Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Budget Odds and Ends 1 (FY 2012)

First of all, I need to say that my speculation that Republicans in the House might decide not to offer a budget at all was way off base. Whatever the merits of Paul Ryan's budget proposal, it is a real, ten-year proposal. So while I didn't exactly predict no budget, I did speculate about it, and I was wrong.

For more on my first look at what Ryan did put together, I have a post up over at Plum Line. Short version: don't trust the numbers.

(New example since I posted that: apparently Ryan's numbers depend on unemployment dropping to 2.8% in 2011 2021* something that basically can't happen. Also, there's no real mechanism for it, other than supposing that Bush-era economic policy will cause a huge drop in unemployment. Via Yglesias).

Of course, this is just a leadership proposal. It has yet to go through committee (although that obviously won't be a problem if they want it to), and hasn't been brought to the House floor yet. Are even Tea Partying Members of Congress going to want to vote on this thing -- given that it would commit them to a lot of nasty-sounding cuts that won't actually become law (uh, no, there aren't 60 votes in the Senate to destroy Medicare, let alone enough to override a veto)? So we'll still see if the House votes on a budget, but they certainly have produced one.

*Oops -- typo on the year, now fixed.
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3 comments:

  1. Atlanta RoofingApril 5, 2011 at 9:17 PM

    I have read some of the comments and feel this, the GOP and big business interests want us all to pay the taxes, fight the wars, work for nothing and leave them alone so that can run the country into the ground and live the American Dream. Congressman with signs" pays my way and I will screw the people in every way possible"

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  2. PJRApril 5, 2011 at 9:21 PM

    I believe Ryan's budget deficit in 2021 is almost identical to Obama's 2012 budget proposal projection for 2021. So it's not at all a budget-balancing effort. It's a proposal to cut spending and lower taxes, pure and simple.

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  3. local seo servicesApril 6, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    he problem is that not only are the republicans bought and paid for by the corporate lobbyist but those who should be against such corruption are also being bought and paid for by the same lobbyist that is why they call themselves conservative dems.. another name for a corporate lobbyist stooge..at least some of the dems have held out against being a total sellout if we had a congress of these progressives the country might have a chance but with the Supreme Courts ruling the prospects are dim.

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