America Isn't Broke

[xchrom]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/164826/america-isnt-broke

That’s a wrap. The Supercommittee Show is over, brought to you by a corporate media that continues to peddle horse-trading, the blame game and the mini-drama of who compromised and who didn’t to consumers.

What’s missing from the coverage is what matters—a recognition that the inside-the-Beltway crowd has a misplaced obsession with short-term deficits and debt rather than the real crisis of our time: joblessness, growing inequality and building a more sustainable, Main Street economy.

There are in fact many alternatives out there worthy of attention—ideas that are more reasonable, more equitable and accomplished far more fiscally responsibly and in hold more promise for bettering people’s lives than anything considered by a Supercommittee and Congress heavily mortgaged to corporate dough. The Progressive Caucus’ People’s Budget is one example. And now, a recently released report by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), America Is Not Broke.

IPS focuses on 24 fiscal reforms that amount to an estimated $824 billion in potential revenue per year—seven times the total savings the Supercommittee was charged with identifying. The revenues are found in three categories: taxing Wall Street, corporations, and the wealthy; taxing pollution and ending environmentally harmful subsidies; and cutting military spending. IPS is uniquely positioned to offer a comprehensive report like this because it has experts working year round on defense, energy, and fair taxation issues. Many of the reforms called for are widely supported in opinion polls, and reflect the kind of broad, bold vision that Democrats should embrace if they want to connect with The 99 Percent.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. I'm not unhappy that the so-called "Super Committee" failed

We'll have to take it on the chin a little with the automatic spending cuts triggered by the debt ceiling legislation but, yeah, the deficit is another problem for another day. We certainly would be better off figuring out where all our money is going and focusing it where it will do the most good for the most people. Also, there can be no realistic discussion or fair resolution of the deficit
if 1% of the population (and their enablers) are adamantly refusing to chip in.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, xchrom.

[some guy]

4. May be a good idea, but here's the main problem:

" . . . reflect the kind of broad, bold vision that Democrats should embrace if they want to connect with The 99 Percent. "

Democrats, except for a small minority, have no interest in the 99%.