Friday News Roundup - Hour 1
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-04-08/friday-news-roundup-hour-1
Federal budget battles pose challenges for both political parties. President Obama begins his 2012 re-election campaign. And in a policy reversal, suspects in the September 11th attacks will be tried before a military commission. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.
Guests
Jeanne Cummings
Politico's assistant managing editor in charge of Enterprise.
Laura Meckler
White House correspondent, The Wall Street Journal.
Ron Elving
Washington editor for NPR.
Friday News Roundup Video
Diane and the panelists discuss the possibility of an impending government shutdown and the various sticking points between Congressional Republicans and Democrats:
Comments
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Americans everywhere are tightening their belts in a time of economic uncertainty and after years of living above their means. In contrast, the President and Congress can't even slightly lower the growth in the government's budget. At some point, China is going to decide that they will not support the government's lack of spending discipline and will stop lending to us and facilitating the same misguided priorities that got consumers into such a bad position financially.
More often than not, when you lose something, you find you didn't need it as much as you originally thought. That will certainly be the case if we are lucky enough to get a shutdown.
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In following the NPR coverage of the budget battle I am puzzled why no one asks if congress persons and senators will still get pay checks if the government is shut down. It seems to me this is the first thing that should be stopped, along with the closing of Congressional Dining rooms, cloak rooms, barber shops, tramp service, and any other perks. Also, once shut down they should not be re-opened. Once you learn to live without you do not need anymore. If the Tea Party wants austarity lets give it to them.
Also, don't you think it is odd for a group with party in the name to be for austarity instead of lavish parties? I do.
President Obama should receive none of the blame for this potential government shut down. From the first moments after the last election Republicans in the Senate and House put hurt the Obama administration at the top of their agenda. By insisting on demands that the President and the Democrats can not accept they know they can holding things at a stand still. The President has continued to move more and more to the right to meet the Republicans while they step away add more demands.
If the shut down happens the Republican should be happy since they wanted to hurt Obama instead of doing the peoples work.
The union and democratic party put everything and the kitchen sink to put in a liberal judge in the Wisconsin supreme court. This was to be a referendum on Governor Scott Walkers anti union bill. Even with all the outrage and highly motivated liberal voters they fell short in a state that a couple years ago was considered a liberal stronghold. As a Wisconsin resident I am very pleased.
Diane: Last week you were outraged that manufacturers were putting fewer ounces of product in their containers but charged consumers the same amount; this week I’m outraged that Rep. Ryan’s Medicare reform plan is similarly misleading. Then, you were right to say that it was a pernicious way to increase prices on consumer products. Now comes Rep. Ryan’s Medicare plan which is similar price increase subterfuge: the same price of government for less service. Why aren’t Democrats translating this proposal back into Republican-speak: a tax increase on the most vulnerable Americans?
how come a shut down /I thought we pay tax's for Gov. to be open 24/7 ?
do people realize that Congress will continue to get paid if the gov't shuts down? stop paying them...maybe they 'll get it together!! they are holding ordinary people's lives hostage...they have health care- I can't afford it!
We're planning a school trip to DC for April vacation, which starts in just over a week. How much consideration in this shutdown debate is given to the economic impact of having museums and other sites closed and such trips canceled and the ill will that creates?
This debate has nothing to do with fiscal responsibility or ideology. It is all about hardcore election politics. The Republicans have selected rider subjects that won't catch anyone's attention outside Washington so they can send Obama a bill he can't sign. Then they can lay the blame for shutdown on Obama.
Paul Ryan has an undeserved reputation for seriousness. His plan doesn't cut health care costs. His budget simply rations care by income by (1) repealing the Obama health care law -- costing 34 million people coverage; and (2) shifting the cost of Medicaid to the states; and (3) voucherizing Medicare and therefore shifting the costs to seniors who will be able to afford less care and waste the premiums on less efficient private insurance.
re: taking away the interest and property tax benefits of owning a home...can you think of anything that would negatively impact the housing industry more? who would want to buy, the only reason i ever bought was to get those benefits!!
The republicans are trying to establish the third Coolidge administration...I have no interest in that. - These negotiations are naked power grabs, and I don't care how sincere the tea partiers are, they cannot dictate social policy to the majority who disagrees with them...unless we let them. Do you hear me, Mr. President?
Your guest said if this was not political this funding would pass. News flash...ALL funding is political! And Anyway, Doesn't NPR get this after people the 'de-fundNPR' cry? People vote with their dollars! besides ts NOT the Govt 's money! We should not be funding ANYTHING that does not directly help the bottom line. Democrats really want to shut down the government over this? Easy fix: Get private sources of income for planned parenthood and split the company into two entities: one with a completely different name and soley private source of money. Apparently there is at least enough people out there to support abortion to fund it. You could call it something awful and you'd still have enough people to give it money.
Republican Values? Only $$$ and Power. Wake up Merika!
Your guest said if this was not political this funding would pass. News flash...ALL funding is political! And Anyway, Doesn't NPR get this after people the 'de-fundNPR' cry? People vote with their dollars! besides ts NOT the Govt 's money! We should not be funding ANYTHING that does not directly help the bottom line. Democrats really want to shut down the government over this? Easy fix: Get private sources of income for planned parenthood and split the company into two entities: one with a completely different name and soley private source of money. Apparently there is at least enough people out there to support abortion to fund it. You could call it something awful and you'd still have enough people to give it money.
No budget negotiations are truly productive unless they consider ways to increase revenue. No family, when faced with hard times just considers cuts - they also think of ways to bring in more money. To only consider cuts means accepting a lower standard. In the case of America, only considering cuts means we are accepting our own decline. A few more dollars from the wealthiest & even people like me who are lower middle-class would solve the problem. Anyone NOT willing to pony up a few more dollars to save the country doesn't deserve to live here. Any corporation not willing to pitch in doesn't deserve to call themselves an American company. If we're gonna give Corps the rights of individuals, they need to also have the responsibilities.
With regard to our tax structure and decreasing taxes on corporations and the rich, defense appears to be based on a "level" playing field. However, from the perspective of an "average" American that playing field appears all but level. Note corporations and the rich are basically responsible for the economic mess this country is in, yet average Americans were tapped for bailouts which eventually translated into yearly bonuses and maintenance of the status quo. Someone appears to want their cake and eat it too!
Your panel fails to note that the Ryan Budget Proposals in the health area could have positives not just the possible negatives actions that the panel noted. For example, the block granting of Medicaid could result in a state focusing on illness prevention or the creation of incentives for healthier life styles. Your panel's comments suggested only that a state could use the flexibility with block grants to reduce eligibility or restrict provider payments. As a former state budget analyst in the Medicaid area, it was very frustrating to ask permission to implement new programs and for this type of flexibility from federal officials in regional offices and in Washington
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I understand the system of checks and balances is a part of our Constitution. It guarantees that no part of the government becomes too powerful, but what if this system itself grow very powerful to point of becoming hurdles to the president to spend all his term jumping through them?
I understand the system of checks and balances is a part of our Constitution. It guarantees that no part of the government becomes too powerful, but what if this system itself grow very powerful to point of becoming hurdles to the president to spend all his term jumping through them?
Whatever happened to "leadership by example"? ? ?
This evolution to "management by marketing slogan" is where we are failing.
These so called "ryders" that are added to proposals on the extention of the goverment budget is the type of thing that I want to know. I don't care if the thought is that they won't pass muster. I want to know if my congressman is responsible for these "stalling" issues. He/she will not get my vote next time.
Curious use of political designations by referring to Obama as shifting from the Left to the Center opposed to shifting from the Left to the Right. It was mentioned how much political change can be obtained with small majorities, yet when Obama came into "power" with a Democrat oriented Congress they all appeared impotent. Now Republicans come into majority in only the House and all H... breaks loose! Something doesn't add up. Note the objectives set forth by President Bush, resulting debates, and subsequent results .
As of 2008, the top 10% of earners pay 70% of personal income tax collected by the government. This should be higher? How high?
Americans everywhere are NOT tightening their belts - take a look at corporate profits and bonuses and the great number of grand new second homes being built.
It is silly to address a complicated issue with this type of generalizations, and indeed the generalizations we hear from most politicians including Paul Ryan (whose intelligent talk masks a very political agenda that needs to be called out by capable journalists).
The current budget discussions are a sideshow, done for testing the political waters before the real - and hopefully really useful debates that are the heart of the 2012 and forward budget discussions. The real discussion is will we have a budget that is ideologically driven or politically drive. Will Republicans succeed in keeping taxes (and taxes for those wealthiest of us) out of the discussion...will they use budget debates as a beard for a social agenda...will the Democrats be Republican-lite or stand for a different vision of the future?
Even on the Diane Rehm Show, it sadly seems that platitudes and shallow reporting dominate the discussion.
Were it different.
What bothers me more than anything at this point, is the fact that the absurd behavior in the government is now bleeding into the rest of the country. The callers lately have been passionate and rightly so, but why all the insults thrown back and forth? Do we really have to listen to people sneak back-handed insults into their questions? Since when was it ok to name-call, blame, yell, and lie? I have 2 kindergarteners who know better. Also, while I did appreciate the sentiment, I thought it was ridicuilous to discuss where people were going to sit and with whom, at the State of the Union address. Does Pres. Obama have to create assigned seating and a teddy bear-like reward system? What ever happened to goals of civility and intellect in our government?
I agree that both paychecks and services for the Congress should be suspended. Such a bill was introduced in the Senate, and passed (I think), but the House refuses to consider it -- they claim, laughingly, that it is unconstitutional -- which was not a problem when they passed HR 1255 a week ago.
President Obama has it in his power to decide which government services will be suspended. I would recommend that he immediately suspend all FAA and TSA personnel, and effectively shut every major airport in the US. He should also suspend Amtrak and other government-funded rail service. He might also suspend US cargo port services and immigration entry point services.
The purpose would be to halt critical infrastructure services and raise the level of pressure on Congress to come to an agreement. I believe that every business in the country -- not just the airlines -- would be screaming at Congress to make a deal if they suddenly find they cannot move people or goods.
The facts are the clear, Americans are paying down their credit cards, saving more of their income, consuming less, throwing away less, keeping things longer, and buying cheaper goods and services. Our government officials could learn an important lesson if they paid attention to their constituents.
Ideology drives every line item in the budget.
It will not be long before China decides that funding our continuing deficits and ever growing debt is not a prudent investment decision. Interest rates will rise and interest expense will consume more and more of our annual budgets. We need to get the spending under control now. We don't appear to have a President or Congress that gets it. Thankfully we will have another election soon and we can continue the transformation begun last November. Hopefully it won't be too late.
During the show today, there was a very nasty section on the tight election in Wisconsin over the selection for the supreme court justice position. The tone was set that the "discovery" of a 10,000 volte discrepancy (7000-3000 for the 2 contestants) was somehow suspicious. The implication was that since the clerk of court was a Republican, this was somehow "needing more investigation".
I find it very disturbing that this was phrased in this manner since there was a news video on local Milwaukee TV where both the Republican and Democratic members of the election board clearly said this was a mistake and explained how it happened. Both of the ladies in the video were more concerned over votes being counted than scoring political points.
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