Good morning folks,
The White House yesterday summarized President Obama’s latest budget strategy as the Washington version of, “I know you are but what am I.” At least that’s the impression Politico’s Donovan Slack leaves in a piece entitled, “W.H.: Obama’s late budget better than GOP budget any day.” “The president has put forward consistently budgets that achieve what the American people overwhelmingly support, which is balanced deficit reduction — deficit reduction combined with investments in areas of our economy that would help the economy grow and create jobs,” Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One. “What he hasn’t done is submit a highly partisan budget that has no support among the American public.”
Sometimes we have to wonder if Jay’s trendy little glasses have rose colored lenses. Let’s take a look at how President Obama’s budgets have gone over in the House and Senate. In May 2011, the Senate crushed his FY2012 budget, 97-0. In March, 2012, the House shut out the FY13 Obama budget 414-0. Just when it looked as if it couldn’t get worse, in May the Senate voted 99-0 to swat the Obama budget all the way back down Pennsylvania avenue. That’s right, the Obama budgets - which Mr. Carney claims are oh so popular – were unanimously rejected by the House and Senate by a combined margin of 614-0. Zero. ZERO POINT ZERO.
So as the President takes an extra month to, ya know, do his job and produce a budget – lets hope he can produce one that even half of the DEMOCRATS in Congress might support, never mind Republicans. Until then, tell the folks over at 18 acres to take off the fantasy goggles.
HAPPENING TODAY: Majority Leader & Young Guns Founder Eric Cantor will discuss conservative reforms to make life work for more people, specifically in areas of education, health care, workforce reform, immigration, and innovation. Join the conversation at #makinglifework &watch live at noon here.
Seize the day,
Brad Dayspring
@BDayspring
Mark Bednar
@MarkBednar
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On The Radar
Economic Growth
Major Cantor Speech Seeks To Recast GOP And Conservatism. “‘Government policy should aim to strike a balance between what is needed to advance the next generation, what we can afford, what is a federal responsibility and what is necessary to ensure our children are safe, healthy and able to reach their dreams,’ the GOP leader will say.”
Under Obama, Coal Country Fights For Its Way Of Life. “Coal mining pride is on display in the Ohio Valley now more than ever, especially since Obama rededicated himself to wind and solar power in his second inaugural address on January 21. “Fire Obama” signs still stand in front yards three months after the election. Miners attach “Stop Obama’s war on coal” stickers to their helmets.”
Dodd-Frank Creates A Bizarro World Of Housing Finance. “A Bizarro World of home finance is being created by Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act’s new enforcement agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). In this world a loan with little or no money down, a FICO credit score of 580, and a total debt-to-income-ratio of over 50% is defined as a prime loan, even though it has a nearly 30% likelihood of ending in foreclosure. Like the bond salesman in Bizarro World, this sets up for failure working-class families striving to achieve the American dream. In the real world a prime loan with 20 percent down, a FICO score of 720 (the average score of all individuals in the U.S.), and a 40% debt ratio has a 1.5 percent chance of foreclosure.”
Outgoing EPA Chief Regrets Lack Of Dialogue With Rural America. “Departing Departing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson said she wished she had communicated better during her tenure with rural regions that felt victimized by the agency’s pollution rules.”
Immigration
Secretive House Group Close To Immigration-Reform Agreement. “A bipartisan group of House negotiators is even further along in drafting a comprehensive immigration overhaul than its counterpart in the Senate, but the path to passage in the lower chamber is lined with thorns. Republican House leaders from Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) on down have not decided how to handle the vexing issue, even as they have voiced general support for “addressing” it in 2013.”
Health Care
Obamacare’s Pressure Points. “President Obama’s reelection, along with the Supreme Court’s ruling last June on his signature health-care reform, may seem to have guaranteed that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will remain the law of the land. But that could turn out to be the easy part of Obamacare. Implementing the ACA’s main provisions by January 1, 2014 — the date on which the law is to take full effect — presents a more grueling and protracted set of tests.”
Hospitals Try House Calls To Cut Costs, Admissions.
“In addition to a growing number of doctors treating frail patients at home, insurers and health systems are sending teams of doctors, nurses, physician assistants and pharmacists into homes to monitor patients, administer treatments, ensure medications are being taken properly and assess risks for everything from falling in the shower to family care-giver burnout. Some are adopting programs called “Hospital at Home” to provide hospital-level care in the home, including portable lab tests, ultrasounds, X-rays and electrocardiograms.”
Some students may not enjoy Obamacare protections. Under the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act, or ACA, lifetime limits are supposed to be a thing of the past. But there are about 30 schools in the country, mostly in California and the Ivy League system, that offer students what is called self-funded student health insurance. Instead of using an insurance company, a university runs the program, and student premiums directly pay for it. Experts say it’s a complicated system to run, but it’s ultimately a lot cheaper for a school, because it eliminates the middleman of an insurance company.
X-Factor
Kids Deserve School Choice. Rather than cave to self-interested protests against school choice from teachers unions, we should do what we can to make Catholic schools a viable school option for low-income children.
What Chinese Hacking Means For Journalism. “These are minor skirmishes in a larger cyberwar that usually involves corporations and government agencies, but the effects on the media industry — and on journalism — could be very severe. Primarily because cyberattacks are almost impossible to stop. No matter how often newspapers find ways to keep hackers out, hackers will find ways of getting back in.”
An Uprising in the Works? But if there’s an upside to the increasing unhappiness that most Americans feel toward the political class, it’s that maybe it means people are paying closer attention.
This & That
Gov. Chris Christie’s Late Night Doughnut Suprise With Letterman
Yoda Movie Could Be First Stand Alone ‘Star Wars’ Feature: Report
Charlie Sheen & Katie Couric: Opposites attract
Alaska Brewery Powered by…..beer.
Time-Life’s Collection of UFO Photos