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Subscribe to RSS“Any lawmaker in a swing district can expect to take criticism from his right flank at a town hall meeting. But at an American Veterans outpost tucked deep in the Pocono Mountains this week, freshman Republican Rep. Lou Barletta took heat from every direction — from Democrats angry with the tax cuts in the GOP budget, to conservatives who thought he caved on the last continuing resolution vote, to a precocious 16-year-old critical of the lawmaker’s environmental record,” Politico writes.
More: “Barletta’s district is one of a handful that Democrats have zeroed in on this spring break... The town halls in Pennsylvania showed deep concern about the national debt but extreme wariness of cuts to entitlements, and constituents are starting to vent their frustrations with the new House GOP majority.”
“If video of angry constituents haranguing members of Congress over healthcare reform captured the tone of that policy debate, Democrats and their allies hope that similar clips will emerge in 2011 to define the coming battle over Medicare and entitlement reform,” The Hill adds.
The liberal group Americans United for Change is launching $35,000 in TV ads in four Republican-held House districts for backing the Rep. Paul Ryan budget proposal – WI-1 (Ryan), MN-8 (Chip Cravaack, freshman), WI-7 (Sean Duffy, freshman), IA-5 (Steve King). The ads will run on local broadcast TV from today through Thursday. The group is also running robo-calls in 23 Republican-held districts, targeting those 45 and older. (The Ryan plan would phase out Medicare and be unavailable for those who are currently 54 and younger.)
Here’s part of that script: “On April 15th, your Congressman [insert name] voted to end Medicare and its guaranteed health care benefits. Instead, he wants to give seniors a voucher forcing them to go out and find coverage from private insurance companies. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates this proposal will increase senior’s out of pocket costs by $6,000 each year – and Congressman [insert name] is using the savings to give corporations and millionaires another tax break. Congressman [insert name] even voted to slash Medicaid funds that pay nursing home care for seniors and the disabled. Call Congressman [insert name] at [insert number]. Tell him (her) that cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to pay for tax cuts for corporations and millionaires is just wrong. Tell him/her to keep his/her – hands off our Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.”
Meanwhile, the DCCC has released a video hitting House Republicans for their vote to phase out Medicare. “House Republicans promised they would protect Medicare,” the video goes. “They lied.”
Gang of 12? “The deficit negotiators being brought together by Vice President Biden on May 5 have strong opposing views on how to deal with the national debt and have each hurled a lot of rhetoric on the issue. This has led many to conclude the ‘Biden Commission’ talks face an uphill climb,” The Hill writes. “The contrast between the new commission, made up of three senators and three House members, and the existing Gang of Six senators, who have emphasized a need to embrace compromises on spending cuts, entitlement reforms and tax policy changes, is strong.”
The New York Times: "Hoping to unclog the Senate and spare scores of presidential appointees from what is often a grueling confirmation process, leading lawmakers in both parties are moving to cut the number of administration posts that are subject to Senate approval."
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These "BUMS" ask us to make a sacrifice and they remain at 17 thousand + a month ..This is why we need term limits 2 in a lifetime....No benefits and NO retirements and a 35K a year capped salary !
Say It Good call!Term Limits is the way to go! In Illinois we just put most of Governors in prison,so after they do time we don't have to pay for them anymore.
I agree with term limits, but isn't $174,000 Middle Class? I thought the magic number is 250K, am I wrong?
Don't forget on top of $176,000 in salary these public employees get the best government provided health care money can buy and and fully vested pension after 5 years of service. Way better benefits than any teacher, cop, firefighter, or any public employee who republican house members say don't deserve those benefits, and want to deprive them of the right to even negotiate for better benefits. How come there are not afraid of the death panels they said we would face if we had government provided health care. Why should these public employees keep what they want to take away from everybody else. They should make $80,000 total, for their wages plus benefits. An $80,000 a year total wage and benefit package and full retirement only after 30 years would put them on par with those "greedy" unionized public employees. I almost forgot, they get like 20 weeks of vacation a year, best paying part time job in the world. By the way who do they bargain with to get all this? I want to join their union!
Right you are, Say it isn't so. I think their benefits and salaries are rediculous. If they were doing anything good for the people instead of trying to keep their lifetime jobs, it would be different. People aren't stupid.
So, MSNBC, where are the clips of the 'lively' townhall meetings that are being held by the GOP/TP?
Clips were played ad nauseum during the health care debate of the Democrats being verbally assaulted!
Listened to Meet the Press with Sens. Conrad and Coburn. I don't see the possibility of any compromise unless the Dems capitulate. Neither Conrad nor Coburn would discuss "raising taxes," no matter how hard David Gregory pressed them. The only thing that Conrad would concede is that tax reform might increase revenues. Coburn kept saying that any Senate plan must have 60 votes, all but guaranteeing failure on all but the most expedient (read those who don't vote or don't contribute campaign cash) budget cuts. No one would embrace David Stockman's view of taxes. Conrad wouldn't defend or accept with other modifications, Obama's tax proposals. The refused to discuss ANY specifics. I never heard the words defense cuts. I would have been more sanguine had these guys been sitting there drinking out of brown paper bags. At least then there would be the hope that they would eventually sober up, even if just for a few moments, to do something.
David Stockman is hardly the person to be telling us what our tax policy should be.
Wm, I saw the interview and thought it was opptimistic. They said they couldn't discuss details. I hope they work something out and commend them for trying. We need work together or we all loose.
Welcome to Stagflation. Gee, it really is Jimmy Carters second term. First high unemployment (The Real Unemployment Rate: 17.7 %. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-clemons/real-unemployment-shows-u_b_843783.html ) and now inflation. Inflation, using the reporting methodologies in place before 1980, hit an annual rate of 9.6 percent in February. http://www.cnbc.com/id/42551209
Meanwhile, IRS data shows that in 2008, the top 5 percent of earners -- households earning more than $160,000 -- accounted for about 59 percent of all federal income tax paid.
The next 45 percent -- solidly middle-class taxpayers earning between $33,000 and $160,000 -- account for about 39 percent of all personal income tax paid. So thats 98% paid by the top 50% of earners, with almost 60% being paid by the mere top 5% of earners. That's fair???
Look, you cannot tax or cut your way out of the deficit. You must grow the economy.
How to grow jobs, energy, the economy, remain competitive, and eliminate the deficit:
1. Legislatively remove the anti-trust exemption for insurance, The McCarran-Ferguson Act. Then Repeal Obamacare as unnecessary.
2.. Legislatively restrict the wetlands definition of "navigable waters of the United States" in the Clean Water Act.
3. Fund and begin construction of power generation and water supply projects necessary to meet future population and industrial demands.
4. Remove all geographic restrictions on oil and natural gas drilling, and use the power of federal money transfers to the States to prevent States and local governments from interfering with drilling.
5.. Remove environmental restrictions and environmental and social impact requirements for all infrastructure and utility construction for the next 10 years.
6.Cut Federal budget by 10% excluding defense, starting with those duplicative items identified in the 3/1/11 GAO report and Presidents Debt Commission, however, maintain current spending for infrastructure construction, repair and upgrade for the next 5 years. Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act.
7. Reduce corporate tax rates by 50%. Reduce Corporate tax rates by 70% on private utilities and transport companies.
8. Reinstitute significant tax and assistance payments for residential and commercial alternative energy instillations, particularly focusing on residential solar. Use Commerce Clause to force all electrical utilities to be reverse metering.
9. Subsidies the further development of electric and hybrid electric cars. Provide significant tax breaks and incentives for the purchase of same, particularly when combined with the purchase of a residential solar instillation within two years of one another. This is no longer a simple market issue, but one of national security as the time to substitution is longer than the economy can withstand when confronted with a supply side shock
10. Eliminate the Ethanol subsidy for any and all processes using foodstuffs. Redirect monies to nuclear and coal. Streamline regulation of new construction of nuclear power plants and provide incentives for same. Open Yucca Mountain as originally agreed.
11. Eliminate any power of the EPA to regulate Carbon.
12. Use the power of the Federal purse to eviscerate Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005) and Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council, Inc. v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 535 U.S. 302 (2002),
13. Repeal the Community Reinvestment Act.
14. Hold congressional investigations into the roll of the Community Reinvestment Act, Freddie and Fannie in inflating demand and thus prices resulting in the collapse of the real estate market.
15. Build a wall embedded with sensors and toped with razor wire along both our borders, beginning with the southern one. In the name of national security remove all environmental restrictions and environmental and social impact requirements for the construction of same.
16 Pass legislation that all jurisdictions receiving federal monies of any sort are required to enforce all of the laws of the land, including enforcement of federal immigration laws.
17. Restrict the collective bargaining power of State civil service unions in line with the 1978 Federal Civil Service Reform Act
18. Scrap the tax code and adopt a flat-tax that will build the size of the pie (and thus tax revenues) for everyone instead of the Obama class warfare of trying to redistribute a shrinking one.
19. Revisit New York Times v. Sullivan and remove the "actual malice" requirement to improve the quality, objectivity and accuracy of media reporting,
Seen any UFOs lately? Some of what you write has some merit, but as a total package it will give us the environment of China. One of the blind spots of a pure market based economy is the ignoring of the long term consequences to the environment, the economy or the labor force.
Why are you so worried about the top 5%? They have almost always made out just fine, and when they don't we bail them out with tax money so they can go right back to paying each other multi-million dollar bonuses. You are worrying yourself sick over nothing, the top 5% will manage to get through this just fine.
The latest bright idea the Republican Maine state legislature has is repealing the ban on billboards along the highway, a ban we have had since the 1970's. That, an an attempt to repeal the bottle recycling bill, prompted one man to comment on our local paper's website "the billboards will make a handy target for those throwing empty bottles out their car windows."
The political heat on the "Gross Odd People" (RNC), and the "Not Really Competent (RNC) is on high. The Tea Begger 'zombie" followers will continue to mix cultural/social topics into economic policy. Keep supporting this mental madness GOP/RNC. Progressive Power is watching very carefully and taking notes. The "Hoodlum's On The Hill" are not going to be living poltically in the House for very long. As renters of the House? They have economically, socially, culturally, and poltically trashed the place. For "Bonehead Boehner" the heat has been on him recently which, would explain his tan. Their blind support at the Federal Level for the "Richie Rich Ryan" budget plan. Is a clear indication that the "Party of No" has no intention of being economically fair. The profits of the large oil corporations will be very troubling to read, and the GOP/RNC response will be of great economic joy. They GOP/RNC will not raise the debt ceiling, and they will support the economic destruction of the Middle Class. The disabled and the elderly, had better be reading, researching, and asking many questions about the "Richie Rich Ryan" budget plan. Come to your own conclusions my fellow citizens, and then get out the vote.
Don't let Granny face a government controlled medicare death panel, be fiscally responsible get her out of that nursing home and bring her home to die. Just a suggestion (in the form of pending legislation) brought to you by every single republican house member.
deficit is a republican code word for cut all social programs! why is the president repeating this code word? why are some democrats using this code word?
creating jobs is a negative term to republicans, because jobs decrease deficit by increasing revenue. in fact, if unemployment was 5% the deficit would be decreased by 2/3. add that to an increase in taxes to the top2% and surprise, surprise, no deficit.
the republicans and the neo-cons have been on this attack ever since President Roosevelt placed regulations to protect our economy and social security to protect our older citizens. President Johnson created medicare, because only 14% of seniors could buy health insurance, now all seniors have health insurance. these reuglations and social nets are vital to our national security.
now, the neo-cons are on their final assault to destroy anything and everything that is for the public good from public education to health coverage for seniors and young children.
due to the last republican blow-out election, this attack has become a nation wide epidemic, and their army is the republican congress and the newly elected republican govenors.
this can not hold and these gangs of 6 or 12, better start listening and better start thinking and the word deficit should be dropped for the words job creation and increasing revenue. but keep you hands off all social programs!
The government needs to reduce their cocaine programs to the helpless citizens who are addicted...just listen to kr-2875346. These addicts of government cocaine should try working in real jobs that contribute to our national well being!
Nobody has a bigger problem with Koch than the republicans, you can tell which ones have a Koch habit because of the telltale brown residue on their noses.
I have to agree that we have to have term limits.
Let's start term limits with getting rid of The Messiah who is a socialist!!!
You are the only person on this site that claims president Obama as your Messiah. I think Obama is a good man, but you will not convice me to beleive as you do that he is the Messiah.
it looks like Congress better get ready for another overhaul. The Congress approval rating is 76% of Americans disapprove of the job they are doing. Even higher for confidence that they will make any change that will help the economy, jobs and gas prices.
Term Limits, lower pay, no lifetime benefits, pay for their own medical, no perks and be held responsible (jail) when recieving kick backs from lobbiest. Cut their number of Holidays and vacations and if they are making $174,000/year then they need to be working. They have had two vacations since Jan 1st all while the country is tanking.
If in the private sector a company manipulates it's employees retirement and pensions, someone goes to jail. Our Government has used our social security and medicare money to fund anything else they want or need, isn't that what the Gov calls extorsion when a company CEO does it? Put it all back or send me a refund for the last 40 years I have been paying.
After all they are Civil Servants just like the lady that cleans their offices at night, they are no better!
You call this an "article"? What a hopeless mess this story was. Get some people with jornalistic talent to put an article together. I couldn't make head or tail out of this "article." Was there a point? Why is Congress on the spot right now? The big issue is still: the unbelievable deficit in the budget...trillions of $$$. OK, Congress, now go ahead and vote -- we dare you. Cut spending of any kind until you get a balanced budget. Is Ryan the only one thinking? Gang of 6? Gang of 12? What the ...?
Can't do that? Why the H... not? Ryan is the only one thinking? Whoever made up the fiction