Tag Archives: Congress

Benghazi, the Failure of All Politicians and Lessons Learned

Senator John McCain has called Obama’s administration handling of Benghazi a ‘cover-up.’ While all the evidence is not yet available a prima facie case can be made that he is correct. The Obama administration, especially the State Department, probably tried … Continue reading

Posted in Government | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Say What? Congressmen Move to Limit Regulatory Authority Over Fertilizer Plants

Given the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, has Congress introduced new regulation legislation? “Yes, but it would roll back regulations rather than strengthen them. Eleven representatives — one Democrat and 10 Republicans — sponsored a bill in February that would limit … Continue reading

Posted in Government, Health | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Science and Gun Control

In my post, Guess What Lobbying Group Stopped the U.S. from Finding Solutions to Firearms Violence, I reported that the NRA has taken credit for cutting firearms safety research by 96 percent since the mid-1990s. Since that post President Obama has … Continue reading

Posted in Government, Health, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Guess What Lobbying Group Stopped the U.S. from Finding Solutions to Firearms Violence

Via Reuters “Research restrictions pushed by the National Rifle Association have stopped the United States from finding solutions to firearms violence, more than a hundred scientists from virtually every major U.S. university told Vice President Joe Biden’s task force on … Continue reading

Posted in Government, Health, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Two Sentences That Should Be Part of All Discussion of the Debt Ceiling

“Here they are: 1) Raising the debt ceiling does not authorize one single penny in additional public spending. 2) For Congress to “decide whether” to raise the debt ceiling, for programs and tax rates it has already voted into law, … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Government | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why the Unemployment Rate Is So High

Laura D’Andrea Tyson, former chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Bill Clinton, explains in Economix why unemployment remains high: “Why is the long-term unemployment problem so much more severe in this recovery? Part of the answer lies … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Government | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What’s the Easiest Way to Reduce the Deficit?

Answer: Long-term economic growth. And what is Congress’ strategic policy for long-term economic growth? Hmmm.

Posted in Economy, Government | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Summarizing 2012 in Charts

Steven Rattner provides a good summary of 2012 in charts. “In 2012, the slow recovery dominated both the economic news and the worries of most Americans, but the underlying components of the weak job market were not always fully dissected. In … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Elections, Government, Health, Income Distribution, Socio-economic Status, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Fiscal Cliff Could Cost the U.S. 5.1% of GDP

If Congress doesn’t take action the U.S. will automatically fall into a fiscal cliff with huge impacts on our economy. Quartz’ Tim Fernholz reports: Absent new action, next year the US government’s budget footprint will contract more rapidly than those of Greece, … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Government | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Short Quiz on the President, Congress and Discretionary Spending Cuts

True or False: Congress and the President have cut $1.5 trillion in discretionary spending over the next decade. Answer: True. According to Jared Bernstein, “When writing about a balanced approach to fiscal policy, one that involves both spending cuts and new … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Government, Presidential Leadership, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment