Despite the knowledge that austery hurts a country, Republicans are still clamoring for it.

               Austerity, Republicans answer, instead if raising taxes,  closing tax loopholes, cutting corporate welfare and doing anything sensible. With debt levels unacceptably high, many countries were forced to cut spending and to slash public services, these are collectively known as austerity measures. Austerity measures have a number of different effects on a country, ranging, from economic to social.

              The economic effects can be recasting. Austerity measures target developemental and social spending, social unrest is one of the most common effects of austerity implementation. For instance, Greece saw a number of violent protests to measures taken in 2011 and 2012. Austerity measures also have a large impact on everyday life. Governments tend to be both large employers and social safety nets. The Family and Parenting Institute,  projected that the median household income in England would drop by 4.2% over 5 years after 2011 government cutbacks.

                 There are 2 other methods that can be used to address federal defecits, growth and taxes. If government increases spending, it spurs growth but also grows the redecorate, although this method is most commonly used in the U.S. Raising taxes can help shore up government spending. The Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy have cost our country aporoxamately $3 trillion since their inception. During Clintons years, which were very profitable for our country, the top tax rats was about 39%. President Obama has fought to get it to about 35%, but it was a battle and Republicans were willing to push our country into default to do it. The increase in taxes and budget cuts currently have our national defecite shrinking. Although Republicans accuse President Obama of trying to destroy the country, he with the Democrats have put the country on the right path. Despite Republicans obstructing them at every step.

               The only Western nation that stopped the recession and turning the economy around after the 2098 economic crash was America. President Obama’s stimulus put Americas growth on a faster pace than Europe hoped to experience. Since Republicans took control of the House, defecit reduction and austerity succeeded in preventing economic recovery from taking full effect. As the full force of debt reduction and spending cutsdamage began in earnest last year, Republicans are calling for more. Republicans are bound and determined to make the same mistakes Europeans made. The Republicans know the outcome will not be any different and they will celebrate higher unemployment and slow economic growth the same way they have with Sequester cuts.

               Democrats need to make Republicans wear the badge of the austerity measure they wish to take. Republicans hope to make Democrats look bad,  at the expense of American people, in hopes that it will have an affect on the 2016 election. While Republicans protect the wealthy and big corporations, they will not tell you that 95% of wealth growth has gone to the top 7% since 2010. So obviously their motives are to help the rich and dam the poor. Remember Republicans that top 7% does not have as many notes as the bottom 93%. So you can kiss the 2014 and 2016 elections good-bye.

Posted from WordPress for Android

Greed and America.

           Republicans speek of the Free Market as if it were miraculous. They try to sell the rest of the population how important it is and how it goes hand and hand with the American way of life. They do not mention that many suffer horribly because of the greed involved in the Free Market. A market where profits outweigh common sense.

            Republicans and conservatives believe regulations cripple the Free Market. They neglect to mention that capitalism in its true form nearly sank our economy and that these believers in the “Free Market” were the first to bail these companies out. That doesn’t sound like a Free Market to me, that sounds like tax payers subsidizing Private Enterprises. That there is a bit of Socialism.

             Yes I said that evil word, socialism. Republicans only believe in anything when it works for their needs. Look at how they are attacking our voting rights across the nation, can’t win fair,  they cheat. These same Republicans who so fiercely support capitalism and the Free Market give corporations almost $200 billion a year in corporate welfare. Yet they attack the $80 billion spent on Food Assistance for low income Americans. Each dollar of that $80 gets a return of $1.84 into the economy.

                The Free Market and Capitalism are just words used to cover their true agenda. At first this may sound conspiracy like,  but read and put it together. In each state Republicans are gerrymandering and attempting to make it harder for poor folk to vote. They vote against gun reform, which is strongly supported by Americans. Are against gay marriage, support the Sequester, voted against VAWA, are attempting to cut SNAP benefits, voted against Sandy Relief, want to Privatize Social Security and Public Schools and want to cut Medicare. Please remember this is just a partial list. Why would they these things and who do they affect? Mind you they voted no to raising taxes on corporations and wealthy people.

               This is class warfare. They are attacking the weak, those who cannot politically protect themselves. An American voices their political opinion through voting. Republicans believe if they can control who votes the country is theirs. Their vision for America is not a Democracy with civil liberties, but a religious State controlled by a few. If you are reading this you already realize there is something wrong. If they get their e
Way we will live in something that resembles a Dictatorship.

              I am a Liberal Democrat, but I am ashamed to say that many of these Democrats are our only bastion of hope. They do not stand united and turn their backs on President Obama. We need strong leaders who will protected our Democracy. We need strong leaders to keep Republicans honest and to limit the power money has on our government. Lobbying needs to be limited. We also need to realize that there are people worldwide and in our country that want to harm us. Please do not incite these lunatics with ill thought out rhetoric.

Posted from WordPress for Android

Paul Ryans budget, more of the same.

              The Republican budget proposal for fiscal year 2014 purports to balance the budget  in 10 years. With a stronger economy and new revenues from the fiscal cliff deal, the task of balancing the budget is somewhat easier. This budget is eerily similar to other budgets proposed by Paul Ryan. It of course attacks the poor and seniors, while giving more to the wealthy and corporations.

              In February the CBO released a baseline projection for the next decade. The fiscal cliff agreement allowed tax rates on the highest incomes to revert to Clinton era levels. In the process this helped reduced future deficits. Paul Ryan voted against that deal.

              The new budget proposal hits all GOP talking points, less spending, lower taxes and a rejection if most of President Obamas health reforms (ACA). Balancing the budget, Ryans proposal doesnt detail all of the assumptions about economic growth or when some of his proposals go into effect. Ryans plan leaves the countrys accrued debt at just under 55% of GDP by the end of the decade. The CBO estimates it as 77%. The CBO wont analyze Ryans or Patty Murrays budget proposals since each simply propose actions and does not detail legislative changed for hitting those targets. Ryan estimates his proposal will grow spending at 3.4% per year, not the projected 5% His plan would put spending at $985 billion below CBO estimates by 2023.

               He wants to reform Medicare. Starting after 2024 it would become a,premium support system. Future seniors could choose between traditional fee-for-service Medicare and the premium support system. This would offer seniors a fixed amount of money to buy private insurance. Ryan proposes converting federal Medicaid funding for states into block grants and repeals health reform laws expansion of the program to low income , non elderly adults. Block grants could increase the burden on states, but gives the states more autonomy about how to set up Medicaid programs. Ryan would also convert food stamps to block grants to states and change eligibilty by imposing time limits on participation and work requirements.

           Ryan would raise the sane amount of tax revenue as the CBO, it would total $40.241 trillion. Ryan would simplify the tax code , reducing the individual income tax brackets to 2 ( 10% & 25%), repeal the Alternate minimum tax, lower the top corporate tax rate to 25% and change roles for international taxation. The 25% upoer tax bracket is about 13% less than they are paying now. This equals to another tax cut for the wealthy.

                   Like Ryans other budget it relies on spurrious budget trickery. His past budgets have also included lofty rhetoric on spending cuts, but little details. He assumes the repeal of Obamacare, but uses the savings from it to balance the budget. This typical Republucan tomfoolery, there us nothing serious about this proposal, they know it cant pass. They set tge numbers so far right that even meeting them in the middle gives the party that lost the ekection the power. The Democrats, mainstream media and the Democrat party have to stop this crazy train in its tracks.

Posted from WordPress for Android

Medicare, why do Republicans want to kill it?

                                     Since Medicares inception in 1965, Medicare has been a government run insurance program that directly pays medical bills for the elderly per need (defined benefit). Republicans want to turn it in to a partially privatized system that pays seniors a fixed amount to buy their own health insurance (defined contribution). Paul ryan trotted out his budget bill again showing his Medicare voucher system under a different name.                      The CBO found that the plan wil raise seniors out of pocket medical expenses by thousands of dollars. The Republican platform claims that the competition caused by privitization will lead to major cost savings, though little evidence exists to support this arguement. According to another CBO analysis privatizing health care would actually spark a dramatic increase in how much the nation spends on Medicare. The Republicans would protect everyone 56 and older, they would see no change in benefits.

                          Most people on Medicare cannot afford to pay more. Half of all Medicare recipients live on annual incomes of $22,000 or less and have less than $53,000 in personal savings. People on Medicare already contribute a significant amount towards their health care costs. Medicare households spend an average of 15% of their total income on health care. 3 times the amount of no Medicare households. Recent analysis show that Medicare costs are slowing dramatically, far below that of private health care spending. The U.S. Department of Health and Human services confirms that slowed growth over the last 3 years is unprecedented in the history of the Medicare program. As a result of this deceleration, the CBO reduced its 10 year estimates on expected Medicare spending by almost $140 billion.

                              Health care costs are a major problem, many believe Medicare is the solution. Steadily rising health care costs are a true threat to our economic health, not Medicare. Over the next 10 years Medicare costs are expected to grow 3.1% as opposed to 5% for private health care. The CBO says that we could save $137.4 billion by 2022, but because many in Congress are afraid to upset the Pharmaceutical apple cart, we wont. Pharmaceutical companies charge more for Medicare drugsthan what the government pays to supply drugs for the Department of Veterans Affairs and Medicaid. The Pharmaceutical companies oppose proposals that would allow the government to negotitate lower prices,as does Americas Health Insurance Plans, the trade group that represents the companies that provide the subsidized drug benefits known as Medicare Part D to 295 million people. Together the Pharmaceutical and Health Insurance companies have spent nearly $4.4 billion lobbying Congress and federal agencies since 1998 on Medicare and other issues.

The Republicans apperently are recieving quite a bit of the lobbying money, they continue to try to privatize Medicare. President Obama and the Democrats need to stand strong and stop the Republicans from robbing the rest of America. I guess we will see if they stand tall for the 99%.