dagblog - Comments for "Details of the budget deal"

Yup. and yet a little more

Obey — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:10:56 +0000

Yup. and yet a little more context: take a look at tax expenditures - lost revenue through loopholes that could be closed.

Close the two capital gains tax-breaks, and the loophole funnelling corporate profits overseas, and BINGO, you have the needed 78 billion in savings.

But that would be too painful for the wrong people.

That formula in the WH press release - 'tough choices to live within our means' - is outrageous.

Win! the! Future!!!

we are stardust — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:36:34 +0000

In reply to Last night was a perfect

Win! the! Future!!!

Last night was a perfect

NCD — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:09:39 +0000

In reply to Selective disclosure of cuts

Last night was a perfect example of Democrats and Republicans coming together, working tirelessly to hammer out a deal and making the tough choices to live within our means. We all know that we face tough challenges ahead, from job creating and growing our economy, to educating our children and reducing our deficit, and we must continue to work together to achieve those goals and deliver for the American people.

The 'tough choices' of hitting the poor and middle class are a done deal, the no brainer choices of ending the tax cuts on millionaires and billionaires, dead and alive, taxing CEO bonuses, or jailing Wall Street crooks are challenges no one in DC dares even consider or mention.

Selective disclosure of cuts

Obey — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 17:33:29 +0000

In reply to Details of the budget deal

Selective disclosure of cuts in the deal (from the WH blog):

The two sides agreed to cut $13 billion from funding for programs at the Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services as well as over $1 billion in a cut across non-defense agencies, forcing everyone to tighten their belt. There will be reductions to housing assistance programs and some health care programs along with $8 billion in cuts to our budget for State and Foreign Operations. These significant cuts to the State Department and foreign assistance will mean we will not meet some of the ambitious goals set for the nation in the President's Budget.

Our team also went after wasteful spending and earmarked, special interest programs including $630 million in earmarked transportation projects and at least $2.5 billion in transportation funding that is ready to be earmarked. We were able to cut $35 million by ending the Crop Insurance Good Performance Rebate, which gives successful farmers, who have no claims, a rebate for insurance premiums already subsidized by the federal government. In addition to these cuts, we were able to eliminate $30 million for a job training program that was narrowly targeted at certain student loan processors. We also looked to the Defense department for savings, and were able to identify $18 billion in cuts deemed unnecessary by the Pentagon. These types of cuts are what the American people expect out of their leaders in Washington.

The spending deal agreed to

Obey — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 13:23:29 +0000

In reply to Details of the budget deal

The spending deal agreed to Friday night to avert a government shutdown includes a provision banning the District from spending its own funds to provide abortions to low-income women as well as funding to continue a controversial school voucher program in DC.