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May 22, 2013
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 Government Agencies Prepare for Shutdown, Pols Fight Over Pocket ChangePosted on Apr 5, 2011
With the prospect of a government shutdown so real the White House has ordered government agencies to batten down the hatches, it’s hard to believe all this is over a few billion dollars. House Republicans are insisting on more cuts than President Obama has agreed to, and if both sides can’t get together by Friday, it’s going to be a sour spring. Obama is willing to cut $33 billion from this year’s budget. House Speaker John Boehner wants to double that, or, in the meantime, cut $12 billion to keep the United States open for business one more week. The numbers are tiny when compared with the budget as a whole—and the Republicans’ larger ambitions. Paul Ryan, chairman of the Budget Committee, recently unveiled his plan to rewrite the tax code (to the benefit of the wealthy and corporations) and slash roughly $5 trillion in federal spending over 10 years. We spend trillions, we borrow trillions, Republicans want to cut trillions—how did we end up with a stalemate over a few billion? It seems this budget battle has a lot more to do with posturing than governing. Pity millions of Americans have to pay the price. —PZS Sources: BBC, New York Times, Reuters, Los Angeles Times Advertisement TAGS:
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By richard roe, April 6, 2011 at 5:03 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
I’m all for a government shut down, as long as the representatives and legislators responsible for the stalemate put their own pay on hold until they reach a consensus.
If they can’t make a decision then they shouldn’t get paid, call it “performance based pay” just like they want for teachers.
As they say, if it’s good enough for the goose it’s good enough for the gander.
Report thisBy jamiedbruce, April 5, 2011 at 8:39 pm Link to this comment
I dislike Republicans not because I do not agree with some of their positions
Report thissuch as putting our finances on the right track, because I agree that this is the
issue of the day. But what I really hate about them is how disingenuous they
are. The idea that they are trying to blame the Democrats for the shutdown is
laughable. They are not willing to extend financing the government for a week
longer and yet have extended the pentagons spending (without any real cuts)
for a year and with that they want to sneak anti abortion, anti regulatory,
defund the EPA amendments when clearly the MAJORITY of the country does
not agree. They absolutely want a shutdown, as they believe they will gain
political points (this remains to be seen). And then for the 2012 budget, they
want to cut 5-6 trillion over the next ten years (probably an accounting
gimmick anyway but okay I’m listening) but then they want to cut taxes for the
wealthiest from 35 to 25%! I mean if what they are doing is not clear I do not
know what will make working class Americans realize these people don’t give a
flying fuck about them. It is disgusting. I want adults running the government
not the crazies who have been setting the agenda since the last election.
Obama is an adult but man is he lame – he seems so easy to push around.
Scary stuff…
By driving bear, April 5, 2011 at 4:34 pm Link to this comment
The problem with politicians and especially liberal one is expressed in the title of this report. The problems is that $30 billion is referred to as mere pocket change. As anyone who has ever been broke knows pocket change suddenly becomes very valuable and is not wasted .
Report thisBy bluesman, April 5, 2011 at 4:27 pm Link to this comment
More precisely, we the voters should make 535 members of Congress pay the price.
Report thisWhat a bunch of clowns!