Archive of posts filed under the Budget & Economy category.

Deficits? We don’t care about no stinking deficits!

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Once again, the Republican party proves that it’s very concerned about deficits when the Democrats are in charge: From the text of the 2017 Budget Resolution: (4) DEFICITS.—For purposes of the enforcement of this resolution, the amounts of the deficits are as follows: Fiscal year 2017: $582,574,000,000. Fiscal year 2018: $541,560,000,000. Fiscal year 2019: $673,600,000,000. …

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Republican Convention, Night Two

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Tuesday was “Make America Work Again” day at the Republican National Convention, which also happened to coincide with the party formally nominating Donald Trump as its nominee. But neither jobs nor Trump got much attention as a grab bag of Republican headliners Tuesday spent most of their time demonizing Hillary Clinton and talking about themselves …

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Flint’s water pipes are just fine

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So said 47 Senate Republicans when they voted today against providing federal aid for children affected by the lead in those pipes. They claim they want to help Flint but they cannot agree on a funding mechanism. Meanwhile, the pipes are still corroding thanks to the junk that was in the Flint River water. Even …

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Don’t you guys know how to fight?

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Last week President Obama threatened to veto a “tax extender” bill the House wanted to pass. It would have done lots of things that might be useful: The emerging tax legislation would make permanent 10 provisions, including an expanded research and development tax credit, which businesses and the Obama administration have wanted to make permanent …

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“Republican Cuts Kill”

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In a Facebook post this morning I wrote the following with a link to a Joan Walsh essay at Salon. Quoting her: “Isn’t it fair to ask whether the constant denigration of government, and the resulting defunding, now makes it harder to handle what everyone agrees are core government functions?” I continued in my own …

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Mom had a birthday yesterday

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And we’re threatened unto pain of death lest we mention the number of years she’s celebrating. Think of a number related to pianos. Anyway, we had a three-bone rib roast, homemade mashed potatoes, leaf spinach, fruit salad, and spice cake for dessert. It was all delicious. Two questions: First, why is it that I can …

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Republicans are still evil

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The party’s Senate membership is made up of hateful people who lost whatever iota of human kindness they once had. Why else would they once again block a plan to extend (paid-for) unemployment benefits to the 1.7 million Americans (in many cases, their constituents!) who lost their benefits in December? Benefits lost at the time …

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