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Subscribe to RSSThe deficit reduction talks led by Vice President Biden pick up the pace this week with three meetings on Capitol Hill starting today at 2pm, NBC’s Libby Leist reports. Ahead of the meetings, Senate Democratic leadership will forgo their usual Tuesday "stakeout" after the weekly caucus meeting and hold a press conference to spell out their negotiating position on Medicare changes, per a leadership aide. They will outline what they will and won’t accept in the search for Medicare savings. Also, look for questions on how the Democrats will approach tax increases. Until now, leadership has weighed in with very little specifics about the Biden talks.
The New York Post’s cover: “Obama beats Weiner,” based on the president telling NBC’s Ann Curry on TODAY that, “If it was me, I would resign.”
The Hill: “According to the new CBS News poll, 31 percent of Americans support converting Medicare into a sort of voucher program. Fifty-eight percent said they support keeping the program’s existing structure intact.”
“Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday that he would place a hold on President Obama's nominee to be the next commerce secretary unless the White House disavows a legal complaint filed against airplane manufacturer Boeing for opening a new plant in the senator's home state South Carolina,” The Hill writes.
After about six months in office, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), thought to be a possible vice-presidential candidate, will make his first speech today at 2:45 pm ET on the Senate floor, Leist reports. Rubio's four young children and wife have flown in from Miami where they live to support the Senator. He is the last of the freshman class to speak on the floor. Rubio will call for a "new American century" of leadership. He will say the government is broken and in need of repair if the U.S. is to lead the world in the 21st Century. Rubio highlights the U.S. debt problem, a complicated tax code, and a government that he says over-regulates stifling American economic growth.
Some excerpts: "There is a growing sense that for America, things will never be the same. That maybe, this new century will belong to someone else. … We do stand now at a turning point in our history. One where there are only two ways forward for us. We will either bring on another American century, or we are doomed to witness America’s decline. … A broken government is keeping us from doing what we have done better than anyone in the world for over a century: Create jobs. … If we here in Washington could just find agreement on a plan to start getting our debt under control. If we could just make our tax code simpler and more predictable. And if we could just get the government to ease up on some of these onerous regulations, the American people will take care of the rest."
Former Democratic National Committee spokeswoman (and MSNBC contributor) Karen Finney, in a column in The Hill, looks at education: “The political rhetoric of ‘spending cuts’ has largely ignored the impact cuts in education spending at the federal, state and local levels have on our ability to make progress closing those gaps. Our failure to fully utilize the potential of every American also endangers our economy.” The No Child Left Behind law is up for reauthorization this year.
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"According to the new CBS News poll, 31 percent of Americans support converting Medicare into a sort of voucher program. Fifty-eight percent said they support keeping the program's existing structure intact."
That's a little like taking a poll and asking people "Would you prefer to continue getting a free lunch, or would you prefer paying for part of it?"
Why not put some reality into the poll. Since Medicare is scheduled to go bankrupt and coverage will be drastically reduced in 13 years without major changes, which changes do you prefer?
1 - Switch to a voucher type system to limit cost increases.
2 - Increase worker contributions (taxes) by about $100 per month to make the current system stable.
3 - Cut the coverage available to control costs.
4 - Some combination of the above.
Maybe the purpose of this poll is not to introduce "proposals" that no one has actually proposed? Duh?
Ryan's "plan" is to convert Medicare into a voucher system. Period. The proper poll question was asked: do you support converting Medicare into a voucher system? Answer: hell NO!
Ryan's plan gets a meager 31% support. Deal with it. This is a LOSER plan for the GOP. They don't seem to get it, and criticizing the polls is just avoiding the facts.
No problem though. I hope the GOP goes all in with Ryan.
Yes...why should we have to have the adult conversation about actually paying for it? There are 2 roads, insolvency or adjustment. According to the majority of Dems, the answer is no change. Pathetic.
Off base:
I love that "adult conversation" canard. Like the GOP really wants to have one.
If there was an "adult conversation," it would include tax increases. But no...we can't have THAT conversation, can we?
BTW...the Dems are not saying that the "answer is no change." But they are saying that Ryan doesn't have the answer. See the difference?
biwheeler - and yet the left doesn't offer any counter proposals. That is "doing nothing" in anyones book.
bilweeler "BTW...the Dems are not saying that the "answer is no change." But they are saying that Ryan doesn't have the answer. See the difference?"
So where is the Democratic alternative? The silence is deafening.
The choices are clear - either raise the contributions by employees by about $100 per month each, or adjust the program in some fashion. By refusing to address the looming crisis, the Democrats are indeed saying "The answer is no change".
medicare does not need to go bankrupt and will not. social security does not need to go bankrupt and will not.
what is wrong with people? these are programs you pay for. these same programs cost you less and provide you more than private ins.
medicare is about stability and excellent service, it was designed to provide ins to so many seniors who were and will be rejected. it's about your money and how the private companies want it all.
and to the dems, if you make any cuts to this program, you will pay dearly at the polls along with the pubs!
kr - if only the politicians had looked further down the road than just to the next election.
Your statement...
That is the problem, our plan contributions have failed to keep up with the costs. Only the following options are available.
Wonder what options the politicians will use and if the electorate will agree with it.
And yet the left believes that throwing more money at a problem will fix it. How absurb!
BTW - Don't renew "no child left behind", all the regs and paperwork defeat its original intent. An intent that flies into the face of human individualism.
American:
I'm on the left...but I don't believe that throwing money at all problems results in solutions. I'm willing to have the discussion on how to solve problems WITHOUT creating additional debt, but I'm having trouble finding someone to talk to.
Ryan's plan does not solve the Medicare problem; it only shifts the huge financial burden to the patient. And, it creates more debt in the short term:
Back to the drawing board. We can't deal with debt at 100% of GDP, not in 2045...not ever.
As for "no child left behind..." You're absolutely right. That program is a victim of the bureaucracy it created. We should kill it outright.
Any politician's proposal for dealing with the debt and deficits that comports with reality would be considered suicide. Too bad; we need a guy like Ron Paul who does not shy away from calling US what we are: an empire. All the silly talk from every other politician about growth and expansion is utterly absurd. Globalization got us the Walmart world and we deserve it for being so thoroughly delusional. Creating meaningful jobs here is impossible given the paradigm that has been established. Who would build anything here and pay an externalized wage of $20/hr to an American when the Asian will work harder and longer for less than .65/hr. And the hopelessly corrupted political and financial systems, in collusion, guarantee greater wealth only for the wealthy while the vast majority of Americans wane and wither away.
biweeler-
I guess you didn't hear Madame Pelosi say effectively "No Change". The rest of the world did.
As America clearly remembers…..Today marks the unforgettable 1-year anniversary of MSNBC’s continually mindless PSYCHO-TALKING comments.
Yes, it was exactly one year ago today on the Ed Shutlz show when Shultz emphatically demanded that Barack Obama should “RULE THE COUNTRY AS A DICTATOR !”
In Shultz’s attempt to continue the never-ending bias, distortions, and vicious hatred for which MSNBC is quite renowned, Shultz has repeatedly been disciplined for his idiotic, hate-filled rhetoric.
This is not the first time Shultz’s mouth has gotten him in trouble, including being demoted and suspended…… And, America knows…. It won’t be the last, either.
America also realizes that MSNBC has proven to have absolutely no credibility,…..its only purpose is to try to constantly create division and endless hatred…
So, Happy Anniversary to MSNBC and “psycho-talking” Ed Shultz….. America remembers this date….
And, Barack Obama has proven to be well on his way to “RULING AS A DICTATOR”, just as you demanded !