Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

01 Apr 2011 13:48

tags

Politics: Scott Brown defends the poor

  • “A wholesale reduction in spending, without considering economic, cultural, and social impacts is simply irresponsible. We must also be mindful that many of the proposed spending reductions would disproportionately affect the neediest among us.
  • Sen. Scott Brown • In a letter to Senate Republicans. This is notable primarily due to how rare it is for a Republican legislator to speak so bluntly on behalf of the poor. He also voiced flat opposition to a government shutdown. Only time will tell what these words translate into policy-wise. Still, Brown is looking more and more like a true moderate Republican, a rare site in Congress these days. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 20:17

tags

Politics, U.S.: Congress continues working the budget layaway circuit

  • two number of weeks the government gave itself to figure out a budget plan by putting one on layaway
  • zero number of spending resolutions that passed both chambers of Congress in that two-week period
  • three number of weeks the government will likely put a new budget on layaway to prevent a shutdown source
  • » Oh yeah: The next temporary deal could include restrictions that limit how and when the budget can be used – such as, for example, no money spent on the new health care law. Hrm.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 20:32

tags

U.S.: Quick hits: John Boehner’s temporary cutting plan passes the House

  • $4 billion to put the government on layway for a couple of weeks
  • 335-91 the vote to pass the temporary extension in the House
  • yes most Democrats went with John Boehner’s plan to buy more time
  • no Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi didn’t vote for or against the bill source
  • » Oh yeah, fun fact: During the shutdown crisis, Congress and Obama may not get paid, thanks to a bill that the Senate unanimously passed today. At least that has bipartisan support.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Feb 2011 21:32

tags

Politics: Will John Boehner’s “put the budget on layaway” plan stick?

  • issue Obama and the GOP are at a stalemate with the budget, and there’s a real danger the government might shut down later this week. Great.
  • stopgap As a way to prevent that from happening, House Speaker John Boehner came up with an offer to put the government on layaway for two weeks.
  • problem The sticking point? Obama wants a full month. Boehner may not be willing to put the budget on layaway for nearly that long. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Feb 2011 20:02

tags

World: Is John Boehner backing off government shutdown stance entirely?

  • Americans want the government to stay open, and they want it to spend less money. We don’t need to shut down the government to accomplish that. We just need to do what the American people are asking of us.
  • John Boehner (in expected statements) • Discussing the next steps his party plans to help encourage spending cuts. Note that he appears to be backing away from the idea of a government shutdown. Perhaps hard-line stances are proving a little too, uh, risky for the GOP right now?  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Feb 2011 11:47

tags

Politics: Government shutdown: Will 2011’s GOP ploy be like 1995?

  • If Gingrich couldn’t control his hard-line freshman class of 73 members in 1995 — he jokingly referred to them then as ‘a third party’ — it’s hard to imagine how the kinder, gentler Boehner will control his 87 freshmen, many of them lacking government or legislative experience, let alone the gene for compromise.
  • New York Times columnist Frank Rich • Offering the assessment of why the GOP should avoid playing the government shutdown game. It’s something that Rich says a number of GOPers are trying to argue doesn’t match the political playing field of 1995, where a defiant Newt Gingrich overplayed his hand too much and caused much embarrassment for the Republican party in the process. However, Gingrich doesn’t remember it that way, strangely enough. In a Washington Post column, he claims that he, on the other hand, plowed the way for much larger cuts in the ensuing years. Nice revisionist history, Newt. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Feb 2011 21:35

tags

Politics: John Boehner’s shutdown-avoiding plan: Layaway. Really.

  • Give it up for John Boehner for figuring out a way to avoid a shutdown … apparently. The House Speaker, who just a week ago pushed through all sorts of crazy stuff that has little chance of passing, has conjured up a plan to keep the government moving. And it’s kinda what you might do if there’s a coat you really like from a place like Burlington Coat Factory, but you can’t really afford it right now. Some details of the apparent deal coming down the line:
  • 2 more weeks to figure out this whole shutdown-threatening budget mess
  • $4 billion in budget savings would have to be made as part of the deal over that two-week period
  • $2 billion more in cuts would have to be found for each additional week they’re at the bargaining table source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
<< newer 
top tags