The Hollywood Liberal

Late, Late Night FDL: A Buncha Girls
Frankie Ballard – A Buncha Girls and Hunter Hayes – Storm Warning

Frankie Ballard – A Buncha Girls

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Hunter Hayes – Storm Warning

What’s on your mind tonite…?

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Tack Righter
Oh one less budget battle, huz-freaking-zuh!

pic via mikenitro at flickr.com

I go out of my way to ignore FoxNews. But my father is visiting me and well, he’s also suffering from a bad cold and watching hour after hour of FoxNews drones seems to be his cup of tea (as opposed to actually y’know drinking tea when you’re sick, that’s Republican logic for ya’).  I spent most of the morning at my office working so it may not have been a continuous thing, but every time I passed by the TV yesterday afternoon there was some GOP talking head or Eric Cantor talking about Obama implementing “job destroying regulations.” Why it is almost as if they decided on a theme together!

?

Why this sudden tactic?

Oh…

The White House appears to have achieved one of its primary goals following the debt ceiling deal, with congressional Republicans showing little interest in extending budget fights through the fall.

Somebody…not the White House…can read polling. Meanwhile, “leadership” to the Administration continues to mean only criticizing your base, not the ostensible opponent America wants you to confront.

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Look for Signs

By Mr. Fish

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Right-Wing Media Distort Blog Post To Bash Obama Nominee Krueger Over VAT

Conservative media have attacked Alan Krueger, President Obama’s nominee to head the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, for purportedly advocating a “value added tax.” But the 2-year-old blog post they cite stated that he did so “only as a suggestion for serious discussion,” adding that he was “not sure it is the best way to go.”

Conservative Media, Pundits Push Idea That Krueger “Called For” A Value Added Tax

Cavuto: Krueger “Once Proposed That You Pay An Extra 5 Percent When You Buy Stuff At The Store.” From Fox News’ Your World With Neil Cavuto:

CAVUTO: All right, well, consumer spending up, and that helped stocks to more than just tick up, but is the president’s pick to lead his economic team about to, well, knock both back down — especially when people get a better idea of Alan Krueger and who he is? A guy who once proposed that you pay an extra 5 percent tax when you buy stuff at the store. Sort of like an big old value added tax, but without swapping it out for any other tax. So, Deneen Borelli says that our world economy would pay the price if Alan ever got his way. But you know, I’m wondering, Deneen, if all of a sudden he could. Obviously, by picking him, the administration is sending a signal. He could be a fan of that approach, right?

[…]

CAVUTO: I am curious, Deenen, what you make of this value added tax because a lot of Republicans are fans of it, a lot of conservatives are fans of it, just not as a pile-on, as a swap out. In other words, remove the income tax, replace it with a VAT or something like that. He does not appear to be saying something like that, it would be just an added revenue raiser, at least from my understanding of his work on this. [Fox News, Your World with Neil Cavuto, 8/29/11]

Big Government’s Dan Mitchell: “I’m Worried About Krueger’s Sympathy” For A VAT. From Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com:

On a more serious note, though, I’m worried about Krueger’s sympathy for a value-added tax (VAT). Here’s what he wrote back in 2009.

[…]

To be fair, Krueger was very careful to leave himself some wiggle room, even going so far as to write that, “I’m not sure it is the best way to go.”

But it seems rather obvious that Krueger, like other leftists, wants this giant new source of revenue. Heck, President Obama also has semi-endorsed a VAT, saying it is “something that has worked for other countries.”

The President’s assertion is especially foolish. After all, European nations imposed VATs about 40 years ago, which simply encouraged more spending and more debt — and now several nations are on the verge of bankruptcy. [Big Government, 8/29/11]

CNS: Krueger “Has Supported” And “Called For” A Value Added Tax. From CNSNews.com:

President Barack Obama’s nominee to chair the President’s Council of Economic Advisors has supported a European-style consumption tax that taxes every stage of production for a good or service, a policy generally called a Value Added Tax, or VAT.

Alan Krueger, a Princeton University economist, called for the Value Added Tax in a commentary for the New York Times in January 2009. The White House, however, has said that President Obama would not consider such a tax. [CNSNews.com, 8/29/11]

IBD Editorial: Krueger “Popped Up As An Advocate For A Value-Added Tax.” An Investor’s Business Daily editorial stated: “Still more recently, Krueger popped up as an advocate for a value-added tax (VAT) or, as some call it, a consumption tax.” [Investors.com, 8/29/11]

WSJ: Krueger “Favors A European-Style VAT.” From The Wall Street Journal:

Mr. Krueger agrees with Mr. Obama on most issues, notably the need for higher taxes (he favors a European-style VAT), cap-and-tax to reduce global warming and a high minimum wage. We’re also told he was an architect of cash for clunkers, the $3 billion subsidy that moved car sales from one month to another. Professor Krueger has his work cut out for him as a salesman for Stimulus II — or is IV? — but his confirmation hearing should at the very least be educational. [The Wall Street Journal, 8/30/11]

Hannity: Krueger “Wants A Value-Added Tax.” From Fox News’ Hannity:

STUART VARNEY (Fox Business host): Thank heavens. The new economic adviser is Alan Krueger. He’s an academic. He likes —

SEAN HANNITY (host): Another one?

VARNEY: Yet another one. We didn’t learn the first time, or the second —

HANNITY: Another genius who’s going to lead us into economic turmoil.

VARNEY: He likes the VAT, the value added tax, a consumption tax.

HANNITY: Wait a minute, on top of. Not to replace.

VARNEY: On top of — on top of income taxes.

[…]

VARNEY: The game-changer, which would really change things —

HANNITY: What would it be?

VARNEY: Tax reform. Lower tax rates, bring in more money. He’ll never do it.

HANNITY: Well, wait a minute, this guy wants a value added tax — wait a minute, value-added tax, which is the FairTax, as we call it, right? My buddy Neal Boortz wrote a book on the FairTax, value-added tax.

VARNEY: But that’s in place of, it’s not going to be in place of.

HANNITY: But wait a minute, in place of — no, but they want to add a new tax, a national sales tax on top of —

VARNEY: Five percent to bring in $500 billion a year to spend on their social programs. [Fox News, Hannity, 8/29/11]

Krueger Wrote That VAT Proposal Was “A Suggestion For Serious Discussion,” Not “Sure It Is The Best Way To Go”

Krueger: VAT Posed “Only As A Suggestion For Serious Discussion; I’m Not Sure It Is The Best Way To Go.” In a January 12, 2009, post on The New York Times’ Economix blog, Krueger wrote:

Here is a suggestion to address both the short-run and long-run problems. I pose it only as a suggestion for serious discussion; I’m not sure it is the best way to go. But here goes: Why not pass a 5 percent consumption tax to take effect two years from now? There are many different ways to implement a consumption tax, but for simplicity think about a national sales tax.

[…]

This analysis only scratches the surface. As I said, I propose the idea only for discussion at this stage, but it is worth considering. What do you think? [Economix, The New York Times, 1/12/09]

Right-Wing Media Blast Krueger For Wanting To Add VAT On Top Of Income Tax …

CNS: “VAT Would Be A Levy That Adds To The Current Tax Structure.” From CNSNews.com:

The consumption tax differs from a “Fair Tax” proposal or national sales tax proposal that has been considered in recent years by U.S. politicians who want to replace the income tax. The VAT would be a levy that adds to the current tax structure. [CNS News, 8/29/11]

IBD Editorial: Krueger “Pushed” For VAT “Not As A Replacement For Our Current Dysfunctional Income-Tax Code, But As An Addition To It.” From an editorial in Investor’s Business Daily:

Nothing wrong with [proposing a VAT], per se, unless you’re pushing it not as a replacement for our current dysfunctional income-tax code, but as an addition to it.

But that’s exactly what Krueger did, although to his credit he did write in a January 2009 New York Times piece that “the main downside of this proposal is that taxes reduce economic activity.”

Darn right. Not only that, but unless you get rid of the income tax entirely when you impose a consumption tax, you end up with an overtaxed, stagnant mess. Don’t think so? Look at Europe, where citizens are hit with both income tax and a VAT, and the two just keep marching higher. [Investors.com, 8/29/11]

… But He Suggested Using VAT To Lower Rates In The Long Run

Krueger: If Budget Picture Improves, “Income Taxes Or Corporate Taxes Could Be Reduced And The Revenue Replaced By The Consumption Tax.” From Krueger’s New York Times blog post:

The main downside of this proposal is that taxes reduce economic activity. But the government must make critical trade-offs, and a consumption tax could be the most efficient means to raise revenue to finance essential government functions. Over time, if the budget picture improved, income taxes or corporate taxes could be reduced and the revenue replaced by the consumption tax. [Economix, The New York Times, 1/12/09]

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Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s Transition Team Knew About Missing Emails In March
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Some Donors Think Bachmann is Jewish
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“Some in Romney’s camp have been wondering whether Bachmann and her allies are pushing the ‘Jewish’ rumor to help their own fund-raising… She has enjoyed strong popularity among Jewish voters and often talks about her stay on a kibbutz during the summer of 1974, when she was a teenager.”

Is Capitalism Doomed?
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Morning CheckUp: August 30, 2011
Regulators to shame insurers in rate review process starting Thursday: The Obama administration and states “will automatically scrutinize any proposed health-premium increase of 10% or more as part of the 2010 health-overhaul law” but won’t have the authority to block insurers from charging the higher rates. [WSJ] HHS official compares health law to civil rights […]

Regulators to shame insurers in rate review process starting Thursday: The Obama administration and states “will automatically scrutinize any proposed health-premium increase of 10% or more as part of the 2010 health-overhaul law” but won’t have the authority to block insurers from charging the higher rates. [WSJ]

HHS official compares health law to civil rights movement: “Jay Angoff, special adviser to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, drew parallels between the two contentious efforts during a panel presentation in Baltimore. He said pushback from state governors over implementation of the law mirrors the acrimony held by many state lawmakers decades earlier when they had to adopt the civil rights package.” “I don’t want to say that the health care law is as important as the civil rights law,” Angoff said. “But there really are some analogies.” [Politico]

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Huckabee to headline ‘personhood’ event: Huckabee will be the keynote speaker kickoff a campaign in support of a “personhood” initiative that is slated to appear on the November ballot in Mississippi. The initiative seeks to define a “person” as a being at the point of fertilization. [Clarion Ledger]

VA abortion clinics see licensing regulations as an “attack”: “Officials at abortion clinics around Virginia said Monday that their offices do not meet building standards in draft state regulations, with one arguing that the move is “an attack on reproductive rights” intended to force clinics to close, not enhance safety as some proponents suggest.” [Pilot Online]

Docs urge research center not to consider cost effectiveness: The Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a new medical research body created by the health care law, should not consider the cost of treatments when evaluating them, the nation’s largest physician lobby argues. [Julian Pecquet]

America?s Worst Federal Spending Is Generally Its Least Controversial
Suzy Khimm asks, sensibly, “Why are we subsidizing the building of homes in flood-prone areas?” As she explains, the National Flood Insurance Program offers sub-market insurance rates to people who want to build houses in very flood prone areas. It’d be as if we had a special program to offer subsidized health insurance to people […]

Suzy Khimm asks, sensibly, “Why are we subsidizing the building of homes in flood-prone areas?”

As she explains, the National Flood Insurance Program offers sub-market insurance rates to people who want to build houses in very flood prone areas. It’d be as if we had a special program to offer subsidized health insurance to people who refuse to wear seatbelts. Sounds nuts? And yet there it is. But I do think it’s important to note that this kind of program, generally the worst kind of thing the federal government does, tends to be totally uncontroversial politically. The National Flood Insurance Program Reextension Act of 2010 was sponsored by a bipartisan group, it passed the filibuster-ridden Senate by unanimous consent on September 21, it passed the House of Representatives on a voice vote on September 23, and was signed into law by President Obama a week later. The lead sponsor of the current Flood Insurance Reauthorization is Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi. Amidst fierce ideological debate about the size and scope of the federal government, in other words, there’s no serious budget-cutting move to stop subsidizing people from living in dangerous flood zones.

Panetta and the question of military retirement

Less than two months on the job and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has put his foot on a Pentagon third-rail issue by saying he is willing to look at reform of the 100-year-old military retirement system to save money.

A recent example: The first question to Panetta after a recent general talk at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., was from an officer in the business school. The officer referred to the threatened $600 billion in national security reductions and then asked, “Many of us have seen the Defense Business Board’s recommendation for retirement, what is your stance on the military’s retirement, sir?”

Read full article >>

‘In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir’ by Dick Cheney

If this book were read by an intelligent person who spent the past 10 years on, say, Mars, she would have no idea that Dick Cheney was the vice president in one of the most hapless American administrations of modern times. There are hints, to be sure, that things did not always go swimmingly under President George W. Bush and Cheney, but these are surrounded by triumphalist accounts of events that many readers — and future historians — are unlikely to consider triumphs.

This is not surprising. The genre of statesman’s memoir rarely produces self-criticism, or even much candor. Apparently, the point is to redeem your large advance from the publisher with a brisk, self-complimenting account of your life and times, with emphasis on your moment in the limelight. There should, of course, be a dash of “news” and a few frank passages about your true feelings — about others, not yourself.

Read full article >>

Hoyer: Stronger oversight of defense spending needed

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Monday that the country needs to strengthen its oversight of defense spending to prevent federal dollars from going to waste.

His comments came in response to a Washington Post op-ed by the co-chairs of the federal Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read full article >>

Report offers lessons on government reorganizations

The cover of a report about key government reorganizations in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks shows busy bees working in a hive.

It’s a curious pick for the cover because the hive represents what the new agencies were not — well-organized.

The report’s title, “Securing the Future,” clearly represents what the bees are doing. But the subtitle, “Management Lessons of 9/11,” more accurately represents what government leaders involved in reorganizations should do — learn from the many problems encountered when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) got started.

Read full article >>

Perry and Bachmann have made conflicting statements on gay marriage

The tea party has backed Republicans into a corner when it comes to states’ rights and gay marriage.

The clash is between two converging branches of the conservative movement: the social conservatives who wants to outlaw gay marriage at all costs, and the newly in vogue brand of tea party federalists holding that, regardless of how you feel about the controversial issue, it’s a matter for the states.

Already, 2012 presidential contenders and tea-party favorites Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) have essentially taken both sides – supporting the idea that states should have the right to decide the issue but also backing a federal amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. That amendment, of course, would effectively take the issue out of the states’ hands, so it’s hard to marry (no pun intended) the two positions.

Read full article >>