Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows ... Then Enjoys a Smoke

Feb 27, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Roll Call (subscription) ran an article this morning discussing the lobbying efforts aimed at the tobacco regulation bills currently in both chambers of Congress. In addition to the tobacco industry, the Petroleum Marketing Association of America and three advertising industry coalitions oppose the bill, according to the article. Why would seemingly disinterested parties oppose a common sense bill to regulate tobacco products? Because gas station owners make big money by selling cigarettes, and advertising companies make big money by promoting them. As if Big Tobacco is not enough of a force in Washington, now it's lining up its friends. Nonetheless, the bill moves forward. One of the Senate sponsors, Ted Kennedy, chairs a committee hearing on the bill today. As the Roll Call article points out, no industry representatives are scheduled to testify. Stay tuned to Reg Watch for more.

read in full

Next Step for FY 2008: Budget Resolution

Feb 26, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Over the course of the five-week congressional "work period," a major fiscal focus will be the FY 2008 budget resolution. Below is the current congressional timetable for the budget resolution -- a roadmap Congress uses to plan out the budget for the year setting out changes on entitlement programs and taxes.

read in full

False Evidence Used Against Muslim Charity

Feb 26, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The LA Times reports that declassified government documents suggest the evidence used against Holy Land Foundation was fabricated by the government. According to a summary of surveillance, Holy Land's former executive director made explicit anti-Semitic comments. However, none of the quotes included in the summary were in the 13-page transcript of the conversation. Under the federal Classified Information Procedures Act, the defense attorneys are prohibited from sharing the material with their clients, and thus unable to prove that the statements were never said or misunderstood.

read in full

The Fiscal Gap: Terrible

Feb 26, 2007 by Matt Lewis

The fiscal gap is an awful way to measure and think about the budget's long-term fiscal imbalance. I don't know why, but GAO likes it. They gave a rundown of what the fiscal gap is in a report released on Friday. The fiscal gap is the amount of spending reduction or tax increases needed to keep debt as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) at or below today's ratio. Another way to say this is that the fiscal gap is the amount of change needed to prevent the kind of debt explosion implicit in figure 3.

read in full

President Promotes Health Care Tax Package

Feb 26, 2007 by Matt Lewis

Merrill Goozner informs us that the President talked up his health care tax initiative on Saturday. Seems like he's not going to let this one drop, but we'll see.

read in full

WSJ: AMT fix "an excuse to [repeal] Bush tax cuts"

Feb 26, 2007 by Dana Chasin

The Wall Street Journal published a particularly useless, factually-selective, poorly-argued partisan skreed last Friday about "how the AMT's relentless expansion in recent years is [the fault of] none other than William Jefferson Clinton" and how the AMT ("one more liberal monster that was created in the name of soaking the rich") has become "an excuse to justify repealing the Bush tax cuts." The bottom-line warning of the (by-line-less) Journal piece:

read in full

Media Coverage of FedSpending.org v2.0

Feb 23, 2007 by Adam Hughes*

The updated version of FedSpending.org has garnered a few media hits in papers and blogs around the country. Below is a bit of the coverage:
  • GovExec.com story
  • San Fransico Examiner editorial
  • Mark Tapscott's Blog
  • Sunlight Foundation Blog

read in full

More Americans Becoming Severely Poor

Feb 23, 2007 by Craig Jennings

McClatchy reports today on a study of 2005 census figures which found that "the number of severely poor Americans grew by 26 percent from 2000 to 2005. That's 56 percent faster than the overall poverty population grew in the same period." The McClathy article also draws on other studies to underline its point - that severe poverty, not just poverty, is growing and growing at an alarming rate.

read in full

Faith-Based Funding Case Goes to Supreme Court

Feb 23, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The LA Times discusses the Hein vs. Freedom From Religion Foundation case, which the Supreme Court will consider next Wednesday February 28. At issue is whether taxpayers can sue over federal funding that the foundation perceives to promote religion. This could be a significant ruling in regards to the separation of church and state. The Bush administration is requesting that the case is thrown out, claiming that taxpayers have no legal interest in how the executive branch spends public money.

read in full

CBO Puts Tax Policy Options on the Table

Feb 23, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Today, CBO released its biennial set of policy options, "to help policymakers in their annual tasks of making budgetary choices, setting priorities, and adapting to changing circumstances." Some of the options seem particularly fiscally favorable, politically feasible, and equitable, among them:
  • OPTION 17 -- Include All Income Earned Abroad by U.S. Citizen in Taxable Income. (5-year savings: $22.9 billion; 10-year savings: $57 billion)
  • OPTION 24 -- Set the Corporate Tax Rate at 35 Percent for All Corporations. (5-year savings: $13.2 billion; 10-year savings: $27.6 billion)

read in full

Pages

  • ©2015 Center for Effective Government
  • All Rights Reserved.
  • This an archive site of the materials produced by the Center for Effective Government (formerly OMB Watch) and is maintained by the Project On Government Oversight.