Senate nears pre-dawn OK of Democratic budget
Source: Associated Press
Senate nears pre-dawn OK of Democratic budget
By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press
Updated 12:54 am, Saturday, March 23, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — An exhausted Senate neared approval early Saturday of a $3.7 trillion budget for next year that will let majority Democrats highlight their fiscal priorities, but won't resolve the deep differences the two parties have over deficits and the size of government.
Senators sorted through a final batch of amendments and were on course to approve the measure in the pre-dawn hours and leave town for a two-week spring recess. The non-binding plan would shrink annual federal shortfalls over the next decade to nearly $400 billion, raise taxes by nearly $1 trillion and cull modest savings from domestic programs.
In contrast, a rival budget approved by the GOP-run House balances the budget within 10 years without boosting taxes.
That plan — by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., his party's vice presidential candidate last year — claims $4 trillion more in savings over the period than Senate Democrats by imposing major cuts in Medicaid, food stamps and other safety net programs for the needy. It would also transform the Medicare health care program for seniors into a voucher-like system for future recipients.
"We have presented very different visions for how our country should work and who it should work for," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who chairs the Senate Budget Committee. "But I am hopeful that we can bridge this divide."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Senate-nears-pre-dawn-OK-of-Democratic-budget-4378577.php#ixzz2OM3laVK7
= new reply since forum marked as read
sweet dreams 
some play by the rules some don't, just wish they would make up their minds.
