Ray Stevens – Obama budget plan
An evening pause: If the government can do it, why not everyone?
Tag: deficit
Why Are Taxpayers Paying for Wine Tasting?
Republicans refuse to cut farm and ethanol subsidies, cut international food aid instead
Some pigs win, some lose: Republicans refuse to cut farm and ethanol subsidies, but cut international food aid instead.
The cowardice of politicians from both parties to honestly face the federal deficit problem sadly continues.
Negotiations over debt limit and budget still appear deadlocked
Though some progress has been made, the negotiations over the debt limit and the budget still appear deadlocked.
Shuttle’s end leaves NASA with a half billion dollar pension bill
The pork goes on: The shuttle’s end has still left NASA with a half billion dollar pension bill.
Obama to announce plans to cut government waste
Obama to announce plans today to cut government waste.
Though I applaud any effort to reduce the federal government’s out-of-control spending, to me this paragraph suggested strongly how symbolic and superficial this announcement by Obama will be:
One of the campaign’s first steps will be targeting waste and duplication among federal websites. The administration will halt the creation of new websites, as well as shut down or consolidate one-fourth of the 2,000 government websites in the next few months.
For one thing, having an employee launch an extra website is hardly very costly, as you are already paying that employee’s salary. Will they be laying off these workers as well? I doubt it.
For another, shutting down websites is hardly a demonstration of transparency in government.
In North Carolina, government jobs untouched by the great recession
In North Carolina, government jobs untouched by the Great Recession.
Ohio restaurant referenced by Obama is closing
The ironies are endless: An Ohio restaurant referenced by President Obama last week as a beneficiary of the auto bailout is going out of business this week due to the bad economy and increased regulation.
The federal government’s total unfunded financial obligations now exceed $60 trillion.
The day of reckoning beckons: The federal government’s total unfunded financial obligations now exceed $60 trillion.
House Trims Homeland Security Science Spending
It’s a start: The House has trimmed the budget for the Homeland Security Agency by $1.1 billion, including a cut of about 75% from the Obama administration’s request for the agency’s science budget, ($398 million versus $1.2 billion requested). And of course, we don’t have to wait long to hear the pigs squeal:
DHS officials say the decrease in the directorate’s budget will wipe out dozens of programs, stalling the development of technologies for border protection, detection of bio-hazards, and cargo screening.
My heart bleeds.
Social Sciences Face Uphill Battle Proving Their Worth to Congress
Some squealing from the journal Science: NSF faces uphill budget battle in Congress.
When he asked the witnesses for ideas on shrinking the government’s $1.6 trillion deficit, Mo Brooks (R-Alabama) [chairman of the research panel of the House of Representatives Science and Technology Committee] made it clear he was talking about possible cuts to NSF’s entire $7 billion budget, not simply its SBE directorate.
Note that in 2008 the NSF budget was a $6.1 billion. Cutting it back to that number would hardly destroy social science research in this country.
Moody threatens to lower the US credit rating if there is no progress on debt ceiling negotiations soon
The day of reckoning beckons: Moody has threatened to lower the US credit rating if the debt ceiling negotiations don’t show progress soon.
EPA gave $1.29 Million to China
Our tax dollars at work: Under both the Bush and Obama administrations, the EPA has given $1.29 million in grants to various Chinese government agencies.
Former astronaut calls for the dismantling of NASA
Former astronaut calls for the dismantling of NASA.
House torpedoes unconditional hike to $14.3 trillion debt ceiling
Good news indeed: The House tonight overwhelmingly voted down an unconditional hike to $14.3 trillion debt ceiling.
The vote was 318-97, with 82 Democrats joining every Republican in rejecting legislation that would have authorized $2.4 trillion in additional borrowing by the federal government. Seven Democrats voted present on the legislation.
Now comes the business of tying the increase in the debt ceiling to some real spending reduction.
Planetary scientists push for Enceladus mission to search for alien life
Planetary scientists push for Enceladus mission to search for alien life.
Vote on “clean” debt ceiling increase set for tonight
The next budget battle begins: A vote on a “clean” debt ceiling increase has been set for tonight by the House Republican leadership.
More than 100 House Democrats recently signed a letter demanding that Speaker John Boehner bring forward a vote for an increase in federal debt levels without any conditions for cuts or future spending curbs. Imagine their surprise when Boehner agreed and will serve up a bill that would provide enough borrowing to cover all of president Obama’s spending requests for next year without any preconditions.
It is expected that the legislation will be defeated soundly in a very bipartisan vote. To quote the article again:
The political reality is that increasing the nation’s swollen $14.3 trillion debt is a political loser. Voters hate it and lawmakers don’t even get anything new to give away since the money is going to cover existing obligations.
If the bill is defeated as predicted, it will be very good news, as that defeat will bolster the efforts of those who want big cuts in spending to go with any debt ceiling increase.
Republicans still firmly against raising debt ceiling without big cuts
I hope they mean it: Republicans still firmly against raising debt ceiling without big cuts.
GOP Senators to WH: Better start planning for a $2.6 trillion budget
GOP Senators to the White House: Better start planning for no debt ceiling increase and making do on a $2.6 trillion budget.
Astronomical Deficit Forces Downsizing of U.S. Telescope Projects
Budget deficits signal a decline in spending for astronomy telescopes, both on the ground and in space, for the next decade.