and Crafts Board
238. •Indian Health Service
239. •Industrial College of the Armed Forces
240. •Industry and Security, Bureau of
241. •Information Resource Management College
242. •Information Resources Center
243. •Innovation and Improvement Office
244. •Inspectors General
245. •Institute of Education Sciences
246. •Institute of Museum and Library Services
247. •Institute of Peace
248. •Inter-American Foundation
249. •Interagency Alternative Dispute Resolution Working Group
250. •Interagency Council on Homelessness
251. •Interior Department
252. •Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
253. •International Labor Affairs, Bureau of
254. •International Trade Administration (ITA)
255. •International Trade Commission
256. •Interpol
257. •James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
258. •Japan-United States Friendship Commission
259. •Job Corps
260. •John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
261. •Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries
262. •Joint Chiefs of Staff
263. •Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
264. •Joint Fire Science Program
265. •Joint Forces Command
266. •Joint Forces Staff College
267. •Joint Military Intelligence College
268. •Judicial Circuit Courts of Appeal
269. •Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation
270. •Justice Department
271. •Justice Programs, Office of
272. •Justice Statistics, Bureau of
273. •Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of
274. •Labor Department (DOL)
275. •Labor Statistics, Bureau of
276. •Land Management, Bureau of
277. •Legal Services Corporation
278. •Library of Congress
279. •Marine Corps
280. •Marine Mammal Commission
281. •Maritime Administration
282. •Marketing and Regulatory Programs (Agriculture Department)
283. •Marshals Service
284. •Mediation and Concitiation Service, Office of
285. •Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
286. •Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
287. •Merit Systems Protection Board
288. •Migratory Bird Conservation Commission
289. •Military Postal Service Agency
290. •Millennium Challenge Corporation
291. •Mine Safety and Health Administration
292. •Minority Business Development Agency
293. •Mint
294. •Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
295. •Mississippi River Commission
296. •Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation
297. •Multifamily Housing Office
298. •National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
299. •National Agricultural Statistics Service
300. •National AIDS Policy Office
301. •National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
302. •National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare
303. •National Capital Planning Commission
304. •National Cemetery Administration (NCA)
305. •National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
306. •National Constitution Center
307. •National Council on Disability (NCD)
308. •National Counterintelligence Executive, Office of
309. •National Credit Union Administration
310. •National Defense University
311. •National Drug Intelligence Center
312. •National Economic Council
313. •National Endowment for the Arts
314. •National Endowment for the Humanities
315. •National Gallery of Art
316. •National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
317. •National Guard
318. •National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
319. •National Indian Gaming Commission
320. •National Institute of Food and Agriculture
321. •National Institute of Justice
322. •National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
323. •National Institutes of Health (NIH)
324. •National Interagency Fire Center
325. •National Labor Relations Board
326. •National Laboratories (Energy Department)
327. •National Marine Fisheries Service
328. •National Mediation Board
329. •National Nuclear Security Administration
330. •National Ocean Service
331. •National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
332. •National Park Foundation
333. •National Park Service
334. •National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK)
335. •National Reconnaissance Office
336. •National Science Foundation
337. •National Security Agency (NSA)
338. •National Security Council
339. •National Technical Information Service
340. •National Telecommunications and Information Administration
341. •National Transportation Safety Board
342. •National War College
343. •National Weather Service (NOAA)
344. •Natural Resources Conservation Service
345. •Navy
346. •Northern Command
347. •Northwest Power Planning Council
348. •Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology
349. •Nuclear Regulatory Commission
350. •Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board
351. •Oak Ridge National Laboratory
352. •Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
353. •Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education
354. •Office of Compliance
355. •Office of Disability Employment Policy
356. •Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)
357. •Office of Government Ethics
358. •Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
359. •Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
360. •Office of Mediation and Concitiation Service
361. •Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
362. •Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
363. •Office of Refugee Resettlement
364. •Office of Science and Technology Policy
365. •Office of Scientific and Technical Information
366. •Office of Special Counsel
367. •Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
368. •Office of the Director of National Intelligence
369. •Office of the Pardon Attorney
370. •Open World Leadership Center
371. •Overseas Private Investment Corporation
372. •Pacific Command
373. •Pardon Attorney, Office of
374. •Parole Commission (Justice Department)
375. •Peace Corps
376. •Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
377. •Pentagon Force Protection Agency
378. •Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
379. •Policy Development and Research
380. •Political Affairs (State Department)
381. •Postal Regulatory Commission
382. •Postal Service
383. •Power Administrations
384. •President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
385. •Presidio Trust
386. •Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office
387. •Public and Indian Housing
388. •Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (State Department)
389. •Radio Free Asia (RFA)
390. •Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
391. •Railroad Retirement Board (RRB)
392. •Reclamation, Bureau of
393. •Refugee Resettlement, Office of
394. •Regulatory Information Service Center
395. •Rehabilitation Services Administration (Education Department)
396. •Research and Innovative Technology Administration
397. •Risk Management Agency (Agriculture Department)
398. •Rural Business and Cooperative Programs
399. •Rural Development
400. •Rural Housing Service
401. •Rural Utilities Service
402. •Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
403. •Science and Technology Policy, Office of
404. •Science Office (Energy Department)
405. •Scientific and Technical Information, Office of
406. •Secret Service
407. •Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
408. •Selective Service System (SSS)
409. •Senate
410. •Senate Committees
411. •Senate Leadership
412. •Senators on the Web
413. •Small Business Administration (SBA)
414. •Smithsonian Institution
415. •Social Security Administration (SSA)
416. •Social Security Advisory Board
417. •Southeastern Power Administration
418. •Southern Command
419. •Southwestern Power Administration
420. •Special Forces Operations Command
421. •State Department
422. •State Justice Institute
423. •Stennis Center for Public Service
424. •Strategic Command
425. •Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
426. •Supreme Court of the United States
427. •Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement
428. •Surface Transportation Board
429. •Susquehanna River Basin Commission
430. •Tax Court
431. •Taxpayer Advocacy Panel
432. •Tennessee Valley Authority
433. •Trade and Development Agency
434. •Transportation Command
435. •Transportation Department
436. •Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
437. •Transportation Statistics, Bureau of
438. •Treasury Department
439. •TRICARE Management
440. •Trustee Program (Justice Department)
441. •U.S. AbilityOne Commission
442. •U.S. Access Board
443. •U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
444. •U.S. Army
445. •U.S. Botanic Garden
446. •U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
447. •U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
448. •U.S. Coast Guard
449. •U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
450. •U.S. Customs and Border Protection
451. •U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
452. •U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
453. •U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
454. •U.S. International Trade Commission
455. •U.S. Military Academy, West Point
456. •U.S. Mission to the United Nations
457. •U.S. National Central Bureau – Interpol (Justice Department)
458. •U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
459. •U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
460. •U.S. Sentencing Commission
461. •U.S. Trade and Development Agency
462. •U.S. Trade Representative
463. •Unified Combatant Commands (Defense Department)
464. •Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
465. •United States Mint
466. •Veterans Affairs Department (VA)
467. •Veterans Benefits Administration
468. •Veterans Day National Committee
469. •Veterans’ Employment and Training Service
470. •Vietnam Educational Foundation
471. •Washington Headquarters Services
472. •Weather Service
473. •West Point (Army)
474. •Western Area Power Administration
475. •White House
476. •White House Commission on Presidential Scholars
477. •White House Office of Administration
478. •Women’s Bureau (Labor Department)
479. •Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars