Although it contains the same themes as earlier administration budgets, it is somewhat harsher. |
Big changes were made behind closed doors in the final 24 to 48 hours ... overwhelmingly favoring special interests that make large campaign contributions at the expense of ordinary Americans and poor Americans. |
Congressional leaders have been more interested in using the needed increase in [energy] funds as a sweetener for controversial measures ... than in actually passing legislation to help low-income households cope with higher home heating costs. |
Few players, even on the Republican side, were in the room or knew what was going on. |
If you're young and healthy, this can work well. If you're not young and healthy, it can be a disaster, and you can end up much worse off than you currently are. |
In a nutshell, this budget clearly digs the hole deeper. |
It certainly sounds to me that they made a calculation to get Coleman's support. With Coleman, they no longer needed Smith. And if they no longer needed Smith, they could cut Medicaid recipients instead of the pharmaceutical companies and managed-care providers. |
It is particularly ironic that these two new tax cuts repeal provisions of the tax code that President Bush's father signed in 1990 to reduce deficits. |
It's certainly better that people falling into poverty can get Medicaid, but I'd prefer fewer poor people and employers not dropping medical coverage. |
It's effectively cheating low-income families. |
My worry is that in the absence of discipline, what we will see a month from now after the initial relief bills are passed, are efforts by policy-makers of both parties and a variety of interest groups to take advantage of the disaster by arguing that all sorts of expansions in tax cuts and certain spending ... are needed, |
New York has been unusual in being one of the only cities in the country eligible for the waiver that has not had it. |
So there's actually big differences for low- and moderate-income families -- better under Gore. Big differences for very high-income families -- they get a lot more under Bush. |
The Administration estimates that its HSA-related tax proposals would cost $156 billion over the next ten years, which would worsen the nation's fiscal problems. Professor Gruber's study raises very serious questions about the wisdom of these proposals. |
The new data are particularly troubling for working people, showing backward movement for most workers. In short, the census data provide new evidence that, as in 2002 and 2003, the recovery was neither robust nor broad-based. |