Economy & Budget

10.    How can liberal Democrats be so outraged about President Bush commuting Scooter Libby’s jail sentence (but not his fine or conviction), yet be so sanguine about President Bill Clinton doing basically the same thing (lying to a grand jury)  and escaping any sanction at all? Indeed, he is now the toast of the town and slated to become our next co-president. Shouldn’t a president be held to a higher standard than anyone else?

9.    If the economy is so bad, why are lines so long to buy a new telephone costing upwards of $700? Is this a great country or what?

8.    Did the concern about “too much money in politics” evaporate when Democratic candidates began out-raising Republicans in this year’s presidential campaign?  Read more...

In this video, Karen Hanretty discusses Warren Buffett's backing of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) for president, and why she thinks big business is in trouble under democratic leadership.

“Congress weighs end to tax break for hedge funds,” says the headline from today’s New York Times. Apparently Democrats are planning a huge tax increase on hedge-fund operators.

A story from Bloomberg News service last August said this: “Democrats are collecting more than two-thirds of the campaign donations from employees of the biggest hedge funds and buyout firms, as the party taps into one of Wall Street's fastest-growing sources of wealth.”

So, how’s that for gratitude?

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the Democrats were going to find ways to raise taxes on most Americans. They don’t have to say anything. That’s what they do.

But these smart hedge-fund operators really deserve what they are getting from the Democratic majority that they largely delivered.  Read more...

I was half-listening to the Democratic Forum broadcast live on MSNBC this morning when I heard Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) say something that made me shake my head in disbelief. When discussing differences between himself and President Bush, Obama noted that the president provided “tax cuts to those who don’t need it.” Really?

I wonder if Sen. Obama is up to the task of being president of the United States based on this one particular statement. The last time I checked, the American economy has been fueled, rather than stifled, due to the tax cuts enacted by Congress and signed into law by the president earlier in his term. Did reducing the marginal rates and slicing capital gains rates stimulate the economy — an economy battered by 9/11 and fighting a war on terrorism? Let’s see, where to start?  Read more...

Totally misreading the public mood, as always, Democrats and Republicans in the House have reached a deal to include earmarks on the 10 remaining appropriations bills that will pass after the Homeland Security bill goes through without earmarks.

The public wants earmarking stopped! It understands that rather than providing jobs, it is a device lawmakers use to stimulate campaign contributions from the grateful corporate or nonprofit recipients of this largesse. Congress should restore presidential authority to impound money and the line-item veto to fight earmarks. Those who earmark will face tougher scrutiny from the voters than they have ever faced now that the public is alive to earmarking, which consumes $64 billion every year, a healthy slice of total discretionary federal spending.

Look for the House to work late into the night on Friday or possibly Saturday as the new majority will encounter its first real test of wills with the minority over earmarks on three Appropriations bills to be considered on the House floor this week.

Earmarks are growing as a symbol of business as usual in the House, and Appropriations Chairman David Obey’s (D-Wis.) unwillingness to give ground to the Republicans will likely spark a huge fight. My sources tell me that the GOP has over 200 amendments prepared to force Obey to relent and open up the earmark process to public scrutiny.  Obey will likely go to the Rules Committee to force a closure of debate on the spending measures, sparking a bigger rebellion amongst the minority.

This test of wills is inevitable. The good news for staff and lobbyists is they are doing it this week, not the week before the July 4 recess. Hopefully this clash will work itself out before it becomes necessary to screw up the vacations of a lot of people in town. Read more...

The Democrats continue to try to have it both ways when it comes to gas prices.

Congressional Democratic leaders, on the one hand, complain bitterly about rising gas prices, as they oppose efforts to increase the domestic refining and exploration capabilities that would make gas more affordable.

On the other hand, the liberal left, led by Al Gore, believe that the combustion engine should be eliminated and that there should be a heavy gas tax that would hit consumers the hardest.

Well, which one is it? Do you support higher gas prices or do you not?

My theory is that the Democratic Party is secretly delighted with high gas prices. Read more...

What in the heck are the Democrats doing to the intelligence bill?

First, they cut human intelligence funding and shift money to study global climate change. Then, they stick in an earmark to fund a National Drug Intelligence Center that happens to be in the district of Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.).

It is remarkable to think that in this time of war, a war that is largely being fought in the shadows, by terrorists on one hand and our spies on the other, that Democrats would choose to spend one dime of money on global warming.

But it really isn’t much of a surprise. Since the surrender in Vietnam, brought about by a radically liberal Democratic Congress, the Democrats have largely hated the intelligence community. For example, the Clinton administration slashed human intelligence to the bare bones, leading to the disaster that was Sept. 11. Read more...

We have posted a new Quick Poll! on this page to see where you stand in the dispute over immigration reform: Which is more important, border security or a guest worker program? Scroll down the page and cast your vote.

Eight years ago, my friend James Glassman wrote a book called DOW 36,000.

Well, we’re still far from that stratospheric level, but — hey! — 13,000 ain’t bad. And, like every other red-blooded capitalist, I say: Break out the champagne!

Not so fast. Before hitting the bubbly, it’s important to remember that the market is just one indicator of the overall health of the economy. Considering all other factors, the Bush economy is still in the dumps.

Yesterday, for example, the same day the market soared above 13,000 for the first time, the Center for American Progress put out a new report on the level of poverty in this country. Read more...