In the past weeks U.S. Representative Steve King, a Republican from Iowa’s 4th district, has emerged as the leader of the anti-immigration reform coalition in the House. Cantaloupes and drug mules aside, King has become the face of conservative opposition to any proposed reform that includes a pathway to citizenship, or even legal status. King’s … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Congressional Budget Office
Affordable Care Act: Why Public Opinion Matters
We all know what bad publicity and bad public opinion has done to athletes and celebrities – they loose sponsorships, popularity and sometimes even their jobs. Just ask Paula Dean or Tiger Woods what bad publicity as done to them and their careers. These public figures had a blemish and it negatively affected the ability … Continue reading
What’s up with all the Obamacare Delays?
At first glance, the delay of the employer mandate seems like a complicated but innocuous change to the implementation of Obamacare. Many Democrats and backers of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have been attempting to label it as a fairly minor provision since the mandate was put into place only for businesses with greater than … Continue reading
Why the Wall Street Journal Is Wrong on Student Loans
About a week ago, I wrote about how the government recently made $50 billion off student loans, arguing that given the $1 trillion in debt held by students already, this large a profit was wrong. While I didn’t mention it in the article, the implication of my argument was that student interest rates should be … Continue reading
Many Still Uninsured with Affordable Care Act
One of the key goals of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is extending health insurance coverage to those currently uninsured. Starting in 2014 there will be far fewer uninsured Americans and, in theory, fewer deaths and a healthier population. There is no argument that individuals with health insurance are better off than those without. Insured … Continue reading
What’s Driving Growth in Spending on Means-Tested Programs
Last week, the Congressional Budget Office released an interesting infographic depicting the growth since 1972 in spending on federal means-tested programs and tax credits, such as Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp program). The expansion of such programs has been staggering: … Continue reading
Social Security: A Little Reform Today Might Solve a Big Problem Tomorrow
The CBO’s budget and economic outlook, released last week, looks bleak. And one of the drivers of future budget shortfalls? Social Security. During the Feb. 13th house budget hearing on CBO’s outlook, Rep. John Campbell (CA) asked Doug Elmendorf – CBO Director – if we were in a pickle with regards to the U.S. budget. … Continue reading
“Let Detroit Go Bankrupt”
Attributed to Mitt Romney, this is a common attack by Democrats – Mitt Romney said “let Detroit go bankrupt.” It was repeated last night by Vice President Biden who portrays Barack Obama as the valiant defender of the auto industry and the millions of jobs that go along with it. But, as with much that … Continue reading
You must be logged in to post a comment.