If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
What happens when Congress does the public's business in secret? The well-connected corporate lobbyists, fundraisers and campaign contributors are the ones who benefit the most because of their insider access.
A budget is much more than numbers and a bottom line; a budget should reflect national priorities. Unfortunately, the Ryan budget prioritizes sharply reducing spending and cutting taxes on the wealthy -- at the expense of good economic stewardship.
Before we go wild with our deficit-cutting scythe, let's make sure that we are not hacking away at our own feet in the process.
It seems as if the Republicans are trying to turn the national debt back into a major political issue. Despite their abysmal record when it comes to fiscal responsibility, it could still turn out to be smart politics, for a few reasons.
Either Romney doesn't understand the words coming out of his mouth, he's just pretending not to understand the words coming out of his mouth, or he's the worst businessman ever.
Next time someone asks you for whom the austerity bell tolls, tell them it ain't just the EU.
When we hear Erskine Bowles and his friends rant about the deficit this week, we should remember that once again they are distracting the public from the country's real problems. And this crew is at the center of those problems; it is not the solution.
Just ten years ago this country was running huge surpluses and paying off its debt. But then we elected Obama and all hell broke loose. Oh, wait...
As French and Greek voters make their feeling about spending cuts loud and clear, we ask ourselves: why has there been such a strong swing to anti-austerity/pro-growth, how does this threaten the survival of the euro and is a Greek default still possible?
This meeting will not issue a rallying cry for bold growth policies to put America to work. And we should try to make sure that Democrats do not buy into what the organizers are selling -- because the voters certainly won't.
Since Japan lowered its rate last April, our corporate tax rate has been the highest in the world. There is no disagreement in Washington, believe it or not, that a 35% rate is too high. What complicates things is that very few if any corporations actually pay that rate.
Innovation in the halls of industry drives long-term success and, similarly, it will take sustainable innovation by government -- and by all citizens -- to pull us out of the hole we are in.
Republicans have doubled down on blocking public investment, calling it "just more government spending" and even "socialism." And, they complain, construction projects help union members.
It may be time to simply abolish the funds and pay for promised benefits via the budget using the same mechanism that's now used to finance other promised benefits, like pensions and healthcare for retired government workers and military retirees.
Alan Greenspan said something about the budget deficit on Tuesday. The reason this is "news" is because it is shocking that Alan Greenspan is still allowed ever to speak publicly about matters of importance.
