lemmings
1997 is the last time the Senate passed an actual federal budget. Isn’t that, like, their J. O. B. S.?
Predictably — except, perhaps, to Congress members:
Without action by Congress to avoid a “fiscal cliff,” Americans should expect a “significant recession” and the loss of some 2 million jobs, CBO director Doug Elmendorf said in his gloomiest assessment yet.
…the economy is already being “held back” by the mere anticipation of the fiscal cliff and the uncertainty surrounding it, causing businesses to put off investment and hiring decisions.
The “fiscal cliff” comes at the end of the year when the automatic “sequestration” spending cuts occur alongside the automatic tax increases from “the Bush Tax cuts”. [which are a decade old and could reasonably be called the 'normal' tax rate if people weren't playing weaselly little political games]
All this “automatic” stuff was built in by a Congress that didn’t want to take responsibility for its own actions. They are widely reported as being “unlikely” or “unable” to act before November. Like suddenly this is not their job description. or something.
Like this whole economy thing is such a mystery?
There are not that many moving parts to our economy. The Generating Force: business. The Grease: Consumers – individuals and businesses buying what other businesses produce/provide. Govt: which was invented by The People to make the way easier for the first two to run with, yes, roads and bridges; basic laws against thievery and mayhem; and defense against interference from foreign forces.
It’s not that difficult to figure out that million-dollar studies of prostitutes in Brazil and tunnels for tortoises don’t help generate wealth. It’s not that hard to figure out how to create much more privately held money in The People’s pockets which those who cared about tortoises and Brazilian prostitutes could contribute to those causes.
But now The People have to spend their time figuring out how to protect themselves from the Fiscal Cliff and have little to no time left to give the deserved beratings to the ChickenS Congress who deserve being tossed into the unemployment lines.
ALL of ‘em.
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All new congresscritters should be made to take an orientation course from drunken sailors on the ins and outs of responsible profligacy.
YES!!! ALL of ‘em.
Replacements must be “Young Guns”, (…AND, carrying concealed…..). Plus, lots of military combat heroes with sharp minds & common sense.
Lots of combat heroes with sharp minds and common sense like the ones the President says he’s not concerned about because they belong to the T party the ones who shouldn’t be involved in the political debate against the CnC? You mean those heroes?
Lots of combat heroes in Uhbama’s mind is people like Gabby Giffords, who now has a ship named for her, while the HERO who put down her assailant is forgotten.
That’s the Dem way –
justicehelp for criminals, hero status for victims, money for do-nothing slugs, and the Establishment Repubs go along to keep some power and all the perks.All need to go, ASAP, except a handful in the Senate and the Tea Party class of 2010 in the House. Boeher esp. needs to go among the House Repubs. Crying over The Government is bad form. I want a Speaker who snarls at The Government.
Yep Boner is Establishment with a capital E! However he has one utility. He can beat OBoBo at golf. That is the reason OBoBo made it a *team match*, ala teaming up with Boner against the other 2 dick suckers. Boner needs to wait until OBoBo goes golfing and then sneak the fuck up on him at the green, express *surprise* and worm his way into their game. Beat the shit out of OBoBo, make him cry, cuss, cease hacking his carrot and get “real nasty” on campaign speeches.
If Boner does this one thing, than I will give him his Timex watch (…autographed by John Cameron Swayzie…) and drive him to the nearest Greyhound terminal; say “Really, really slightly above average job Bones. Now git on this bus, go home and raise corgis John-boy. Ya no, do some fucking good for a change; see ya; bye”…..
1997 is the last time the Senate passed an actual federal budget. Isn’t that, like, their J. O. B. S.?
“Actual” meaning “one bill, for the whole year”.
Sure looks like the Senate has passed “bills” that were “budgets” every year since then – just for smaller amounts of time, to keep things from shutting down until the House could get its ducks in a row or the like.
Their job is to, assuming they don’t think the Government should shut down (something I often have sympathy for, at least most of it), to pass bills keeping it funded as needed.
The Constitution is silent on the Senate’s role in the budget process, other than that they can’t originate bills for the raising of revenue, and that laws can’t pass without their stamp.
It’s only tradition, not the Constitution or practical requirement, that they have to Pass A Whole Year Budget. Hell, Constitutionally they could probably pass a ten year one … and hope the next Congress didn’t repeal it.
The only half-decent point the Prospect article has is that it’s inconvenient to agencies to have to deal with less-than-a-full-FY of funding at a time, and it creates uncertainty.
This is true – but matters more to the Progressives at the Prospect than to limited-goverment types. Indeed, the entire problem with the giant budgets is how much stupid crap is in them, which should be a finger-point right back at Progressive big government. And Republican big government.
(Me, I just laugh at them. Progressives complaining that the State can’t do Enough Good For The People because the mean ol’ Senate isn’t passing a real budget?
Well, I give them points for honesty for pointing out that since 2009 it’s been the Democrats refusing to even enter a real budget into the House.
Christ, it’s like a repeat of their “we’re fiscally responsible” campaign in 2008. What idiot* bought that line?
* I recall some especially gullible libertarians actually supporting Obama because of that. I mocked them then, I mock them now. I’m a little-l libertarian, and damn, seriously? You guys actually bought that the Democrats as a Party were serious about government spending?
Morons. And I don’t mean the Democrats.)
I remember when Men usta *snarl*
…*sigh*
Maybe I’m old-fashioned [yeahhokayfine] but a budget seems so basic to me. Unlike some college kid who spends everything that happens to be in his pocket then is surprised when he has no rent money….