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Democrats Still Want to Spend More
National Review Online ^ | July 14, 2011 | Andrew Stiles

Posted on 07/14/2011 4:05:11 PM PDT by thouworm

Even as we approach the debt ceiling, they can’t stop themselves.

It’s no secret that Democrats love to spend money, but given their recent behavior in the debt negotiations, perhaps it’s time for A&E producers to feature them in the next installment of their hit series Intervention, in which friends and family members try to convince loved ones to give up their crippling addictions.

In an interview with National Review Online, Senate minority whip Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.) explains that even at the height of national concern over the country’s debt and deficit problem, Democratic negotiators are insisting that additional spending measures be included in a deal to increase the debt limit.

In discussions this week, Kyl says, Democrats proposed extending unemployment insurance for another 99 weeks at a cost of $43 billion. In addition, they requested another $10 billion to spend on research projects overseen by the National Institutes of Health. Democrats have not, Kyl says, offered to offset the new spending with additional cuts.

These measures come on top of the increased spending Democrats proposed in negotiations led by Vice President Joe Biden, which included a $33 billion increase in Pell Grant funding and $27 billion — a number Kyl says was never explained and is much higher than Republican estimations — for the so-called “doc fix” to restore Medicare payments to physicians.

Another point of contention in the talks, Kyl explains, is that roughly 75 percent of the “savings” proposed in non-health-care mandatory spending are achieved through revenue mechanisms such as fee increases, which technically aren’t classified as tax hikes, but certainly highlight the Democrats’ fundamental unwillingness to reduce spending. Kyl says at this point he can identify only about $55 billion in actual reductions to federal spending.

When it comes to health care, Kyl says that even the modest savings introduced in the Biden talks, primarily of the “waste, fraud, and abuse” variety — all of it outlined by President Obama in his budget “framework” speech — have since been taken off the table. Republicans can “buy them back,” Kyl explains, if they agree to match them dollar-for-dollar with tax increases. “But we’re just not going to do that,” he says. This is why the top-line figure agreed to in the Biden talks — about $2 trillion — has since shrunk to less than $1.4 trillion. Kyl predicts that as the deal stands, the Congressional Budget Office would score only about $1 trillion of actual savings.

Negotiators are meeting today at the White House. Kyl says he expects the White House will continue to press Republicans to “buy back” health-care savings with tax increases (which isn’t going to happen) and agree to a global “deficit trigger” that would impose automatic spending and tax increases if Congress fails to meet certain targets. This too, Kyl says, is a non-starter with the GOP. He holds out hope that some agreement can be reached on a number for an overall ten-year deficit target and an appropriate enforcement mechanism that does not include tax increases, which continue to be a stumbling block at every turn.

— Andrew Stiles is a 2011 Franklin fellow.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: debtdeal; debtdealcavein
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1 posted on 07/14/2011 4:05:17 PM PDT by thouworm
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To: Liz; Nachum; SeekAndFind; screaminsunshine; jenk; tcrlaf

Mark Levin just went through the roof on this news.


2 posted on 07/14/2011 4:16:54 PM PDT by thouworm (.)
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To: thouworm

What did he say? I am out of the loop.


3 posted on 07/14/2011 4:24:44 PM PDT by screaminsunshine (Socialism...Easier said than done.)
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To: thouworm
It's not spending, It's "investment". Of someone else's money, true, but we're just quibbling over details now, right?
4 posted on 07/14/2011 4:27:07 PM PDT by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
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To: andy58-in-nh

No wonder did you see the Section 8 Riot in Dallas on an earlier thread. Whew. They want their free house.


5 posted on 07/14/2011 4:34:19 PM PDT by screaminsunshine (Socialism...Easier said than done.)
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To: screaminsunshine

Said they have no intention to cut spending. Said Obama is as close to being a dictator without actually being a dictator. Lies, lies, lies. Can’t do his rant justice.

This debt deal has been his major topic all week. Download program later tonight for the first 1/2 hr. Someone may also post his rant. If I see it, I’ll ping you.


6 posted on 07/14/2011 4:35:57 PM PDT by thouworm (.)
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To: thouworm

Poor Mark. This is probably raising his Blood Pressure. Guess we still have a lot of work to do. But it may be cleaning up and re-building after the Hurricane. With the RINOS and RATS it is just amateur of how long the Ponzi can hold up now. This may be the point of no return. McConnell handed us up on a Silver Platter.


7 posted on 07/14/2011 4:40:00 PM PDT by screaminsunshine (Socialism...Easier said than done.)
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To: screaminsunshine
McConnell can snuggle up to Comrade Barry all he wants to but any of their sweetheart deals must pass the House and that will be a really tough sell.
8 posted on 07/14/2011 4:50:28 PM PDT by JPG (Palin '12)
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To: JPG

Might not. I sense a RINO/RAT coalition.


9 posted on 07/14/2011 4:51:12 PM PDT by screaminsunshine (Socialism...Easier said than done.)
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To: screaminsunshine

The Free Sh!t Army is on the march, baby!!!


10 posted on 07/14/2011 5:34:35 PM PDT by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
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To: andy58-in-nh

I am thinking of building a raft and checking the current between Key West and Havana.


11 posted on 07/14/2011 5:36:33 PM PDT by screaminsunshine (Socialism...Easier said than done.)
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To: thouworm

doesn’t this mean they need higher taxes for Obamacare? That without more taxation, Obamacare is not funded? Or what?


12 posted on 07/14/2011 6:25:14 PM PDT by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin.)
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To: thouworm

and thank you for the ping:)


13 posted on 07/14/2011 6:38:08 PM PDT by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin.)
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To: screaminsunshine

I tend to agree


14 posted on 07/14/2011 6:40:44 PM PDT by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin.)
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To: thouworm

Republican 2012 strategy: Surrender unconditionally, then get all the usual gang of “conservative” commentators to claim a giant Republican victory. This is just about the time when voters like me decide the bug out and leave the worthless GOP to rot.


15 posted on 07/14/2011 6:43:26 PM PDT by yup2394871293
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To: jenk

There are a zillion “taxes” already built into Obamacare. Obamacare will be funded (by hook or by crook); the Marxist will never let that fall. It is essential for his self-glory.

Now this:

New backup plan would let Obama raise debt ceiling without congressional OK
Chicago Tribune ^ | 07/14/2011 | Lisa Mascaro

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2748786/posts

Getting that sinking feeling...


16 posted on 07/14/2011 7:18:41 PM PDT by thouworm (.)
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To: thouworm

we must attack mcconnel now.


17 posted on 07/14/2011 7:27:52 PM PDT by jenk (The country needs Sarah Palin.)
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To: jenk; yup2394871293

yup...worse
confirmation?

It Is As I Feared (McConnell rounding up Dem support to cede congressional authority to Obama)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2748806/posts

yup2394871293: Meant to ping you to post 16 also.


18 posted on 07/14/2011 7:57:25 PM PDT by thouworm (.)
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To: Candor7

ping to article & post #18


19 posted on 07/14/2011 8:03:09 PM PDT by thouworm (.)
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To: thouworm
Yes. Dozens of people on this thread do not yet get the fact that fascists are indeed running America.An end run around Congressional budgeting authority and a guarantee to split the Republican Parfty into its death throes.

Its Tea Party now. And Sarah Palin will declare her candidacy.

20 posted on 07/14/2011 8:07:35 PM PDT by Candor7 (Obama fascist info..http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/05/barack_obama_the_quintessentia_1.html)
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