Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Don't Fall for the Balance Budget Bull

UPDATE II: "There’s a big difference between Republicans who have pledged to cut the deficit and true fiscal conservatives." Read The New York Times, Imagining a Deficit Plan From Republicans. The article includes a graph showing the magnitude of the problem:




UPDATE: "Banana republic, here we come." Read The New York Times, Downhill With the G.O.P., which confirm what I've said, "the only way to balance the budget by 2020, while simultaneously (a) making the Bush tax cuts permanent and (b) protecting all the programs Republicans say they won’t cut, is to completely abolish the rest of the federal government: 'No more national parks, no more Small Business Administration loans, no more export subsidies, no more N.I.H. No more Medicaid (one-third of its budget pays for long-term care for our parents and others with disabilities). No more child health or child nutrition programs. No more highway construction. No more homeland security. Oh, and no more Congress.' (Quoting Howard Gleckman of the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.)

America's political meltdown, the road to poverty.

"Explore the various facets of the government's budget and see how revenues and spending have changed over time." See the Washington Post, Taking apart the federal budget.

Is It All For the Common Good, or Everyman For Himself?

UPDATE: Of course, it begs the question, what is the common good? Read the Washington Post, When do rules for the common good cross the line?

Bush's chief speechwriter and senior policy advisor from 2001 until June 2006, has some advice for having a little fun with your favorite Tea Party extremist this election, ask her/him the following questions:

Do you believe that Social Security and Medicare are unconstitutional?
Do you believe that American identity is undermined by immigration?
Do you believe that gun rights are relevant to the health-care debate?

I suggest another question: is Obama "secretly a Muslim, or born abroad, possibly in outer space?" Read the Washington Post, Why the Tea Party is toxic for the GOP.

Let the fun begin!