Obama's late budget still not released...

http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/bud...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pla...

"The Dems budget is supposed to be out next week"

Cool, only took +1400 days for Harry to let them do their jobs.

The Dems budget is supposed to be out next week. As for babbling, show what I have posted is not information people need to see, instead of the misinformation that you regularly post, and get called on.

pharm

You can babble all day, but the fact is, Obama and the democrats need to do a budget (as required by law).
Obama mistakenly thought he had a mandate, but 50.8% of the vote proves that the United States is almost evenly divided. Now, with his approval rating at 43%, it appears that the rest of country is having buyers remorse.

Lie No. 3: Social Security and Medicare are $60 trillion in the hole.

"As efforts to cut Social Security and Medicare gather steam in the budget wrangling in Washington, you'll hear these mega-trillions being thrown around more and more. Beware. They're numbers designed to terrify, not edify.

The assertion comes from something called the "infinite horizon" projection. It's a calculation of funding gaps projected out to the limitless future and then converted to present value — meaning what the cost would be if we had to pay it all today. For Social Security, the figure was $20.5 trillion, as reported in the program trustees' latest report. For Medicare, the number comes to about $42.7 trillion.

Even professional actuaries say this calculation is bogus. In 2003, when it was first inserted into Social Security's annual report, the American Academy of Actuaries warned the trustees that the infinite projection provides "little if any useful information" and is "likely to mislead anyone lacking technical expertise ... into believing that the program is in far worse financial condition than is actually indicated."
"A big part of the lie is that these projections aren't applied to the other side of the ledger — the programs' revenues and growth in the U.S. economy projected out to infinity. The latter, the trustees calculate, would be about $1.5 quadrillion. (How's that for a big number?) For Social Security, the infinite gap accounts for only 1.3% of infinite GDP, which would bring it about to the level we spend today on defense and veterans affairs."

" But Republicans may run into thorns of their own on the issue, as it was under President George W. Bush that the release program — known as Alternatives to Detention (ATD) — first began. Moreover, it was Congress itself that first mandated the ATD program’s initial creation in fiscal year 2002.

According to ICE documents from 2009, the agency launched three ATD programs in 2004 and 2007, which monitor the release of illegal immigrants still in deportation proceedings using a combination of GPS ankle monitors, telephonic reporting, and unannounced home visits. Of the tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who have been placed in the programs, less than 10 percent have run away or escaped, according to the 2009 report."
About the release of some monitored illegal immigrants.

Lets face it divided government no longer works. It is all about pushing your own agenda before the next guy gets elected. Then he will try to undo everything he didn't want you to do and push his extreme agenda. Conservative for the rich and Liberal for the poor. Middle class, your on your own. Let the general population give their input on these issues and vote on them. I can guarantee things will get done. People who know what it is like to work for everything could run this country a lot better than these idiots we call our leaders.

Kind of like they wanted to privatize social security. Lets put it in the stock market. That way when the market crashes, like it did, we can lose it even quicker. Great idea Bush.

Republicans also want to raise the retirement age to 70. What is a person who doesn't have a union job that continues health coverage supposed to do. I guess work until he dies. Tell me how many factories are going to welcome 70 year old employees. There can only be so many Walmart greeters. These idiots in Washington on both sides need to pull there heads out of there a**es soon and start thinking about the well being of the MIDDLE class. Does anyone think they honestly care about everyday people. I heard someone on the radio the other day make a comment that I fully agree with. These morons act like they are playing on a football team. And who wants to aid the other team on scoring big.

You will only be able to use the vouchers at insurance companies in a government pool(like Obamacare) they will not keep up with healthcare inflation, so a supplement will be provided to some people(like Obamacare). Without a full cost accounting by CBO, we won`t know the true costs of the Ryan voucher plan. The last budget he submitted left out the details of spending cuts, to be determined, and other costs, so that CBO could not fully determine if the plan would work or not. Ryan told them to use HIS calculations, with no proof of accuracy, to consider the budget, including the voucher plan. We`ll see if the new one is any different. It is reported that Ryan will use the same Medicare cuts that the Republicans campaigned against Obama with, the revenue increases from the Fiscal Cliff deal, and , what Ryan has called "phantom" cuts in Obama`s budget of winding down the wars` costs.

The only thing it does is give insurance companies your money and allows them to approve or disapprove a surgery or doctors visit.
Some of you are going to need medical care when you’re old. Think of the type of care you will accept.
You need to read the republicans plan before you settle into the cozy idea their plan is good.
You either haven’t read it, or you don’t give a @#$%. Either way you are voting on giving people less than standard care. Hope you can live with yourself.

The voucher is a sum of money the government give you to buy your own insurance. These insurance companies will decide your health care and what it will cover. HOW IS THAT GOOD FOR ANYONE???

In the slow, measured pace of erosion, Ryan is working to reduce and ultimately eliminate Medicare. In his Randian worldview, health care, education and retirement are solely the responsibility of each individual in competition with one another for survival.

"The president insists that any new package must contain a mix of spending cuts and new revenue from limiting tax deductions benefiting the wealthy.

Republicans, especially those who control the House, adamantly oppose new taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

Of the 23 categories in the survey, only five received negative scores: foreign aid (-60.4), welfare (-28.5), assistance to big cities (-23.4), space exploration (-9.0) and defense spending (-6.3)

If the people participating in the survey were to make federal budget decisions, those five programs presumably would be the only ones to see their spending slashed.

The other 18 would get more money.

Those surveyed last year also wanted more government spending on non-welfare assistance to the poor (+53.8), fighting crime (+51.9), Social Security (+47.6), health programs (+46.3), protecting the environment (+45.9), drug rehabilitation (+43.5), highways and bridges (+29.9), solving the problems of big cities (+24.1) and improving the condition of Blacks (+21)."
http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/f...
"The newly released General Social Survey asked people whether they believe spending in specific categories is “too much,” “too little” or “about right.” It covers the public’s shifting priorities from 1973, when Richard Nixon was president, through 2012 with Obama in the White House."

Proposing something just to be proposing something is stupid.If nothing is done, something no one is saying should happen, Medicare will still be paying 85% of benefits in 2085, maybe a better deal than Ryan`s voucher plan. As for waste, fraud and abuse, there are methods in place to go after those things, but the funds are drying up because of deficit fears.
A couple of tidbits;

"Congressional Republicans have blocked a second stimulus and claim that the first stimulus didn't work. But a survey of the 41 economists in the IGM Economic Experts Panel last year found that 80 percent agreed that the 2009 stimulus lowered the unemployment rate."
"If Obama had campaigned on some version of Simpson-Bowles rather than on poll-tested tax hikes alone, he could now claim a mandate from voters to do something big and bold. Most important, he would have some leverage with members of his own base who don’t want to touch Medicare even to save it.

As Greg Sargent points out, this is all quite ridiculous. Obama's February budget "contained hundreds of billions in spending cuts -- including cuts to Medicare." The president asserted his desire to use Simpson-Bowles as a framework for a Grand Bargain in his speech at the Democratic National Convention. That sequestration offset proposal contains spending cuts and entitlement reforms in the form of Medicare cuts and chained CPI. Pushback, like the sort Sargent offers, is important to bringing the debate back into the real world.

There are stirrings that a return to reality might be possible. Over the weekend, Ezra Klein wondered if maybe the congressional GOP just doesn’t know what Obama is offering, pointing to an unnamed Republican legislator who said he’d take the White House more seriously if they offered chained CPI (CCPI) as part of the deal. As Klein knows, that's specifically on offer. But Jonathan Chait warned that even if Obama could "get hold of Klein's mystery legislator and inform him of his budget offer, it almost certainly wouldn’t make a difference.”

"He would come up with something -- the cuts aren’t real, or the taxes are awful, or they can’t trust Obama to carry them out, or something," Chait wrote."

pharm...you may not agree with Ryan's proposal but at least he is proposing something. We need to discuss Medicare and social security revisions. I also believe entitlement programs need to be scrutinized for fraud such as food stamps, etc. and give it to those who truly need it. Govt has become the feeding trough for the lazy and dishonest.

The largest driver of future deficits are health care costs. Before Ryan attempts to push his Medicare voucher plan again, maybe he should ask people if they would rather pay a little more FICA tax now instead of the $6000 a year more CBO said could be required when the voucher plan is in effect.

pharm..interesting article. Some good ideas. Thanks

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/201...

pharm...I know inflation impacts social security benefits but didn't realize it affected all other entitlements. I wouldn't mind if they did away with the miniscule soc sec increase every year but they also raise the Medicare deduction every year too so it kinda cancels out. How about other changes in social security like raising the eligibility age and means test? And checking for fraud in the soc sec disability program as it is becoming the go to benefit lately. Medicaid will be the next area to check fraud as many health care groups are gearing up to open up new clinics due to Obamacare and I can't believe they would be rushing to do this for altruistic reasons but rather they see a cash cow.
I bet if we all put our heads together we could come up with some better ideas than our govt reps, quicker and cheaper.

Hmmm..., we could vote on everything, get rid of elected officials, elections, all that fooforaw! But, we are all "low information" voters, we would find a way to screw things up , maybe worse than they are now. When asked, a clear majority favors spending cuts, just not their favorite items, and revenue increases, just not their taxes/deductions. Let`s try the question I have not gotten an answer to yet, do you favor eliminating Medicare Advantage to save the 14-17% it costs over regular Medicare? Billions in savings possible every year. How about changing the way inflation is figured(chained CPI) for the whole budget, not just entitlement programs?

pharm...so why have our so called leaders? Lets just have a vote on the budget we want every year.

“In short: the American public likes the idea of cutting federal spending. What they don’t like are actual cuts in federal spending,” Post reporter Jon Cohen wrote in analyzing The Washington Post/ABC News poll.

That attitude made the sequester inevitable, he says. “Without any clear signal from the public of how, specifically, it wants the cuts to happen, politicians did the easy thing: they let an across-the-board cut go into effect without having to vote (read: explain) on it.”

Newsmax!

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/in...

woody...the healthcare industry gave more campaign donations to Obama than to Romney. Favor returned?

Please Ryan, Don't Hurt 'Em.
U Can't Trust Him.

Stop lying bowlgirl...obamacare goes after the wastefull over charges making the providers rich, while Lying Ryan wanted to cut the care to the people. That makes sense because the providers more than likely gave to the rmoney ryan campaign.

"It's plain to see the wheels are starting to come off the Obama express. First he cuts Medicare to seniors in Obamascare, then he tries to blame Republicans for his sequestion which is now epic fail."
The same sequestration Ryan has been calling for since at least 2004, which he praised when it passed, and the same Medicare "provider" cuts included in the old and new Ryan budget. Plus, Ryan said the savings from the wars` spending were "phantoms" in Obama`s budget, yet he includes those savings in his new budget.

Bowlgal said, "This man is no leader, but a politician without a clue."

So what does that make McCain, Romney and the tens of millions of Republicans, conservatives and tea partiers who tried and failed, in epic fashion, to defeat him?

It's plain to see the wheels are starting to come off the Obama express. First he cuts Medicare to seniors in Obamascare, then he tries to blame Republicans for his sequestion which is now epic fail.
The gun grab is failing and the cuts he's making are backfiring.
This man is no leader, but a politician without a clue.
Even the latest ABC poll shows 61 to 33%of Americans approve of across the board spending cuts.
Not Obama's scare cuts of letting illegals go free, long lines at TSA and his pathetic shutting down White House tours.
Can't even get the free thinkers on the left to agree with him on Drone strikes to Americans on American soil.
I look forward to 2014 to lame duck this guy for his last two years in office.

People OVER 55 should be the ones taking a hit on Medicare. After all, they are the ones putting huge strain on the program. Why should baby boomers be coddled. They are screwing over their children & grandchildren, just so they can be nice & cozy.

Funny how the same folks that complain about religion sure like to reference people of when it fits their warped meme; regardless of the hypocrisy.

The rich is sure fighting to keep the loop holes in place though. Mitt should show his tax returns just for giggles. No? That's what I thought......

So as long as you don't work and spit out babies from many fathers your good to go.

BUT!!! If you worked all your life and paid into Medicare you're going to turn it into this voucher thing?

I say get these people on welfare off the program and you got yourself a balanced budget.
What the H is wrong with you Ryan????
Can people be that stupid???

No "president" in the history of these United States has ever intentionally hurt citizens. I recall President Bush and Iraq.

Ryan's budget proposal, like his previous budget proposal that was soundly rejected by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops for being immoral, is as DEAD ON ARRIVAL as his Vice Presidential campaign was.

donnaw, you hit the nail squarely on the head.

midnight ride. I think you lie. You don't respect anyone or anything, as evidenced by your attempt to turn my name into something filthy. You sure lack class. No point in saying anything else to you...you are far too small-minded and unrefined to understand anything sensible.

Obama has compromised on most everything since he's been President, lets hope he gets a backbone and stands up to this garbage of Ryans

I respect these United States far too much to support an imperial power grabber.

I support Rand Paul and his attempt to get this current administration to follow the Constitution. It is there to protect the people who, in a free and open elections, make bad choices and elect bad people.

It tells government what they can't do and that pisses off the left because in their eyes, there are no rules.

Joe69, I just call em as I see em. Bolshovik Barry called himself a marxist and he is President in name only as his actions show otherwise.

No "president" in the history of these United States has ever intentionally hurt citizens and undermined progress in the name of political gain and self satisfaction. That action is saved for dictators.

I like the sentence "hundreds of billions of dollars in additional taxes to largely protect rapidly growing benefit programs." That says it all. CUT THE GROWTH OF THE RAPIDLY GROWING BENEFIT PROGRAMS!

midnight ride--What country do you work for? You certainly seem to despise the United States. Just as it was wrong and shameful for those who called M. Bush names, it is wrong and shameful of you to call Mr. Obama names. Your lack of respect for the United States and it's elected President show the pettiness and ill will which consume you.

Intentional hurt, and not just to Republicans.

Look Bolshovik Barry, Rand Paul just hit you up side the head with the US Constitution.

Ryan also wanted to give Bolshovik Barry the power to make cuts to the waste in Washington and not what's being cut. But of course Bolshovik Barry caught in another lie to the public and putting intenional hurt on in attempt to score politically and not lead the country.
Watch out for that drone!