Don't miss Martin Sullivan's spewing contempt for Congressional inaction on the "black liquor" tax break whereby paper companies reduce their taxes by doing what they've been doing all along, but adding enough oil (increasing pollution and energy consumption) to their mix to qualify for a type of alternative fuel credit. [Hat Tip: Roth]
Okay, a little older (Feb 9), but worth a close read--Dan Shaviro's assessment of the Republican spending/tax agenda put forward by Paul Ryan: Paul Ryan's Shadow Budget for the House Republicans (with links to the CBO letter scoring it). Shaviro notes that the budget will (my unavoidable response in some places in parentheses):
- reduce benefits for those born in 1956 or later (why? simple steps can ensure sustainability)
- privatize social security (always a bad idea, particularly bad after the market collapse)
- provide a minimum social security benefit (hey, a good idea for once from the GOP)
- replace medicare with vouchers (YIPES--bad idea)
- replace insurance exclusion with refundable credit (mixed reaction--depends on what else is done--why not just move to single payer and be done with it)
- freeze government spending (YA GOTTA BE KIDDING--after the Republicans have had essential control for 40 years in which they have increased militarization out the kazoo???? just what spending is to be frozen??? quite likely not the stuff the elites benefit from and not the military-industrial complex)
- change the tax code (mostly for the worse--same old, now proven not to be economic stimulating tax cuts for corporations, etc.)
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