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Marriage and Abortion are Economic Issues
Political discussions commonly assume there are two separate sets of issues. There’s a social agenda – issues like abortion and marriage. And there’s an economic agenda – issues like federal spending, debt, taxes, and government programs like entitlements. It’s assumed these two…
Washington Memo: We must not balance the budget on the backs of seniors
Last week, reasonable Republicans and Democrats in Congress voted to end the government shutdown and eliminate the threat of default. It was not a perfect solution, but a necessary compromise. As part of the compromise, Congress agreed to try to focus…
America has been living with unsustainable grand bargain
All the talk in Washington is about a grand bargain, but a grand bargain has already been in place. It’s having your cake and eating it, too. Put another way, Democrats and Republicans agree to new programs without realistic ways to pay…
President Obama, allies at odds on budget
A united front among congressional Democrats helped President Obama beat back the GOP in the recent budget showdown. But in the next fiscal tussle, set to begin this week, Democrats may be heading toward a party split that could prevent…
Hidden taxes in Obamacare
Recently, two letters have been published that declared the Tea Party’s failed in their agenda. These individuals compared the Affordable Care Act to be the same as Social Security when it was first implemented. Let’s look at some taxes that are…
Republicans hint at long-term strategy: ObamaCare website only ‘tip of the iceberg’
Republicans lawmakers on Sunday signaled that their efforts to dismantle ObamaCare will go well beyond criticizing the problem-filled website, saying computer glitches are only the “tip of the iceberg” for the federal health care plan. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal told “Fox…
Easing U.S. deficit picture creates opportunity to deal on spending and taxes
The congressional negotiating committee charged with taming the federal budget in the wake of this month’s standoff over the government shutdown will have tight deadlines and not a single Texan at the table when it meets for the first time…
Right’s attack on Social Security, Medicare must fail
Billionaires like the Koch Brothers, Pete Peterson, Stanley Druckenmiller and others are leading the charge to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. If they succeed, millions of senior citizens, working families, disabled veterans and children will suffer. We must not allow…
Greenspan’s Right: Social Security Replaces Savings
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan recently told The Wall Street Journal that he was surprised to discover that an increase in entitlements coincided with a decline in personal savings. This is one of those statements that seem obvious after…
How the Budget Debate Could Help the Economy
It is a good sign that all sides are eschewing the elusive “grand bargain,” in which the Democrats accept significant cuts to entitlements and the Republicans accept significant new tax revenues. That’s good news, because that route leads to gridlock…