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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNYT editorial: A Responsible Budget
A Responsible Budget
President Obamas 2013 budget was greeted on Monday with Republican catcalls that it is simply a campaign document, but election-year budgets are supposed to explain priorities to voters. This one offers a clear and welcome contrast to the slashing austerity and protect-the-wealthy priorities favored by Republican Congressional leaders and the partys presidential candidates.
The presidents budget calls for long-term deficit reduction, but its immediate priority is to encourage the fledgling economic recovery. Instead of trying to stabilize the budget on the backs of the poor, it would raise taxes on the wealthy and on big banks and eliminate many corporate tax loopholes.
To put Americans back to work, it would invest $350 billion in constructing roads, rail lines and schools, and encourage manufacturing through tax incentives and research spending. It would maintain the Pell grant program for low-income college students and add new spending for teacher improvement and education reform.
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If Congress were not dysfunctional if it cared more about economic stabilization than scoring political points it would sign on to a budget like this. As it is, the proposal will go nowhere, largely because of the Republican refusal to raise taxes on the wealthy and to spend money on vital programs. Senate Democrats, who dont want to make hard political choices, also share the blame. They have already said that they do not intend to pass the presidents or their own budget, deferring their responsibility for a third year. At a time when honest economic planning needs all the support it can get, thats a serious mistake.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/14/opinion/a-responsible-2013-budget.html?ref=opinion
WCGreen
(45,558 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)no one cares if the budget passes. Screw the Buffett rule!
MarkCharles
(2,261 posts)the only really sane and intelligent person in elected office in Washington, DC.
What's the matter with the Dems in the Senate? Why are they not insisting upon this being passed?
Then let the Republicans in the House try to wreck it, and drag it out until November while the House passes laws against health insurance covering contraception. THAT would insure a Dem victory in the House and Senate and after that, Republicans can go to HELL.
Oh I can dream, can't I?
Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)Saying that President Obama is like Jesse White, the Maytag repairman of their old tv commercials, "the lonliest guy in town".
MarkCharles
(2,261 posts)but it might work.
The only guy in town with an actual plan, the only guy whose ideas saved the auto industry, kept us growing, prevented a total worldwide depression, despite the Republicans
Something like that.
noiretextatique
(27,275 posts)obama is a socialist, robin hood fantasies, the deficit where were all these deficit concern trolls when bush was in office
none of the right-leaning comments mention this fact: spending money on building roads and schools will put people to work, which will in turn stimulate the economy.