Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Trashing the CBO, and undermining any chance at fiscal responsibility (BARF ALERT)
WaPo ^ | 1/21/11 | Ezra Klein

Posted on 01/21/2011 5:31:27 AM PST by markomalley

It's the age of civility in American politics, but there's one institution that's been civil all along: the Congressional Budget Office (sorry, but sometimes civility is boring). The nonpartisan agency, which calculates the official cost of legislation for Congress, speaks in the polite language of actuarial tables, refuses to reliably please or disappoint either party and is the closest thing American politics has to an umpire. And the Republicans are getting sick and tired of it.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 01/21/2011 5:31:27 AM PST by markomalley
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: markomalley

protect the boy king at any cost


2 posted on 01/21/2011 5:34:44 AM PST by Doogle ((USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

Can be fixed with a 0 in the budget, end of problem.


3 posted on 01/21/2011 5:53:59 AM PST by org.whodat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

How’s that JournoList thingy working out for ya, Ezra?


4 posted on 01/21/2011 6:08:02 AM PST by SnuffaBolshevik
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley
As I understand it, the CBO can only use the information supplied by Congress. If Congress omits important and costly data, the CBO report will appear without the missing info being applied and therefore not complete nor accurate. True??
5 posted on 01/21/2011 6:33:42 AM PST by elpadre (AfganistaMr Obama said the goal was to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda" and its allies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: elpadre

Exactly ... garbage in, garbage out


6 posted on 01/21/2011 6:38:00 AM PST by ArmedConservative (Visualize No Liberals!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: elpadre

And that is not all ....Congress can make assumptions on the value of benefits, etc. - and the CBO must use those assumptions.

This is the classic case of GIGO - Garbage In/Garbage Out.

It is a joke to call the CBO “non-partisan” - when it is completely partisan.


7 posted on 01/21/2011 6:46:29 AM PST by Vineyard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

The problem isn’t the CBO, it that politician know how to game it.

eg. Collect taxes for 10 years and provide benefits for 6. Voila, Obamacare is a DEFICIT REDUCTION act.


8 posted on 01/21/2011 7:10:12 AM PST by DManA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley
Journolist liar alert.

Obama butt-kissing ahead.

9 posted on 01/21/2011 7:26:10 AM PST by backwoods-engineer (The future? Imagine Cass Sunstein's boot stamping on Lincoln's beard, forever.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DManA; markomalley
The problem isn’t the CBO

Yes, and no.

The name escapes, but ~1990, the Texas rep with the Ph.D in
Economics asked the CBO what's the take on a tax rate of 100%.

The CBO came back with the expected net income unadjusted for the certain decrease in economic activity, shifting of jobs, etc.

10 posted on 01/21/2011 7:31:57 AM PST by Calvin Locke
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Calvin Locke
That is the difference between static and dynamic scoring.

The CBO came back with the expected net income unadjusted for the certain decrease in economic activity, shifting of jobs, etc.

11 posted on 01/21/2011 7:38:14 AM PST by DManA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson