$18.9 billion. That’s what the 2011 debt-limit standoff and the threatened U.S. credit default will be costing taxpayers in higher interest payments over the
Category: Budget
Why “The Impossible” makes me think about healthcare
I went to see the movie The Impossible the other day and have since been thinking about how it relates to our situation here
Corporate pork: the secret ingredient in the fiscal-cliff recipe
Once upon a time, a President or Congressional leader trying to get a bill passed would use earmarks—also known as “pork”—to buy votes from
Paul Krugman: Obama’s proposal to cut Social Security is “cruel and stupid”
Paul Krugman writing in the New York Times on December 18: First things first: cutting Social Security benefits is a cruel, stupid policy—just not
Obama sees the poor as well as the middle class
Shortly after assuming the presidency following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson announced his commitment to a war on poverty. That
Decoding Republican Medicare-speak
As Vice President Joe Biden said during his 2012 debate with Congressman Paul Ryan, “Use your common sense, folks. Who do you trust on
Breaking marijuana taboos, one state at a time
The 2012 election heralded many victories for the U.S., chief among them the re-election of President Obama. We’ve heard about the election of the
Lame duck: Obama’s not-so-grand bargain
According to a leaked memo provided by Bob Woodward on last Sunday’s Meet the Press with David Gregory, Obama’s first try at a “Grand
Lame duck alert: Don’t give more tax breaks to the people who need them least
The dust barely settled after the victory party in Chicago when the number crunchers turned into worker bees with a mission. As announced in a