Hot off the government presses ... a Budget that actually cares about what the People want. Woohoo!
It's about damn time.
Progressives Present Alternative Budget: A Raise for America
by Jessica Schieder, foreffectivegov.org -- 3/19/2015
Investing in our nation’s future requires funding. This week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) revealed its vision of a public investment agenda that will get Americans working and give more people the opportunity to succeed. It pays for these investments through a series of progressive tax proposals, in which wealthy Americans and prosperous corporations would pay a fair share to building the nation’s economic strength.
[...]
The key to “The People’s Budget” is strategic investment. Here is a very brief overview of the investments proposed in select areas:
• Infrastructure and Transportation: ...
• Education:
• Social Security:
• Hunger:
• Environment:
In order to make needed investments, the budget raises revenues in several areas, including:
• Taxing the Wealthy Fairly: ...
• Stopping Subsidies for CEOs:
• Keeping Jobs and Corporate Profits at Home:
• Taxing Wall Street:
• Rationalizing Defense Spending:
[...]
About the "Taxing the Wealthy Fairly" portion of the Progressive proposal:
There's a long over-due "Financial Transaction Tax." (Wall Streeters, you still owe us -- a "debt of gratitude," after that last never-ending Bail Out fiasco.)
And there's this little "economic equalizer" ... targeted at those who can most 'afford it':
Tax Rates
[...] for the richest 2 percent who make more than $250,000 annually, rates will return to Clinton-era levels. [...] with the highest of the new tax rates is still lower than the top bracket in place during most of the Reagan
administration:
$1-10 million: 45 percent
$10-20 million: 46 percent
$20-100 million: 47 percent
$100 million-1 billion: 48 percent
$1 billion and over: 49 percent
If it was good enough for Reagan, well ...?
Then again, it probably will be a non-starter for a system that looks for every excuse in the book, to avoid paying taxes. Unfortunately for most of us, we can't afford the accountants to scour the book.
Like it or not, we are on an "epic journey" -- America will spend the money, one way or another.
The question is: on Who, and on What?
That is always the question ...
House Republicans Release Balanced Budget Proposal
by Clyde Wayne Crews Jr. Contributor, forbes.com -- 3/17/2015
[...]
Here’s the thing, though; in the Obama world, we’re going to spend $49.3 trillion between 2016 and 2025. In the Republican budget, we’re going to spend $43.1 trillion. That’s still big money; government will still be doing too much. We’ll have a $6 trillion annual budget under Obama in 2025 -- but it’ll be at least $5 trillion under Republicans.
[...]
Long as were going to be making these
Titanic Investments, in
OUR collective futures,
-- shouldn't some significant portion of them, actually be "investments in us" -- you know, hard-working, long-suffering Americans?
(And perhaps in some high-tech course-monitoring and course-correction gizmos, too.)
Well that's what 70 Progressives members of Congress have proposed -- to Invest in Us for a change. This really should be some serious News. We'll see.
A Raise for America [FY16]
8.4 million good paying jobs by 2018
$1.9 trillion investment in America’s future
$820 billion infrastructure and transportation improvements
This
Progressive Budget is scored
as most effective, by the The Economic Policy Institute.
Next Week: Look for a side-by-side comparison of the CPC budget and other visions for the budget from the Center for Effective Government soon.
And to the status-quo Media cheerleaders and horse-wranglers: Can we see some more charts like these please -- PS. with the "Raise for America" budget alongside:
• Obama's interactive budget
• Comparing Obama and Republican Budgets
The American People can handle the truth. And the data. Question is: Can you?
Seventy members of Congress are trying to do what The People want. It's about damn time that they got heard, assuming we still live in a "representative form" of democracy. Moderated by the Press (not filtered by them).