Sunday, December 29, 2013

Sunday Question for Everyone

What's a realistic policy outcome you are particularly hoping for in 2014?
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Posted by Jonathan Bernstein at 10:16 PM

19 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 30, 2013 at 1:06 AM

    Banking regulation!

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  2. JosephDecember 30, 2013 at 9:22 AM

    Everything not falling apart, ie., no major crises. Not sure anything else is remotely realistic. Not even sure this is realistic.

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  3. AnonymousDecember 30, 2013 at 9:57 AM

    Defeat of the Senate immigration bill in the House, which seems fairly likely. Hope for no progress toward passing a Glass-Steagall 2.0 bill. To the above anonymous (not me), Dodd-Frank will be keeping our compliance people busy for the rest of this decade, we don't need any more bank legislation for a long time to come.

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  4. Ron E.December 30, 2013 at 11:13 AM

    No military action against Syria or Iran.

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    Replies
    1. BrianJanuary 1, 2014 at 9:54 PM

      My hope is a safe have along the Turkish border protected by Free Syrian Army forces. If they can't control the jihadis, then Turkey brings the refugees across the border and stops protecting the safe haven.

      Delete
  5. DrewDecember 30, 2013 at 3:54 PM

    Snowball effect with regards to adoption of gay marriage in the states. Passage of ENDA.

    A federal internet poker bill (unlikely), or at least interstate/international compacting among states with existing iPoker laws.


    Executive order requiring Plain Blog to continue operations indefinitely.

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  6. William BurnsDecember 30, 2013 at 4:44 PM

    Heavy EPA enforcement of regulations against emissions with the goal of eliminating coal-fired power plants.

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    Replies
    1. BrianJanuary 1, 2014 at 9:55 PM

      This, but even more important is to publish draft regs on controlling carbon emissions from existing power plants, so the inevitable years-long fight can begin.

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    2. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2014 at 2:30 PM

      Yes!

      Delete
  7. EJFDecember 30, 2013 at 5:08 PM

    Modest tax reform coming out of Baucus/Camp, including some reforms to offshore corporate tax.

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  8. Captain FutureDecember 30, 2013 at 7:12 PM

    This Congress is hopeless. We'll be lucky to get through another default crisis. My attention will be on executive actions, particularly on climate change (including EPA rules and denying the pipeline), and aggressive pushes for unemployment, minimum wage, immigration reform, etc.that if they don't pass will be potent campaign issues for November.

    I also will be watching for foreign policy outcomes in the Middle East, such as a permanent agreement on nuclear issues with Iran, and progress on Israel/Palestine. Maybe it's a good thing that Sec. of State Kerry can work off the radar, since the GOP is off on crazy issues like Benghazi.

    By the by, even this weekend discussion here is better than none. Where else would I have learned about Bulgaria?

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  9. ChazDecember 31, 2013 at 4:25 AM

    Didn't think of this until I saw Captain's post above, but I would like to see a big blowup in the Palestine-Israel negotiations, with Netanyahu getting the blame. There is obviously no chance of progress in the current round, which is just a PR stunt for Israel and Obama, but if Netanyahu can alienate Americans badly enough then that will put some pressure on Israel to cooperate in the future.

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  10. TapirBoy1December 31, 2013 at 1:10 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  11. ModeratePoliDecember 31, 2013 at 2:07 PM

    It seems that most commenters aren't optimistic about Congress doing anything other than maintaining the current status quo. I'm not optimistic either, but I'd like to see some smallish bipartisan cuts to the budget. It could happen if lots of unlikely (but not impossible) situations occur: IF the TP focuses again on budget cuts and not the defund nonsense; IF the GOP establishment goes along with them as a united front for cuts; IF the cuts are balanced with some to conservative causes and some to liberal causes; IF Reid/Obama face enough pressure to back away from their no-negotiation pledge. That's a lot of IFs, so I don't think it's likely, but I'm still hoping for it.

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  12. Matt JarvisJanuary 1, 2014 at 8:10 PM

    Echo a lot of the thoughts above.

    No hope for anything out of Congress. At all. Executive action on a few things (most notably climate-related) is reasonable. I WISH the White House would take appointments seriously, but it has been clear for years that they really don't care much.

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  13. Neil SinhababuJanuary 1, 2014 at 10:51 PM

    Successful implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

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  14. UnknownJanuary 2, 2014 at 12:38 PM

    NSA and JNLWD are partnering with Virginia State Police and local police implanting people with biochips. Read "A Note on Uberveillance" by M. G. and Katina Michael. it enables Uberveillance. “In its ultimate form, überveillance has to do with more than automatic identification technologies that we carry with us. It has to do with under-the-skin technology that is embedded in the body, such as microchip implants; it is that which cuts into the flesh – a charagma (mark). Think of it as Big Brother on the inside looking out.” Newport News Police and Virginia State Police had a doctor implant me w/o my knowledge and consent with a biochip. A U. S. Attorney for the NSA/DOJ pretended to be my attorney. It enables torture and thought monitoring. They use it as a sensor and pulse energy projectiles at you. I had a heart attack. It enables voice to skull communication. See LRAD white papers or audio spotlight by Holosonics. Law enforcement believes we will only be safe if they know where we are at all times, what we are doing and what we are thinking! See Safeguards in a World of Ambient Intelligence by Springer page 9. See Mental Health and Terrorism by Amin Gadit. He states, “Of late, there are reports of a new and dreadful invention of weapons of violence that are called Bioelectromagnetic Weapons. According to the description by an Institute of Science in Society, these weapons operate at the speed of light, can kill, torture and enslave without making physical appearance. It further adds that voices and visions, daydreams and nightmares are the most astonishing manifestations of this weapon system, it is also capable of crippling the human subject by limiting his/her normal range of movement, causing acute pain the equivalent of major organ failure or even death and interferes with normal functions of human senses. It can cause difficulty with breathing and induce seizures besides damage to the tissues and organs. Through this form of terrorism, it is possible to persuade subjects that their mind is being read; their intellectual property is being plundered and can even motivate suicide or murder. Pulsed Energy projectiles (PEPs) are another form of weaponry that is used to paralyze a victim with pain. According to Peter Philips, a scientist from USA, circumstances may soon arrive in which anti-war or human right protestors suddenly feel a burning sensation akin to touching a hot skillet over their entire body. Simultaneously they may hear terrifying nauseating screaming, which while not produced externally, fills their brains with overwhelming disruption. This new invention is dreadful addition to the armamentarium of weapons of abuse and torture. Manifestations of the effects of these occult weapons can mimic mental ill health and add further to the misery of the victims.” See Bio Initiative Report 2012. See Forbes and search Brandon Raub. Law enforcement tases citizens into "excited delirium" (see at nij org) to make them act in ways they normally would not. I believe they are directly responsible for the Virginia Tech massacre. There are 3 reasons to have it implanted 1) mental health, 2) criminal record, and 3) infectious disease. If you don’t meet any of those requirements like me, they’ll falsify your records. All the mass shootings are the work of law enforcement. They want to take away your right to bear arms and make America a police state. People aren’t suddenly going crazy, they're being tortured. I also believe the biochip to be responsible for PTSD. Read Brian Castner's book "A Long Walk". I have the same ambiguous pains, twitches, heart attack, night mares, day mares, gurgling, etc. I never served in the war. What do we have in common? The biochip. Suicide is one way to get relief. Virginia’s suicide rate is higher than the national average and the military suicide rate is unacceptable! You can check your upper right buttock, upper right shoulder. They are just under the skin. I have been in excruciating pain for six years due to corruption in Virginia.

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  15. AnonymousJanuary 2, 2014 at 1:52 PM

    I don't see any meaningful policy coming out of D.C. The action is going to in the states in 2014. That's where the battleground has moved to.

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  16. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2014 at 2:33 PM

    Not exactly policy, but would like to see Obama's judicial and admin appointees confirmed and fast. Get with it Reid.

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