“A filibuster-proof 64 senators on Friday sent a letter to President Obama, asking him to engage in serious discussions on a broad plan for long-term deficit reduction. Encouraging,” according to the Washington Post.
“But another letter went out this weekend, from the Tea Party Patriots to its supporters, and it highlights an ironic but distinct possibility: Even if centrists unite around a real plan, will the Tea Party or other conservatives kill the sort of deficit-cutting compromise — and there must be compromise for a long-term budget plan to pass, let alone for it to be durable — that those 64 senators envision?”
The rest of the article is here.
“Mark Meckler, co-founder and national coordinator of Tea Party Patriots, says a government shutdown could provide a necessary impetus for meaningful action on spending, particularly for party leaders who have been ‘entirely weak and without a spine’ to this point,” according to the National Review.
“All we’re asking them to do is keep their promises to the people who got them elected,” he tells National Review Online. “They couldn’t even cut $100 billion on their own bill.”
The rest of the article is here.
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Jeff,
If you couple your last two post is shows a self fulfilling prophecy.
Mark M. compromise and Barry P. compromises sound similar- agree with me on everything or you are unreasonable and unwilling to talk.
They have points that are in need of pondering, not knee jerk reaction to the compromise. The “Dance of the Spoiled Rotten Child” has gotten way beyond old.
I say let ‘em do what they are doing; as they are very capable of being seen by the public as loony and blocking progress towards reducing the deficit. They may see themselves as “our savior” {little s}, but no matter how good the merits of the issue they bring to the table, you don’t deal with budget piecemeal and you don’t cut benefits for anyone until you cut the Corporate Welfare at a equal amount (for starters).
Why oh why could they not stayed in Arizona? Better suited but then they would have NOTHING to complain about (unless fed their marching orders from Dick Armey and friends).
One day I hope issues can be dealt with together. Long way from that right now.
At some point, people that support democracy and a government that acts as a check against corporate hegemony in order to “promote the general welfare” of the country, needs to say, No! No more compromise!
The fact is that the country is NOT broke!
The investor class is cashing out of America as if she is a tapped out hedge fund.
Clearly Obama and the Democratic party don’t seem willing or able to do it!
Sarah Palin’s international behavior is the epitome of this “wingnut” behavior: She goes to Israel, takes off her american flag pin and Cross, whereupon she switches to a Star of David…gets her “piture” taken with Netanyahu, who, wisely looks like he’s standing next to a rattlesnake, and then Palin and Co., Inc. “decide” to forgo seeing Bethlehem and The Church of the Holy Sepulcre. I could see why going there might’ve made her a bit nervous. This set of “behaviors” exactly mirrors the duplicity of republican extremists who vote the exact opposite of what’s best for their country and opt for whats best for themselves, photo ops and all…and their money and corporate skin. And yes, Curtis, no more of this game of “liar’s dice” and condescension from idiots like this who wouldn’t know what’s “best for this country’s people” if the constitution rose up and starting talking to them…By the way, speaking of Israel, the Sacramento Bee has a wonderful story about Maxwell House Coffees role in a wonderful Passover tradition. It was heartwarming…I’m going to buy a can for posterity…
I’m a goddamn atheist and I can’t even imagine going to Jerusalem and not walking up the Temple Mount, visiting the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Yad Vashem, or Going to the Dome of the Rock. I have to assume that there were security issues. Or perhaps she feared being struck by lightning as Kate suggests.
Are we raising the next Sarah Palin right here in Nevada county?
I was searching Youtube for ‘nevada County” California and found this: See the second half.
Don’t think Mark Meckler and the Tea Party Patriots will be able to torpedo an agreement arrived at between Administration and a 64 member filibuster proof Senate majority. The Tea Party (right wing of the Republican Party) are battling to regain control after losing it to moderates with the disgrace of the Bush/Cheney faction with the financial collapse and bailout of Wall Street and the banking industry in 2008, and subsequent losses at the polls. The taking back of the House of Representatives in 2010 by a Republican majority, some of whom were Tea Party, not unexpected from American voters frustrated with the hard climb back out of the financial pit they had been thrown into by policies of a GOP dominated by its right wing for the past 8 years, does not mean that that same group has regained the power it once had.
Well said, Pat. Thanks. Politically speaking, we’re the “purple people eaters.” No “wingnuts” allowed in the tree house! LOL.
Again, a common sense question: Is a budget that reduces the $1.6 trillion deficit [and it is growing] this year by only $60 billion so radical?
The Tea Party folks want MUCH more cut but this is the “compromise” that the Congressional Republicans have put on the table. How many Democrat votes does this modest compromise have in the US Senate?
John
PS: To put those numbers in some perspective, if a family was over spending this year and planning to put $16,000 on the old credit cards, the Republican compromise would suggest that they reduce that by $600. I think most of us would agree that this family would still be in a world of hurt.
John,
Here is the proposal that will save the social programs and will stimulate the economy. In the long run the social programs will not be needed if we couple this tax system with removing ourselves from the economic sovereignty stripping Free Trade agreements and organizations.
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/279-82/4956-the-obama-budget
“Don’t cut the government services they rely on – college loans, home heating oil, community services, and the rest. State and local budget cuts are already causing enough pain.
The most direct way to get more money into their pockets is to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (a wage subsidy) all the way up through people earning $50,000, and reduce their income taxes to zero. Taxes on incomes between $50,000 and $90,000 should be cut to 10 percent; between $90,000 and $150,000 to 20 percent; between $150,000 and $250,000 to 30 percent.
And exempt the first $20,000 of income from payroll taxes.
Make up the revenues by increasing taxes on incomes between $250,000 to $500,000 to 40 percent; between $500,000 and $5 million, to 50 percent; between $5 million and $15 million, to 60 percent; and anything over $15 million, to 70 percent.
And raise the ceiling on the portion of income subject to payroll taxes to $500,000.
It’s called progressive taxation.”
This is a major tax cut for 98% of the population and keeps essential social safety net programs intact. Do you think republicans will go for it? Why wouldn’t they? It cuts taxes for a vast majority of Americans while balancing the budget.
Ben,
Here are just a couple of problems with this wall street plan:
1) IF you take away the payroll taxes up to $50K then you have a retirement system for about half the nation [since our average family income is less than $50K] to which they contribute nothing whatsoever. I think that goes a little beyond caring for the truly needy.
2) IF you extend the payroll taxes up to $500K you will have some serious unintended consequences. Let’s take California since we live here. I have a relatively successful small business man who made $250K as my income from the business last year. I could work a little harder and expand so more people have jobs and I make more money and as all of us must do, I ask is it worth the extra time and effort.
With you new tax proposal I would have to assume 17% would go to payroll taxes, 40% more for the federal income tax and 11% for California income tax. So is the extra time and effort to bring my income up by $100K worth $32K? In many cases the answer is going to be NO WAY and so the government gets no more tax revenue and some other folks don’t get to have jobs.
This is why flat-rate taxes are not only more just, but also much better for the economy AND the government.
John
John,
You are conflating all payroll taxes and income taxes. Read the proposal again.
The top 1% of income earners are creeping up on tripling their share of the US income pie since 1980. Average male income earner has seen their wages remain stagnant for three or four decades. The proposal exempts the first $20k not $50k from payroll taxes and addresses how to make up for the lost revenue.
If you want a functional economy it has to be based on wages/ money in average American pockets because they are the number one driver of demand.
John,
Also to question your logic. The only reason you would increase the size of your workforce would be to meet demand not because your taxes are lower. If the demand isn’t there why would a smart business person hire more people?
Right now the private sector is sitting on at least $2 trillion and up to $3 trillion not investing in the economy because they cannot foresee a economic recovery for the productive/ functional economy. Thus giving us the final nail in the coffin of the theory of trickle down/ supply side economics.
Ben,
The reason so much capitol is sitting on the sidelines is much like the very one that I have given, with the burden of regulations piled on top.
You need capitol and innovations for wealth to be created. How many I-Pads were being demanded five years ago? They had not even been thought of yet. That is the kind of entrepreneurial spirit that is needed in many more fields.
Wages are the result of capital investments not the cause. Ask the Soviets, they learned this lesson the hard way.
John
John,
You need labor for wealth to be created and you need wages for labor to create demand.
Innovation/ entrepreneurship are being stymied by the monopoly capitalism with the threat of any new idea will be either gobbled up or stomped out of existence by the corporate oligarchy.
Another huge factor is health care.
If you want to promote innovation/ entrepreneurship and the lowering of unemployment you should support a Single Payer Health Care Insurance System or Medicare for All. This would allow people to strike out on their own. This would allow those late 50′s workers who are hanging on strictly for medicare benefits to start so they can retire, to go ahead and do so. This would reduce the size of the labor market allowing more people to work and for higher wages because labor isn’t in a race to the bottom.
Ben,
You are very wrong on healthcare on two fronts:
1) There is still a cost and that cost is just shifted. Governments have proven to be the most inefficient means of making those critical decisions which is why Medicare is bankrupt.
2) You need private incentives in the area of healthcare for the same reasons that we need the profit motive in the private sector. IF there is no reward, there will soon be no new drugs or treatments. Take a look at where the patents for such things are issued in the world.
Another great example is Lasik surgery for our eyes: NOT covered by any insurance plan that I know of and yet it has been developed over the past ten years or so and is now becoming affordable and will at some point be added to many plans.
John
http://news.change.org/stories/is-medicare-bankrupt
John,
I believe we have had the Medicare debate at least once before and we probably shouldn’t put everybody through it again.
Your absolutely are wrong on health care and I will leave you will two links that have to do with “Obamacare”. I was not real pleased with this legislation but is a good first step in regulating the health insurance industry who really don’t do a damn thing except skim 30% off the top and cause unnecessary grief during times of high stress.
Full disclosure we had a very serious accident in our family and it was a full time job for over a year fighting with the Blue Shield to get any claim paid while we were worried about our daughters life. I don’t have a whole lot of compassion towards the industry.
Financial out look Pre”Obamacare”
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/87xx/doc8758/MainText.3.1.shtml
One aspect of “Obamacare” small business
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/fact-sheet-small-business-health-care-tax-credit
The word on the Hill last week when I was there for the CR vote was that Boehner was more than 40 votes shy of what he needed to pass. He had to go to Pelosi and the Dems and ask them to get him those 40 votes from the Dem caucus in order to avoid the embarrassment of losing the key vote.
In short, what many predicted is coming true; the Dems and many Rep’s have a common foe in the Tea People, and have created a silent legislative majority against them.
The Tea Party, like many third party inspired protest movements in America, cannot hold forever against the interest of a two party system.
A few new polls suggest that the American people are fully aware of the gop foot dragging and lollygagging on jobs…it is costing them dearly. One glance at the ridiculousness in Arizona and its legislature or the tantrums in Wisconsin and we are thoroughly smoked and fried at them. As well we should be. Meckler and cos time at the ball is through…all that’s left is the punkns.
Bruce,
Thanks for the link. When media, big pharma, health care industry, defense industry, and big agriculture all have interlocking boards we really never get the full scoop about what is really going on. Corporations are efficient and government is horrible is the corporate media mantra.