In face of more previously scheduled Republican 'hostage-taking' -- otherwise known as Debt Ceiling Deadbeats bargaining session -- a Democratic Congressman has put forward a Budget Plan that verges on sanity. In hopes, of short-circuiting the ritual tantrum throwing and grandstanding by the irresponsible R's.
Let's help him, reclaim this important rhetorical ground. If Congress is brave brash enough to 'rack up the credit card bills' -- they should be brave enough to find a way 'to pay them off.' Afterall, that's what responsible "adults" do.
Large Coalition Of National Organizations Urges Congress To Enact House Dems Plan To Avoid Government Shutdown
by Ellyn Fortino, progressillinois.com -- Sep 13, 2013
With the threat of a government shutdown looming, a coalition representing 3,200 organizations looking to stave off cuts to public services threw its support behind an alternative, short-term spending plan Thursday put forth by U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD, 8), the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee.
Van Hollen's proposal would replace the sequester for fiscal year 2014 through a "balanced approach" of spending cuts, including slashes to agriculture and oil company subsidies, and revenue increases. It would fund the government through November 15 at the level laid out in the Budget Control Act of 2011, or $1.058 trillion.
[...]
Van Hollen's plan is an alternative to the House Republicans' most recent short-term funding bill introduced Tuesday that included a $988 billion, post-sequestration spending level. But House GOP leaders pulled the bill Wednesday because the votes weren't there due to backlash from Tea Party conservatives who said it did not go far enough to defund the Affordable Care Act. Their issue was that when the short-term spending measure made its way to the Senate, the chamber could scrap the part about defunding ObamaCare.
[...]
In other words, 'Business as Usual' for the
Public Servants, who don't know what those words mean.
Stop the Sequester Job Loss for 2014 Act (pdf)
Committeee on the Budget -- Sep 13, 2013
[...]
“Stop the Sequester Job Loss for 2014 Act” replaces the sequester.
The Van Hollen/Democratic Alternative eliminates the sequester’s immediate, excessive, and irresponsible cuts to vital investments and replaces these with a roughly 50/50 combination of targeted spending cuts and limits on tax breaks to reduce the deficit in a balanced way. Moreover, the proposal achieves over $75 billion more in deficit reduction than the sequester would have achieved.
[...]
This bill contains specific policy choices – a mixture of about half spending cuts and half revenue increases – to replace the sequester for fiscal year 2014. The savings include the following:
• Targeted spending cuts – refocuses farm subsidies and makes targeted reductions to out--‐year defense spending consistent with both the President’s budget request and the House Democratic budget.
• Limiting tax breaks – eliminates subsidies for big oil companies and reduces tax breaks for millionaires.
• Additional deficit reduction – reduces deficits by over $75 billion more than the sequester amount.
[...]
Stop the Sequester, Stop Job Loss,
START to Act. Start to reclaim OUR Country from the
Me-only ideologues who would destroy it, if given the opportunity. Afterall, it's the
only plan they got.
Obstruction ... still. Which is NOT really "a plan" -- but rather a tactic ... one very popular among spoil children, and sore losers.
[All emphasis added by the poster.]