Here is the difference in the parties, and remember some say the two parties are one in the same, this is not true....
While most of the world has been focusing their attention on the Middle East, we here in America are fighting over the budget. The House will be voting this week on a Republican bill, called a “continuing resolution” or CR, to cut $100 billion from President Barack Obama’s funding request for programs for the remaining seven months of this fiscal year. Don’t confuse the battle over the CR with that other battle which the House is going to be waging in the coming weeks over Obama’s spending request for fiscal year 2012, which begins on Oct. 1.
In this battle there's been over 400 amendments offered in the House, if the Rethuglican amendments are enacted this is what they would do...
– Eliminate the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Special Envoy for Climate Change, the Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, the NOAA Climate Service, the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E, National Science Foundation K-12 funding
– Block US funding for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Global Environment Facility
– Suspend enforcement of fisheries laws and construction and conservation acquisition programs of the National Parks and Department of the Interior
– Block rules for toxic cement plant pollution, hazardous coal ash, industrial boiler pollution, water quality, climate change pollution, climate change adaptation, energy-efficient lighting, mountaintop removal, atrazine, and water conservation..
The existing language in the budget bill is already designed to deny global warming, slash and burn public health and green jobs, but the amendments would take even more radical steps to reward polluters who are killing our children’s future.
Most of the Republican amendments are budget neutral, not lowering the deficit one cent. Several defund effective jobs programs that cost only a few million dollars. The goal of these amendments is not fiscal responsibility or jobs creation, but polluter protection, even though the pollution is poisoning babies and causing the elderly to suffer.
Since taking the House there has not been a single bill for job creation by the Rethuglicans, did we really think they would concentrate their efforts on jobs? Hell NO, Boehner said if his partys' spending cuts lead to job losses then so be it.... What amazing arrogance! Scott Lilly of the Center for American Progress calculated that the cuts - a net of $59 billion in the last half of fiscal 2011 - would lead to the loss of 650,000 government jobs, and the indirect loss of 325,000 more jobs as fewer government workers travel and buy things. That's nearly 1 million jobs - possibly enough to tip the economy back into recession. This is music to the GOPPERS ears! They want the unemployment numbers to stay high because they believe it will help them win the election in 2012. But they have not come forth with a candidate who could actually beat Pres. Obama, what a joke. For the good of the country GOP, put the people FIRST for once in your party's lifetime!
NOW, the Democrats, I should say the progressive fighting Democrats in our party, have proposed amendments to eliminate billions of dollars that go to Big Oil subsidies. Congressman Ed Markey put forth an amendment that would close a loophole that allows oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without paying ANY ROYALTIES! This bill will end the tax breaks, close the loophole and save the taxpayers 51 billion! The rethugs hate this bill, but Markey promises there will be a vote. He told Chris Matthews tonight..."I’m telling you what, we will have the vote sometime in the next 24 hours, and then I will have the list of names and you will know who believes the oil industry, while they’re reporting record profits still believe that they need American taxpayers money as they’re cutting the programs for the poorest people in our society. Free lunches for the oil industry they say? okay. Free lunch for grandma. uh-uh. that’s an extravagance the federal government cannot afford. We’re going to have a vote on that in the next 24 hours."
Democrats have amendments which will reduce the deficit, restore LIHEAP (low income home energy assistance program) and NIH (national institutes of health)funding, amendments to defend America from global warming pollution, and for research and development into green energy programs.
President Obama wants to invest in high speed rail and energy efficiency, he wants to put more money into education and infrastructure, but NO, that is spending and it really doesn't matter what type of spending, the GOP wants NO spending...well except for tax cuts and wars....The debate is moving toward a standoff. Republicans are hell bent on passing legislation by the end of this week, 61 billion in cuts, that's their magic number. The White House says President Obama would veto such a bill.
"I think it is important to make sure that we don't try to make a series of symbolic cuts this year that could endanger the recovery," Obama told a news conference.
"We've got to be careful ... Let's use a scalpel; let's not use a machete," he said.
From what I've seen from President Obama he is standing strong against the GOP. I believe he will veto their ridiculous do nothing cuts. Give credit where credit is due. President Obama is not stupid, he knows what America needs to survive. He has a plan for America in the next 6 years and it's not what the wingnuts are saying...
Read more on the cuts proposed by the GOP from Congressman John Conyers
10 comments:
The fact that neither Sean Hannity nor Ed Schultz like the President's budget leads me to think that it's probably a pretty decent one.....or at least a good beginning.
Some of my pet peeves for years, on cutting while keeping social programs alive (the Rethugs would simply eliminate these needed programs)
Start taxing (for Social Security)income over 106,000.00
Social Security should be an insurance program, not a pension program.
Social Security, Welfare, Food Stamps, and other social programs should not be taxed. All double taxes should stop.
All federal programs should be means tested.
There should not be tax cuts for anyone while we have this large debt. In fact tax increases must be on the table.
We should drasticly simplify the tax code by using a flat tax, or other simple tax system. Cut the IRS by at least 80%.
There should be a sales tax on Wall Street transactions. That could generate 800 billion.
We could eliminate the Department of Education.
There is nothing wrong with an accross the board 10% cut in every federal department.
Sin taxing should stop. It's unfair to ask smokers, or drinkers, or whatever to pay more than the general population.
Off shore tax havens must be stopped.
Communal taxation is the ideology the country has been buit on, not taxing certain segments of society because we think their habbits are more unhealthy than others.
We should not be limited to such a short debate time (in Congress) to make these decisions. That's when powerfull politicians get there way, not well thoughtout policies.
Just a FEW thoughts
They could cut DOD funding, eliminate tax cuts, and raise taxes. A major attitude adjustment is needed for middle (and any where else--don't want to stereotype) America; they need to learn that in order to enjoy the finer things that a country has to offer, you have to pay higher taxes directly proportionate to a growing economy. That's the way it works. Do we want to live in a poophole? Do we want to have to depend on an all volunteer police and fire dept ? Do we want bridges that can crumble and break at any minute? Some Americans need to adjust their "little" attitudes and realize that paying taxes is one of the most patriotic things you can do. Check out the EU's tax rates, Denmark and Norway are consistently found to be the happiest nations on this Earth and they have ridiculously high tax rates. I'm on the fence about those sin taxes. I don't think you should punish people for things that are legal, but if you are going to do it, you should have to do it for ALL things that are bad for you: TWINKIES, HO HOS, saturated-fat, meat with hormones in it, plastic shower curtains, egg yolks 1 week, not egg yolks the next week, egg yolks again, high fat cheeses.. lets be fair here...un-filtered water....the list could go on and on...baby bottles with BPA...it would be too much to keep up with...
I think this "Continuing Resolution" clearly shows the difference between what the republicans say and what they do.
They say "jobs, jobs, jobs" and then introduce job-killing resolutions. They say they are for the average person, and then try to enact legislation that removes benefits for the average person.
They increase costs for the average person and reduce taxes for the rich.
They shift costs downward and profits upward.
They are the party of the top 1% and lie and cheat to get a part of the other 99% to support them.
The republicans hate Americans. Their actions are harmful to the common man, woman, and child of this country.
They are The American Terrorists.
I generally believe that economics is too complex an issue for anyone to actually understand. Laypeople try, constantly.
Normally, I am an economic agnostic, but in this one case, I would to go on record as saying this:
You've thought of this I'm sure...
If the Republicans - or rather their masters - genuinely do not think they can win in 2012 (I'm not so sure...), then the next 5 years will be an exercise in unmitigated political vandalism.
By that I mean not only will they pursue destructive agenda, they will not even be checked by the awareness of how alienating that is.
Mary Mayhem is exactly right. Thanks to Saint Ronnie, we have a whole generation of entitlement-class bluehairs who believe that THEY ought to have all of the benefits, but SOMEONE ELSE ought to have to PAY for them.
It's insane. Someone is going to have to step up and actually DEFEND funding the Government.
I heard the Justin Bieber comment reported on by Cenk Uygur. Justin also said that abortion was "like killing a baby".
I agree with most of what Tom says, with a few exceptions. Republicans support means testing Social Security because it then becomes a welfare program, and easier to eliminate. If you pay in you should get money out. The flat tax is a VERY bad idea. A flat tax would further shift the tax burden onto the backs of the poor and middle class.
We need to INCREASE IRS funding for pursuing wealthy tax cheats. Eliminate the Department of Education? I don't see how that is a good idea. We're already falling behind other nations when it comes to educating our workforce. I'd be opposed to any "across the board" cut for any government agency. I agree with the president who said we should use a scalpel and not an axe when making cuts. An across the board cut isn't using a scalpel. The cost to society for those who partake in alcohol and tobacco are greater -- I believe there should be MORE sin taxes, not fewer. A tax on the legal sale of marijuana, for instance.
BTW, the sales tax on Wall Street transactions is called the STET tax. I agree that we need to bring it BACK.
Keep in mind that Obama has plenty of draconian budget cuts in his budget, including cutting heating assistance to the poor in half.
w-dervish,
Thanks
I just think SSI should be an insurance program, not a pension program. That indeed, would make it easier to attack.
The flat tax would be a burden on the poor, but we could have a minium icome without any taxes. I do believe eliminating the IRS would be better than giving it more rules, even if those rules are to catch tax cheats. A flat tax would stop a lot of cheating and cut another government department.
The Education department is only aboutv 3% of school spending. 97% of school funding comes from local taxes, and is the largest part of most peoples property tax. Let locals make school decisions.
I'm open to all ideas. I'm a liberal, but government is to big, tax system is to complicated, and running multi-trillion dollar debts, is unacceptable. The only answer Republicans seem to have, and a proven failure.
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