January 2007
8 posts
The Paradox of the Iraq Escalation, or What Can...
Question: Why is Bush willing to risk his party’s future, as well as his own legacy, by putting more troops into Iraq when it’s clear to almost everyone – including top military brass, foreign policy experts, and most analysts and journalists on the ground there – that Iraq is descending so quickly into civil war that more troops won’t make a bit of difference except causing more American deaths...
The President Deserves One Small, Minor Cheer on...
The only halfway interesting thing about the President’s underwhelmingly platitudinous State of the Union speech was his health care proposal. It deserves one cheer for the following reason: It potentially de-couples health care from employment. Under his proposal, everyone would be eligible for a tax deduction for health insurance up to $15,000 per family, $7,500 for a single person –...
Why the Dem's First Hundred Hours is Much Ado...
Why do the Democrats fulminate against Bush’s surge but refuse to cut off funds for it? Why do they push a lobbying and ethics reform bill that doesn’t deal with the core scandal of campaign contributions for legislative favors? Why do they design a new Medicare drug benefit bill that will force Medicare to negotiate drug prices but not authorize Medicare to remove a non-discounted drug from...
The Sad Truth About Lobbying and Ethics Reform
Democrats are eager to show they’re serious about reforming the way Congress does business. So they’re pushing a new ethics and lobbying bill that will ban gifts, meals, and free trips from lobbyists and their clients, and require that the legislative sponsors of all earmarks for pet projects be identified in the legislation. But calling these reforms is like saying you’ve cleaned the house when...
Bad Medicine
House Democrats are pushing a bill to require Medicare to negotiate drug prices. So far, so good. But in what appears to be a bow to the political clout of Big Pharma, the bill does not authorize Medicare to drop from its approved list drugs on which manufacturers fail to offer good deals. This is like Wal-Mart telling its suppliers “we’re going to use our bargaining clout to get from you...
Why Dems Won't Stop Bush's "Surge" in Iraq
Bush will announce next week he wants 20,000 additional troops in Iraq. Most congressional Dems say they’re opposed, and they’ll use the upcoming confirmation hearings for Bush’s nominees to the United Nations and for Deputy Secretary of State to make their case. But Dems will still appropriate the extra money the “surge” requires. This is politically wise, although dreadfully cynical....
Today's Good Job and Wage Numbers Don't Mean...
At first glance, today’s jobs and wage report is likely to bolster Fed hawks intent on raising rates to prevent inflation. Hourly wages were up .5 percent in December – and 4.2 percent for the year – while inflation rose just 2 percent from November 2005 to November 2006. But dig deeper and there’s far less cause to worry about inflation. As reported by the Economic Policy Institute, the growth of...
Congress Should say No to New Tax Cuts Tied to...
The President says he wants to work constructively with Democrats. We’ll see. One of the first items of business when the new Congress convenes will be to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25. The President says he’ll sign the bill — but only if it contains new tax breaks for small businesses that will offset the increased cost resulting from a minimum-wage hike. Congress...
