Rising government revenue from tax collections and bailout paybacks are shrinking the federal deficit faster than expected, delaying the point when th...
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) appeared on Greta Van Susteren's "On The Record" Thursday night to give his side of the story on the ongoing knock-down drag-o...
* Obama speaks to Republicans, Democrats * President wants more revenues to help reduce deficits * Government shutdown i...
Well, here's one for David Brooks' class on humility. In his most recent piece, the New York Times columnist moves a bit beyond his previous "I made t...
A three-month downturn is a caution, not a catastrophe. But Washington seems too wrapped in its deficit delusions to pay attention to the flashing yellow lights. Here's a cautionary guide.
Washington is careening off the fiscal cliff smack into the debt ceiling. Once more, Washington is fixated on what and how to cut. Once more, Republicans have indicated that they are prepared to hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage.
Paul Ryan's budget -- which the House passed -- proposed drastic cuts to two programs that can literally mean life and death for America's most vulnerable citizens -- Social Security and Medicare.
If Americans struggling to make ends meet can make tough decisions to balance their books, why can't Congress?
As Americans live longer is it any wonder the country is struggling to balance its budget? Is it any wonder we can't figure out how to pay for long-standing "entitlements"?
Many older people have no one to care for them. As head of an organization that provides health care and housing to low-income seniors, I take very seriously the reality that for many vulnerable Americans, we have become their family.
We are a nation woven together by eclectic threads of common faith in the truth that all people are created equal. Again and again, our darkest hours have come when elements within our own national body have tested this faith.
There is a human story behind every item in the federal budget, and if you don't balance your fiscal prudence with humane values, then you'll do what my grandmother used to say: you'll cut off your nose to spite your face.
The debate we have just witnessed has shown Washington, D.C. not just to be broken, but corrupt. The American people are disgusted watching politicians play political chicken with the nation's economy and future. In such a bitter and unprincipled atmosphere, whoever has the political clout to enforce their self-interest and retain their privileges wins the battles. But there are two casualties in such political warfare: the common good and the most vulnerable.
Pledges to political principles have taken on the aura of confessions of faith. But Democrats and Republicans could find a way beyond the present impasse if they would just take seriously two principles.
Our country is in the midst of a clash between two competing moral visions, between those who believe in the common good, and those who believe individual good is the only good. It's time our leaders in Washington listen to someone other then themselves.
What's the effect of tax cuts for the rich on job creation? The Congressional Budget Office says little to none.
Growing economic inequality as we have had in America for the past three decades directly impacts million of lives and destroys millions of dreams. It's not just about economic policy. It's about right and wrong.
Just as a major deal on an anti-crime package seemed improbable then, a major deal on the budget seems a pipe dream today.
It is increasingly clear that the Republicans will demand mandatory cuts in Social Security and Medicare as a price for increasing the debt ceiling later this spring. They just won't say it in those terms.
A broad coalition of Christian leaders has announced a new "Circle of Protection" to formalize their opposition to governmental budget cuts that would...
Our modern questions about the role of government and the allocation of social resources are truly ancient questions that are not resolved by sound bites on television.
Washington conventional wisdom has convinced itself that Obama has been on the losing end of the budget debate. But with his speech yesterday, Obama seized the high political ground that will heavily define his second two years in office.
ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press WASHINGTON - The House and Senate are ready to vote on legislation cutting almost $40 billion from the budget for t...
Given the rumors floated by administration spokesmen, many progressives were pleased by Obama's speech. But it is worth understanding just how conservative this debate has become -- and how far the president has retreated.
Twenty-five years before the Revolutionary War began, Reverend Jonathan Mayhew was credited for having coined the rallying cry, "No taxation without r...
