Writing on the wall - Common sense reigns inside the Beltway

[Native Floridian]

House approves budget deal aimed at averting shutdown - CNN.com

I guess some of these guys do want to be President in 2016.

Boehner finally stands up to Heritage Academy, Club For Growth and the Tea party and gets something done!

Hat's off to Paul Ryan - well done!

 

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[Dave44]

Well when you get a Senator with the backing of the biggest businesses to help hammer out a deal you know big business will win!

I thought Dems thought big corporations were evil and campaign contributions from them were causing the government to be corrupted? At least if it was a Republican that would be the case.

Patty Murray: Campaign Finance/Money - Summary - Senator 2014 | OpenSecrets

[h=2]Cycle Fundraising, 2009 - 2014, Campaign Cmte[/h]

Raised:	$14,557,174
Spent:	$16,367,385
Cash on Hand:	$708,554
Debts:	$0
Last Report:	Monday, September 30, 2013

Obviously she knows how to work from a deficit, so that's good. She still has cash on hand too!

[h=2]Cycle Source of Funds, 2009-2014, Campaign Cmte only[/h]

	Individual Contributions - Small Individual Contributions - Large Individual Contributions	$10,399,043 $3,282,402 (23%) $7,116,634 (49%)	(71%)
	PAC Contributions	$2,775,576	(19%)
	Candidate self-financing	$0	(0%)
	Other	$1,382,555	(9%)

Just another politician, The people who scream republicans are the boogeymen need to look in their own party too.

 

[Dave44]

And Ryan.. Too bad. He is now learning the governmental accounting principles, "Don't include any figures that might give real results."

Look for a crisis, or claim there is one, and fund some agency to oversee it.

Progressives are in both parties. How long can the merry go round turn? There are reasonably intelligent Americans that don't understand the dangers for the future generations, Is it greed for the here and now?

Fact Check: Paul Ryan Twisted Truth to Sell Budget Deal to House
Ryan’s claim, for instance, that this plan ends up resulting in $23 billion in total deficit reduction is not true. Ryan and Murray did not ask the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to estimate interest payments on the $63 billion in increased spending that will need to be borrowed for the first couple of years of the budget. As such, the CBO score does not represent the full financial picture of the plan.

A Senate GOP aide with direct knowledge of these matters whom Breitbart News contacted estimated the interest payments over the course of the 10-year budget window on the $63 billion that will need to be borrowed to be approximately $8 billion. That means the plan increases spending by $71 billion and only includes $15 billion in deficit reduction in the out years of the budget window.

When asked to respond to why Ryan did not seek a CBO score that included an estimate of the interest payments on the borrowed money, Ryan spokesman Will Allison told Breitbart News that the “CBO does not as a matter of course include debt service in its cost estimates of legislation.”

While it may be true that the CBO does not automatically do interest estimates for borrowed money in budget legislation, a simple request from Ryan would have ensured that a more accurate estimate would have been provided to the public. It is fairly normal for CBO to include interest estimates, so normal that the agency did so for the Budget Control Act--the legislation Ryan’s deal with Murray would replace. On table 3 of the CBO score for the 2011 BCA legislation, there is a line that contains the “debt service” estimate.

other issue arises on a question and answer page about the bill on Ryan's committee’s website. There he argues that the “agreement will cut spending and reduce the deficit even more than doing nothing will.”
Technically, according to the CBO, the claim that the deal “will cut spending” more so “than doing nothing will” is not accurate. CBO makes clear that by subtracting out fees and revenues and only comparing spending cuts to spending increases, the Ryan-Murray plan would spend roughly $11 billion more than under current law as established by the BCA.

“Looking solely at spending – not fees or revenues – the Bipartisan Budget Act would increase discretionary outlays over 2014-2023 by $62.4 billion, offset by only $51 billion in spending cuts,” said a different Senate GOP aide whom Breitbart News also contacted. “Therefore, it is a net spending increase both in the next two years and the Act’s full ten-year window ending in 2023.”

When asked about this matter, Ryan’s spokesman told Breitbart News that “according to CBO, the bill will reduce the deficit by $23 billion over 10 years.”

“The bill has a temporary upfront cost offset by savings that are permanent and grow over time,” Allison said. “Table 1 of CBO's cost estimate of the bill includes CBO's estimate of $78.4 billion of direct spending reductions and $6.6 billion of additional revenue. $6 billion of the additional revenue reflects increased contributions from federal civilian employees toward their pension benefits."
"These pension contributions are recorded in the budget as revenues," he claimed. "The remainder reflects the effects of making it harder for people to receive improper federal payments or for criminals to steal other people's identities.” But not all of the $78 billion in claimed spending reductions are in fact permanent. The deal includes the extension for 2 years of BCA sequestration of certain mandatory programs and customs user fees, which account for $35 billion of the total, meaning that the legislation likely would not achieve the same $78 billion in the second decade.


"All taxpayers subsidize these services, even though they benefit only some subsets of the American public," Allison stated. "This agreement reduces those subsidies by requiring the beneficiaries to pay a greater share of these programs’ costs. In all cases—even after the fee increases—the beneficiaries will not cover the full cost of these services.”

Technically, Ryan’s office is correct by Washington, D.C. standards, but their argument hinges on the belief that increases in revenue to the federal government via fee increases and other measures are somehow a spending cut — something that conservatives would not agree is accurate. Fees don’t make government smaller but only provide a way to hide the true size of government.

In that same document, Ryan argued, “Taxpayers shouldn’t have to bail out private companies’ pension benefits. That’s why we ask private companies to cover more of the cost of guaranteeing their pension benefits. That would protect taxpayers and save $7.9 billion.”

In that statement, Ryan is referring to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), an independent government agency under the purview of Congress through which private companies insure pension plans. At this time, the PBGC’s finances, as noted by the American Benefits Council, show that it is in no obligation to the taxpayers.

“The math is straightforward. Based on PBGC’s own report for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, assets held by PBGC for the single-employer program totaled $83.2 billion, while only $5.4 billion of benefits were paid,” the American Benefits Council wrote in December 2013. “At the same time, PBGC had $2.9 billion of premium income and $2.7 billion of investment earnings (a 3.3% rate of return on assets held at the beginning of the year). Thus, PBGC was able to pay all claims while at the same time increasing total assets.”

The PBGC works by companies paying a premium to the agency, which then uses the money to operate and handle each of its plans.

If a major company went under in the future, that arrangement could change, but at that point a simple short-term change in policy would likely be able to protect the taxpayers from any undue harm.

As such, Ryan is stating his actions are protecting taxpayers when they are not at risk -- a stretch at best.

 

[TheRingFinder]

Ryan’s budget would necessitate an increase of the debt ceiling by roughly $5.5 trillion through 2022. Due to the comparatively lower overall level of debt cited above, the increase is approximately $3 trillion less than that required by the president’s budget over the same horizon.

If you call this type of reckless spending the USA is currently involved in..........common sense. All I can say is . . . .

 

[NHBandit]

The stupidest thing the Republicans have done in awhile was to try to mess with Obummercare during the last budget talks. They should have passed the budget and let Obummercare crash & burn on it's own like it's doing anyway.

 

[Native Floridian]

Yup, after the shutdown the the republicans read the tea leaves and didn't like anything they had to say. Public opinion blaming them with no positives to take solace in.

The most telling aspect of the budget deal isn't who won. It was who was ignored. At the national level, the republican party is a party on the ropes. That what internal fights for control do.

It takes big money to win at the Presidential level. That money is now walking away from the ultra right. Boehner, to stand up to organizations that will fervently punch his one way ticket to the unemployment line, had to be confident that he and others can withstand the challenges that will come. Since money is what the ultra right groups use to keep the herd heading in their direction, there must be equally big money steering the herd in a new direction.

Meanwhile, we can at least temporarily bask in the warmth of a do something government.

 

[Dave44]

NF "Meanwhile, we can at least temporarily bask in the warmth of a do something government."

When this government is "doing" something everybody better duck and cover! The best thing that could happen is a complete impasse. Be afraid.
Progressives are horrifyingly regressive!

 

[Native Floridian]

The republicans are running scared. They want to make nice in 2014 to gain seats.

Still, anyone who believes Boehner did this without big money's blessing is living in an alternate reality.

Many believe a congress more interested in doing the people's business instead of trying to burn it all down for a post apocalypto do over is a good thing!

I realize most on this forum disagree. Some here told me i was wrong when i said this was coming. That the shutdown had cost the ultra right it's grip on the republican party. But here we are.

The thing is, most of congress wants to keep it's job. They like being in congress. The good fight is one thing, but unemployment, that's a bigger thing! It the big dough says swing left, that's what most are gonna do.

 

[Dave44]

I was wondering if anyone crowing about how much common sense this proposal has is starting to feel a little gullible yet,,, maybe even a bit sheepish?

Don't worry,, we know when progressives get together nothing good can come of it.

Obama Breaks Promise to Veterans to Support Ryan-Murray Budget Deal

[h=2]"President Obama gave almost immediate approval to the budget deal negotiated by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), even as top Democrats expressed skepticism. In doing so, Obama breaks a promise he made to veterans and military personnel just a few months ago.[/h] In September, Obama released his "key principles" for reforming the military's compensation and retirement systems. As the Army Times reported:

President Obama wants to consider sweeping changes to the military’s retirement and compensation system, but he also said that all current troops should be grandfathered under the current retirement plan if they choose.
​

From Obama's "principles":

The Commission’s recommendations for change must grandfather any currently serving members and current retirees in the current military retirement systems, but may allow current service members and current retirees the choice to change to your proposed retirement system (emphasis added)
​

The "Commission" is the Military Retirement and Compensation Modernization Commission, created by Congress to make recommendations on overhauling the military's compensation and benefit systems. The Army Times noted that Obama's requirement that any change would grandfather current personnel and retirees reassured troops who worried that the system would change before they reached retirement age.
It was a promise Obama made to members of the military anxious about the future. It is also a promise he broke when he endorsed the Ryan-Murray budget deal. As is often the case with Obama, "principles" are just temporary suggestions for how to proceed.
One of the spending cuts in the budget deal lowers the pension benefits of future and current veterans. The deal lowers the cost-of-living adjustments that are part of the military's current pension system. Under the deal, future COLA adjustments would equal inflation minus 1%. The deal, and pension cuts, don't grandfather current active-duty service members or veterans.
The $7 billion saved over the next decade would cover a portion of the increased federal spending in the deal.
The Ryan-Murray deal also made some changes to the pension system for federal employees. Future federal employees will be required to contribute a higher portion of their pay to their pension. Of course, this only applies to new employees. Existing federal employees are grandfathered and face no changes.
Only the military pension changes would apply to existing personnel.
The federal employees have a union to protect their interests. Member of the military, however, have only their faith in the government to keep its word protecting them. "

 

[packerbacker]

The flock didn't realize that the reason the last budget was passed was because the gop didn't want to jump off the fiscal cliff like the dems were so willing to do so they could also blame the repubs for that. Didn't matter what a world financial meltdown that would have caused. Thing is, the gop said from the start they wouldn't let that happen, and it didn't. Don't look left or right, just follow the sheep in front of you while hearing only my voice.

 

[TheRingFinder]

The flock didn't realize that the reason the last budget was passed was because the gop didn't want to jump off the fiscal cliff like the dems were so willing to do so they could also blame the repubs for that. Didn't matter what a world financial meltdown that would have caused. Thing is, the gop said from the start they wouldn't let that happen, and it didn't. Don't look left or right, just follow the sheep in front of you while hearing only my voice.

Well said - Oh yeah, NF - their running scared.......ohhhhhhh.

 

[Dave44]

Can I be ashamed for the people who think this is common sense legislation? Those nasty GOP people Finally deciding to join the well wishing Dems to bring financial sanity to America?

Cuts for military retirees costing GOP support for budget deal
The budget agreement, crafted by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), would reduce cost-of-living adjustments for working-age military retirees by 1 percent starting in December 2015, although the existing rate would apply again once former service members reach age 62.

(Paula Bronstein/Getty)

The proposed change is projected to save the government $6 billion, but Ayotte said it “pays for more federal spending on the backs of our active duty and military retirees.”
The Veterans of Foreign Wars estimated it would reduce the benefits for a typical enlisted person who retires at age 40 by $80,000 by age 62.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

So Wrong, they earned every penny......

We will NOT go quietly into the night!

 

[Native Floridian]

The flock didn't realize that the reason the last budget was passed was because the gop didn't want to jump off the fiscal cliff like the dems were so willing to do so they could also blame the repubs for that. Didn't matter what a world financial meltdown that would have caused. Thing is, the gop said from the start they wouldn't let that happen, and it didn't. Don't look left or right, just follow the sheep in front of you while hearing only my voice.

Exactly which GOP are you referring to here? The GOP run by McCain and Boehner or the Ultra right run by Rubio and Cruz?

What happened here was simple enough to see. The burn it all down boyz who caused the mess earlier this fall went too far. The big money saw their financial well being flash before their eyes. As well, they took the pulse of the nation and saw that the tea party was a losing pony. Now from the ashes we have accord instead of discord. The tea party is pissed! So is Heritage Academy, as is Club for Growth. IOW all the ultra right money groups who have been funding the discord - lost.

The repubs want the White House in 2016. That road does not go thru the Ultra Right. The Big money sees that. They know 2016 is far enough way to swing the party back toward the center. This budget deal is step one.

here is the take home message - The Tea Party is toast!

 

[Dave44]

I hear the Democrats are toast.. But you can go on talking with the people in your small group that believe like you do, I am sure it makes sense when you tell each other that.

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Dave44:

Somebody's toast. Another dispatch from the front in the Uncivil War:

Peter King Takes on Rand Paul, Ted Cruz With New Anti-Tea Party PAC

Seeking to unify anti-tea party forces, Rep. Peter King today will form a new political action committee, "American Leadership PAC," to promote an alternative to staunch conservative Republicans such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-K.Y., he told ABC News in an interview.

"I want to create a presence for those like myself who feel Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are out of touch with the American people," King, R-N.Y, said. "This is highlighted by the government shutdown, which was one of the worst political disasters we've ever had."

...

Peter King Takes on Rand Paul, Ted Cruz With New Anti-Tea Party PAC

Good luck to all,

~ The Old Bookaroo

 

[Dave44]

We can only hope that all of the progressives of both parties show themselves. As long as the uninformed think there is a difference, simply because of party, nothing will improve.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Exactly which GOP are you referring to here? The GOP run by McCain and Boehner or the Ultra right run by Rubio and Cruz?

What happened here was simple enough to see. The burn it all down boyz who caused the mess earlier this fall went too far. The big money saw their financial well being flash before their eyes. As well, they took the pulse of the nation and saw that the tea party was a losing pony. Now from the ashes we have accord instead of discord. The tea party is pissed! So is Heritage Academy, as is Club for Growth. IOW all the ultra right money groups who have been funding the discord - lost.

The repubs want the White House in 2016. That road does not go thru the Ultra Right. The Big money sees that. They know 2016 is far enough way to swing the party back toward the center. This budget deal is step one.

here is the take home message - The Tea Party is toast!

You may be right, NF. It will be sad if you are. From the tea party members I have talked to, all they wanted was an end to deficit spending, a sound currency, the financial laws and rules written to benefit the greatest number. So, their party is over, if you're correct. And what do we, as a country gain? we kicked the can down the road again, for others to deal with. We maintain tax rules that charge a lower rate, by a wide margin, for people who invest, at the expense of people who do real work for their livelihood. We maintain a tax code that charges Social Security taxes on most working people on 100% of their income, while allowing the wealthy to pay on a small percentage of theirs. And, the list goes on and on. I can see why you "progressives" would be really happy.
Jim

 

[NHBandit]

Dave44:

Somebody's toast. Another dispatch from the front in the Uncivil War:

Peter King Takes on Rand Paul, Ted Cruz With New Anti-Tea Party PAC

Seeking to unify anti-tea party forces, Rep. Peter King today will form a new political action committee, "American Leadership PAC," to promote an alternative to staunch conservative Republicans such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-K.Y., he told ABC News in an interview.

"I want to create a presence for those like myself who feel Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are out of touch with the American people," King, R-N.Y, said. "This is highlighted by the government shutdown, which was one of the worst political disasters we've ever had."

...

Peter King Takes on Rand Paul, Ted Cruz With New Anti-Tea Party PAC

Good luck to all,

~ The Old Bookaroo

well well well.. we agree on something. The Republicans need to immediately stop having individual thoughts and all band together and follow the same manifesto between now & election time or they are doomed. Choosing the best man for the job is the old way of doing things. We need to adapt and choose the best group of like minded robots.... seriously. The fiasco of the shutdown proved that for a party to survive the free thinkers need to be weeded out and eliminated for the good of the whole.. Sad but true.

 

[Dave44]

well well well.. we agree on something. The Republicans need to immediately stop having individual thoughts and all band together and follow the same manifesto between now & election time or they are doomed. Choosing the best man for the job is the old way of doing things. We need to adapt and choose the best group of like minded robots.... seriously. The fiasco of the shutdown proved that for a party to survive the free thinkers need to be weeded out and eliminated for the good of the whole.. Sad but true.

And we can start with King and McCain.