National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

How So-Called Deficit Experts Would Destroy Our Already Broken Pension System

Jane White | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Deficit, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Social Security, Bipartisan Policy Center, Politics News

My household is currently one of millions of victims of a counterintuitive retirement policy. Why should any American be forced to bankroll their own retirement -- as opposed to their employers?

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The Deficit Commission Report: A Good Start, But Only a Start

Gary Johnson | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Cutting Federal Budget, Deficit Commission Proposal, Department of Education, Gross Domestic Product, Gdp, Social Security, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Deficit Commission, Medicare, Medicaid, Politics News

While the Deficit Commission's report may be bold, it isn't bold enough. Eliminating waste won't do it. We need to cut what government does, not just what it spends trying to do it.

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Attention Deficit Disorder

Ed Crego, George Muñoz and Frank Islam | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: National-Commission-on-Fiscal-Responsibility-and-Reform, Unemployed, Rockefeller Foundation Report on Economic Insecurity, Federal Budget Deficit, American Dream, Middle Class, Manufacturing, Gdp Growth, Small Business Lending, Politics News

The Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform ended its work not with a bang or a whimper, but, as Co-Chair Alan Simpson put it, by taking a "big...

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Wasteful Development Subsidies Among Cuts Proposed by Debt Commission

Geoffrey Anderson | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Federal Budget Cuts, Smart Growth America, Obama Deficit Commission, Deficit Commission, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Smart Growth, Debt Commission, Politics News

If Congress really wants to rebuild our economy and spur job growth they should start by cutting federal subsidies that incentivize wasteful development and bankrupt our communities.

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It's Not Raining, We're Getting Peed On (4): The Scam of the Deficit Crisis

Jonathan Tasini | Posted 05.25.2011

Over the past three days, we've looked at the phony deficit crisis withe excerpts from my new book, "It's Not Raining, We're Getting Peed On: The S...

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It's Not Raining, We're Getting Peed On (3): The Scam of the Deficit Crisis

Jonathan Tasini | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Greed, Taxes, Working Life, Catfood Commission, Debt, Blackstone, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Deficit, Peter Peterson, Financial Crisis, Books News

Today, as the Catfood Commission unveiled its final report, I'll look at some of the people behind pushing the phony "crisis" within an excerpt from the next chapter of my book.

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It's Not Raining, We're Getting Peed on (II): The Scam of the Deficit Crisis

Jonathan Tasini | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Public Employees, Greed, Wall Street, Taxes, Catfood Commission, Debt, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Deficit, Barack Obama, Financial Crisis, Politics News

When the budget crisis fanatics say we have no money because government has a "structural deficit," it's just not true. We have a bigger deficit now because we let a bunch of Wall Street gamblers play fast and loose with the rules.

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A Progressive Budget Plan: Job Creation and Fiscal Sustainability

Andrew Fieldhouse | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Taxes, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Social Security, Unemployment Rate, Federal Budget Deficit, Bipartisan Policy Center, Politics News

The recession is not a justification for fiscal austerity, but rather an opportunity to show how investing in the American economy can help us grow our way out of tough fiscal times.

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It's Not Raining, We're Getting Peed On (1): The Scam of the Deficit Crisis

Jonathan Tasini | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Greed, Taxes, Social Security, Catfood Commission, Fairness, Debt, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Middle Class, Robbery, Deficit, Barack Obama, Politics News

The government's deficit and debt are not a big crisis. It's not even a little crisis. It's not a crisis at all. What is most disturbing is how man...

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The Deficit Commission's Best Chance at Containing Rising Health-Care Costs

Kenneth Thorpe | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Obama Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Deficit Commission, Chronic Disease Prevention, Medical Innovation, Health Care, Federal Government, Alzheimer's, Medicare, Heart Disease, Aids, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Federal Spending, Home News

If President Obama's deficit commission wants to move America in the right budgetary direction, it needs to take a hard and careful look at the nation...

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The Midterm Elections and Medicare For All

Dr. Quentin Young | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Tea Party Movement, Health Care Reform, Medicare for All, Medicare Expansion, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Single Payer Healthcare, Deficit Commission, Medicare, Healthcare Reform, Single Payer, Tea Party, Health Care, Obama Health Care, Obama Health Care Reform, Politics News

There are a number of candidates running for office this November who support single-payer legislation, both incumbents and challengers.

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Prevention $aves: Making the Debt Commission Advance Social Good

Chris Norwood | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: National Deficit, Debt Commision, Social Secuity, Juvenile, Prevention, National Debt, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Reform, Medicaid, Medicare, Diabetes, The Prevention $Aves Coalition for Reducing Federal Debt While Doing Social Good, Chronic Disease, Politics News

Savings through prevention have the consistent advantage of forcing us to focus on building a country that works better for its citizens.

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It Is About the Dependency Ratio

Samuel H. Williamson | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Social Security, Retirement, Business News

No matter how rich they are, everyone who is not working depends on workers to produce goods and services for consumption.

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Sacred Tax Cows: It's Them or Us

Edward D. Kleinbard | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Social Security, Tax Policy, Clinton Administration, Tax Deductions, Tax Policy Center, Politics News

Everyone likes certain tax breaks but we much choose: we can maintain our herd of hideously expensive tax sacred cows, or we can sacrifice them and set the country on the path to fiscal health.

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Will You Run Out of Money Before You Run Out of Years to Live?

Mark Miller | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Retirement Security, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Employee Benefits Research Institute, Social Security, Automatic-Enrollment, Business News

Some changes to Social Security are inevitable. But the debate should include discussion of benefits adequacy and revenue increases -- not just benefit cuts.

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Raising Social Security Age Reduces Benefits While Increasing Risks

Merton and Joan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Owl, Older Women, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Fiscal Commission, Social Security, OWL - the Voice of Midlife and Older Women, Older-Womens-League, Politics News

It takes colossal gall to propose, during a period of near-record unemployment, forcing older people to work longer by cutting their Social Security benefits and calling that "reform."

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Rx on Medicare's Birthday: Expand it to All

Dr. Quentin Young | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Physicians, National Debt, Federal Budget Deficit, Budget Cuts, National Health Reform, Medicare for All, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Single Payer Healthcare, Medicare, Single Payer, Health Reform, Single Payer Health Care, Physicians for a National Health Program, Politics News

By replacing our crazy-quilt, inefficient system of private health insurers with a streamlined, publicly financed single-payer program, we would reap enormous savings.

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America Speaks on Long-Term Deficit Reduction

Carolyn Lukensmeyer | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Americaspeaks, Deliberative Democracy, Deficit, Debt, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, America Speaks, Public Deliberation, Politics News

In just two hours, about half of the diverse table groups that took part in the America Speaks National Town Meeting were able to find enough common ground to reduce the deficit in 2025 by $1.2 trillion.

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Here Comes Wall Street's Attack on Social Security

Mark Miller | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Tarp, William Greider, Rep. Paul Ryan, Social Security, Wall Street, Federal Deficit, Lehman Brothers, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Obama, Pete Peterson, Social Security Privatization, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Obama Social Security, Politics News

Former CEO of Lehman Bros. convenes a fiscal summit for aggressive cuts in Social Security and Medicare benefits. In a hard times economy, we need to protect Social Security's future.

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Social Security "Reform" Doesn't Protect the Young, Hurts Us All

Merton and Joan Bernstein | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Owl, Older Women's League, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Social Security, Retirement, Politics News

Social Security "reform" advocates like former Senator Alan Simpson claim they will shield young people from future tax burdens. Simultaneously they a...

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Has Obama Created A Social Security 'Death Panel'?

Nieman Watchdog | Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Barack Obama, 2011 Budget, Social Security, Obama Budget, Obama, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Obama Spending, Obama 2011 Budget, Social Security Crisis, Obama Social Security, Politics News

President Obama and the leadership in Congress have delegated enormous, unaccountable authority to 18 unrepresentative, inordinately wealthy individua...

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The Return of Alan Simpson

George Mitrovich | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Deficit, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, Alan Simpson, Federal Budget Deficit, Politics News

Alan Simpson is an inspired appointment for President Obama's deficit commission. Among decent men and women he's one of the most beloved and respected figures in American politics.

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