Fiscal Responsibility

The Postal Service Is Fighting for Its Life and Should Be Saved – The Daily Beast

December 23rd, 2011 0 Comments

A crowded post office is part of the scenery of the season-–long lines, arms full of packaged presents, spare Christmas decorations hanging under the humming lights. Read More…

The GOP’s Supercommittee Backlash – The Daily Beast

November 27th, 2011 0 Comments

Congressmen coming back from Thanksgiving break are hoping that a seasonal spirit of forgiveness—or the lingering effects of a food coma—will erase the supercommittee’s stain of failure.

It won’t. There will be an enduring political price to pay for last week’s pathetic face-plant. And while confidence in the entire institution’s capacity to reason together will continue to decline, polls show that congressional Republicans are taking the brunt of the blame, specifically among swing voters. Read More…

The Supercommittee Needs an Intervention – The Daily Beast

November 19th, 2011 0 Comments

Cynicism passes for wisdom in Washington for a reason.

With the hours counting down before a November 23 deadline, the so-called supercommittee seems either unable or unwilling to make a deal that would reduce our debt by $1.2 trillion over 10 years. Read More…

George Washington to Debt Panel: Man Up – CNN.com

November 12th, 2011 0 Comments

The clock is ticking in Washington on the bipartisan supercommittee, those 12 members of Congress tasked with finding at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction by Thanksgiving.

More than 140 of their colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, are encouraging them to be bold and go bigger — reaching $4 trillion of deficit reduction in order to put the U.S. on stable long-term fiscal footing and avoid another round of downgrades. Read More…

We Need Deficit Deal Now – The Daily Beast

October 28th, 2011 0 Comments

Nearly 100 members of the House of Representatives from both parties have signed a letter urging the so-called supercommittee to go big and tackle $4 trillion in deficit reduction instead of the $1.2 trillion it has been tasked.

The letter says that “all options for mandatory and discretionary spending and revenues must be on the table”—giving the kind of increased cover necessary to inspire an outbreak of political courage on the supercommittee. Read More…