Grijalva: If You Want to Reduce the Deficit, How About the People’s Budget - FDL

[WillyT]

Grijalva: If You Want to Reduce the Deficit, How About the People’s Budget
By: David Dayen - FDL
Friday July 15, 2011 1:40 pm

<snip>

The Congressional Progressive Caucus has responded to President Barack Obama, who said progressives would have to be “sold” on deficit reduction. Specifically, he claimed that “if you are a progressive, you should be concerned about debt and deficit just as much as if you’re a conservative.”

CPC Co-Chair Raul Grijalva had this to say:

The Progressive Caucus has introduced the only budget that creates a surplus by 2021 because we take seriously the need for a strong economy and manageable debt. Our budget eliminates the deficit in 10 years and creates jobs while protecting the programs our constituents rely on. We stand ready to work with you, as we have throughout this process, to solve the budget impasse in a way that helps rather than punishes the American people. With the House under tea party control and the Senate held hostage by Mitch McConnell, it is up to you to fly the standard of the people who elected you. We feel our budget achieves your policy goals, and we look forward to producing a successful outcome for our economy and our constituents at home.

Importantly, the The Progressive Caucus Budget, known as the People’s Budget, accomplishes this without doing any harm in the near term. Quite the opposite. It includes a stimulus package of public works and infrastructure funding to get people working immediately. It brings taxes back to the Clinton level and makes them more progressive. It ends military overspending and is content with spending a little less than the rest of the world combined on the military, rather than more than it. It taxes financial speculation and includes a public option in health care, too.

In other words, the People’s Budget addresses every single root cause that President Obama said drove the deficit to the heights we see now.

It turns out that our problem is we cut taxes without paying for them over the last decade; we ended up instituting new programs like a prescription drug program for seniors that was not paid for; we fought two wars, we didn’t pay for them; we had a bad recession that required a Recovery Act and stimulus spending and helping states — and all that accumulated and there’s interest on top of that.

<snip>

Link: http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/07/15/grijalva-if-you-want-to-reduce-the-deficit-how-about-the-peoples-budget/

:kick:

[cottonseed]

1. Yeah. How about replacing the statue of liberty with a Kucinich tower.

Neat idea, but hey, look around Congress. Ain't gonna happen.

[DJ13]

2. Ain't gonna happen.

You're right, only conservatism can happen.

Thats the desired outcome?

[WillyT]

3. Yeah... Ironic Huh ??? - Most Of Those Recommendations Were Why We Voted For Obama

in the first place.

End the wars.

Let the Bush Tax Cuts expire.

Corral and tax the Wall Street/Bankster crowd.

Have a public option and cover everybody with Health Care coverage.

But DAMN... we can't have THAT!!!

:shrug:

:hi:

[cottonseed]

4. Yea.. Rs shut the whole thing down so Obama sucks and should be voted out.

Isn't that the Nader theory? Progress.

[WillyT]

5. So... We Get To Keep Obama As Long As We Become Republicans ???

That seems to defeat the purpose of the Democratic party, don't you think?

:shrug:

[theaocp]

7. The idea is to accept what "can't" and "won't" happen

because there's opposition to progress. Learn to be happy with your crumbs b/c change is hard work. Apparently, dreaming is the enemy of happiness. *sigh*

[bvar22]

8. YES! WE! CAN!!!

but we're not going to.
Hahahahahahaha, SUCKER!

[gkhouston]

10. For sufficiently narrow definitions of "we" and "can". n/t

[Electric Monk]

17. and "yes"

Maybe I need to pray harder?

[cottonseed]

9. I'm not really sure where you're going with that. I know where your head is at so I've got a few

guesses... Whatever you want to believe there.

[nashville_brook]

13. this post made a doooooouuccche sound when i opened it -- is that normal?

[Bobbie Jo]

14. Must be...I just heard the same sound when I clicked on this one.

Weird. :shrug:

[girl gone mad]

6. k & r

[me b zola]

11. K&R

[Creideiki]

12. Silly Grijalva. It doesn't punish poor people enough.

No way to get the DLC to go along with that.

[mjbarkl]

15. Raul Grijalva's 07/15/2011 Press Release restated

Dear Mr. President,

I have introduced the only budget that creates a surplus NOW (see
http://www.mjbarkl.com/usbudget.pdf ) because I take seriously the need
for a strong economy and manageable debt. My budget eliminates the deficit
NOW (without a debt ceiling increase) and creates jobs while protecting
the programs the people of this country rely on. I stand ready to work with
you, as I would have throughout this process if allowed, to solve the budget
impasse in a way that helps rather than punishes the American people. With
the House under tea party control and the Senate held hostage by Mitch
McConnell, it is up to you to fly the standard of the people who elected
you. I feel my budget achieves your policy goals, and I look forward to
producing a successful outcome for our economy and the American people
at home.

Best wishes,

--Mike Barkley, Candidate for Congress, http://www.mjbarkl.com/run.htm

[Tennessee Gal]

16. Would never pass because of size of revenue increase ....

I wish it were possible.

Our Budget’s Bottom Line
• Deficit reduction of $5.6 trillion
• Spending cuts of $1.7 trillion
• Revenue increase of $3.9 trillion
• Public investment $1.7 trillion

http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=70

[booley]

18. Yes We Can't

Excuse my frustration but it seems a common theme for Democrats in general Obama in particular to say they support progressive ideas and then give a long list of excuses why they can never actually attempt to do any of them.

What's the point of being progressive then if we aren't even going to try?

It seems that any con idea, regardless of how how hair brained and poorly thought out is debated and considered. Progressive ideas on the other hand are dismissed as "unrealistic" and "can't get Republican support" and worst of all.. are really really HARD!! :nopity:

Whether the budget as a whole would work is not relevant. Whether everything the progressives want can be obtained the way they want doesn't matter. Any deal that comes out should and will be a compromise. But it needs to be a compromise between all valid positions. This budget shpould at least be debated and compared to the other budgets on the table (This progressive budget sure seems to have the GOP's beat hands down)

So far it seems a debate between the right and the center right with occasional add ons from the far right. And we have other supposed progressives telling us how great this is and ungrateful and how unrealistic we are for expecting anything different.

How could progressives NOT be angry at the White House?

[BeFree]

19. Why not?

We tried it the conservative way for 8 years and look where we are.

I say lets give the progressives a chance to prove that we can have a prosperous and peaceful government.