tagged w/ Congressional Budget Office
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This is what a do-nothing Congress, led by extremists and obstructionists, have given us:
Between the special payroll tax cuts ready to expire and the mandatory cuts from the Budget Control Act of 2011 set to take effect at the end of the year, things are looking somewhat grim...
http://veracitystew.com/?p=36398This is what a do-nothing Congress, led by extremists and obstructionists, have given... more
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Other sources besides the CBO have been reporting signs of strong and sustained economic growth. Unfortunately, these reports have been drowned out by the strident voices of the Republican candidates with their relentless anti-Obama rhetoric. While one may argue that it’s their job to bash the economy, it is our civic duty to bring the hard facts to light.
http://veracitystew.com/?p=35170Other sources besides the CBO have been reporting signs of strong and sustained... more
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Ryan and the Teapublicans are finding it increasingly difficult to sell their message outside of their tightly controlled gatherings, especially when America is hip to hard data like today's study results from the Congressional Budget Office that reveals income gains for the wealthy 1% grew from 9 percent of the nation's income in 1976 to 24 percent today -- a whopping 281% growth -- while the bottom 99% saw an income gain of only 16% during the same period.
http://veracitystew.com/2011/10/26/new-study-income-inequality-no-longer-a-myth-chart/Ryan and the Teapublicans are finding it increasingly difficult to sell their message... more
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The big headline number from Wednesday’s Congressional Budget Office report is a jolting shot of bad news: a budget deficit this fiscal year of close to $1.5 trillion, or 9.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
That’s nearly as big as 2009’s shortfall, which was the highest in nearly 65 years. The $1.5 trillion deficit would be a nominal record, but not quite as big as the 2009 deficit when measured as a percentage of the economy.
Story: CBO: U.S. budget deficit to hit $1.5 trillion
More bad news: CBO’s forecasters don’t see employment returning to anything like normal before 2016. ...
Continued at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41276533/The big headline number from Wednesday’s Congressional Budget Office report is a... more
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Dagum
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By Lindsay Beyerstein, Media Consortium blogger
House Republicans will hold a symbolic vote to overturn health care reform on January 12. The bill, which would repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and set the nation’s health care laws back to the way they were last March, has no chance of becoming law. The GOP controls the House, but Democrats control the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the Senate Democrats will block the bill.
Suzy Khimm of Mother Jones reports that the 2-page House bill carries no price tag. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the ACA would save $143 billion dollars over the next decade. The GOP repeal bill contains no alternative plan. So, repealing the ACA would be tantamount to adding $143 billion to the deficit. So much for fiscal responsibility.
Why are the Republicans rushing to vote on a doomed bill without even bothering to hold hearings, or formulate a counter-proposal for the Congressional Budget Office to score? Kevin Drum of Mother Jones hazards a guess:
[Speaker John] Boehner [(R-OH)] knows two things: (a) he has to schedule a repeal vote because the tea partiers will go into open revolt if he doesn’t, and (b) it’s a dead letter with nothing more than symbolic value. So he’s scheduling a quick vote with no hearings and no CBO scoring just so he can say he’s done it, after which he can move on to other business he actually cares about.
An opportunity?
Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly argues that all this political theater around repealing the Affordable Care Act is an opportunity for Democrats to remind the public about all the popular aspects of the bill that the GOP is trying to strip away.
Last weekend several key provisions of the ACA took effect, including help for middle income seniors who are running up against the prescription drug “donut hole.” Until last Saturday, their drugs were covered up to a relatively low threshold, then they were on their own until they spent enough on prescriptions for the catastrophic coverage to kick in again. Those seniors will be reluctant to give up their brand new 50% discount on drugs in the donut hole.
Another crack at turning eggs into persons
A Colorado ballot initiative to bestow full human rights on fertilized ova was resoundingly defeated for the second time in the last midterm elections. Attempts to reclassify fertilized ova as people are an attempt to ban abortion, stem cell research, and some forms of birth control. Patrick Caldwell of the American Independent reports that new egg-as-person campaigns are stirring in other states where activists hope to take advantage of new Republican majorities.
Personhood USA, the group behind the failed Colorado ballot initiatives, claims that there is “action” (of some description) on personhood legislation in 30 states. Caldwell says Florida may be the next battleground. Personhood USA needs 676,000 signatures to get their proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. Right now, they have zero, but they promise a “big push” in 2011.
Ronald McDonald = Joe the Camel
In AlterNet, Kelle Louaillier calls for more regulation of fast food industry advertising to children. New research shows that children are being exposed to significantly more fast food ads than they were just a few years ago. Other studies demonstrate that children give higher marks to food products when they are paired with a cartoon character. Louaillier writes of her organization’s campaign to prevent fast food companies from using cartoons to market fast food to kids:
For our part, my organization launched a campaign in March to convince McDonald’s to retire Ronald McDonald, its iconic advertising character, and the suite of predatory marketing practices of which the clown is at the heart. A study we commissioned by Lake Research Partners found that more than half of those polled say they “favor stopping corporations from using cartoons and other children’s characters to sell harmful products to children.”
Local elected officials are joining the cause, too. Los Angeles recently voted to make permanent a ban on the construction of new fast food restaurants in parts of the city. San Francisco has limited toy giveaway promotions to children’s meals that meet basic health criteria. The idea is spreading to other cities.
2011 trendspotting: Baby food
The hot new snack trend for 2011 is mush, as Bonnie Azab Powell reports in Grist. In an attempt to burnish its portfolio of “healthier” snack options for kids Tropicana (a PepsiCo company) is introducing a new line of pureed fruit and vegetable slurries. The products, sold under the brand name Tropolis, feature ground up fruits and veggies, vitamin C, and fiber in a portable plastic pouch. These “drinkified snacks” or “snackified drinks” will be priced at $2.49 to $3.49 for a four-pack, making them more expensive than fresh fruit.
This post features links to the best independent, progressive reporting about health care by members of The Media Consortium. It is free to reprint. Visit the Pulse for a complete list of articles on health care reform, or follow us on Twitter. And for the best progressive reporting on critical economy, environment, health care and immigration issues, check out The Audit, The Mulch, and The Diaspora. This is a project of The Media Consortium, a network of leading independent media outlets.By Lindsay Beyerstein, Media Consortium blogger
House Republicans will hold a... more
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It seemed like a slow news week and then all of sudden NASA blew up the moon and Obama won a Nobel and, well, News! So here are some other things that slipped under the news radar.
Vaclav Klaus is the President of the Czech Republic, and after Ireland voted to accept the EU's Lisbon Treaty (in effect a constitution for Europe) his signature is the last thing Europe needs for Lisbon to become a reality. Well, he just pushed it off again this week. Read more at FP Passport: Klaus adds another hurdle
Google doesn't want you to freak out about Google Books. They just settled a big lawsuit with publishing industry groups and co-founder Sergey Brin wants to be clear with the public that the technology will not completely devalue books for the authors and publishers. Read Brin's op-ed at the NY Times: A Library to Last Forever
The health care debate continues! Oh you didn't hear about it? There may well be a Senate vote next week, but this week the Congressional Budget Office said the Baucus plan could actually cut the deficit. Read more from the AP: CBO: Health Bill costs $829 billion over decade
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who faces at least one charge of corruption, lost his immunity to prosecution while in office. He said he felt 'invigorated' and vowed to fight. Read more from the BBC: Defiant Berlusconi vows to fight
A new game in the UK called Internet Eyes is turning Britain's thousands of CCTV cameras into a game for profit. Spot a crime - win up to 1000 pounds! More from FP Passport: New internet game offers cash prizes for spotting crime
Oh, and, lots of other people won Nobel Prizes this week. See the list at: nobelprize.org
Finally, this video has been making the rounds today. Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) stood on the floor of the House and took a shot at the GOP, telling them that Americans don't care about their feelings (they care about health care!). Whether you agree with him or not, it's a refreshingly sincere voice in the politics of late. Crooks and Liars has the video: Rep. Alan Grayson: I Will Not Apologize- America Doesn't Care About Your Feelings
Any other stories you think we missed? Submit them at Current News and let us know!
Some of our other stories from the week:
- Prescription drug abuse in South Florida
- Did the US capture an Iranian nuclear scientist? – Reasons to think they did
- Love in Gaza: A Palestinian couple marries against all odds
- Death Penalty in the US: Ohio halts executions
- Oktoberfest in Palestine – Taybeh Brewery (Video)It seemed like a slow news week and then all of sudden NASA blew up the moon and Obama... more
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Think the House health care reform bill's too long? Not after the Senate whittles away at it.
The thing to worry about the House health reform bill isn't what the Senate will add but what it will take away.
http://www.slate.com/id/2234864/Think the House health care reform bill's too long? Not after the Senate whittles... more
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It would seem unwise to jump on board a vessel whose destination is this sketchy.
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The CBO concluded that the health care proposal seen as having the best chance to win bipartisan support would cost $829 billion over the next 10 years.The CBO concluded that the health care proposal seen as having the best chance to win... more
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