“IF YOU think the Democrats' triumph in the House of Representatives will bring fresh young faces pushing a well-honed agenda, think again. Unlike the Republican upstarts who stormed to power in 1994 with their “Contract with America”, the new House will be run by congressional veterans with few coherent plans.
…
The Democrats' equivalent of the “Contract with America” is a 31-page pamphlet called “A new direction for America”, boiled down for campaign purposes to “Six for '06”, a six-pronged action plan that Ms Pelosi promises to enact within 100 hours of becoming speaker.
Unfortunately, this “agenda” is little more than a series of soundbites designed to show that Democrats care about the plight of ordinary workers: politically shrewd, but scant in substance. There are pledges to raise the minimum wage, expand tax-break subsidies for college, “free America from dependence on foreign oil” by boosting alternative fuels and ending tax giveaways to big oil, allow the government to negotiate lower prices with drug firms, promote stem-cell research, and stop any plans to privatise Social Security.
The plan says nothing about some of the tougher issues facing America's legislature. Not a word about how Democrats might fix Social Security's finances. No mention of how they will deal with the Alternative Minimum Tax which will, without new legislation, hit 22m Americans in 2007, up from 3.4m in 2006. Worse, the proposals are internally inconsistent. There is a promise to end the Republicans' fiscal profligacy by reinstating budget rules that require tax cuts and spending increases to be matched by savings elsewhere. But there is no explanation of how the Democrats' own pet tax cuts or spending increases would be paid for.
Within the next few months the Democrats will have to decide whether they care more about fiscal discipline or shovelling money at ordinary Americans. That decision will set the budgetary tone for the next two years…”
A ler ainda
Putting his presidency together again
…
The Democrats' equivalent of the “Contract with America” is a 31-page pamphlet called “A new direction for America”, boiled down for campaign purposes to “Six for '06”, a six-pronged action plan that Ms Pelosi promises to enact within 100 hours of becoming speaker.
Unfortunately, this “agenda” is little more than a series of soundbites designed to show that Democrats care about the plight of ordinary workers: politically shrewd, but scant in substance. There are pledges to raise the minimum wage, expand tax-break subsidies for college, “free America from dependence on foreign oil” by boosting alternative fuels and ending tax giveaways to big oil, allow the government to negotiate lower prices with drug firms, promote stem-cell research, and stop any plans to privatise Social Security.
The plan says nothing about some of the tougher issues facing America's legislature. Not a word about how Democrats might fix Social Security's finances. No mention of how they will deal with the Alternative Minimum Tax which will, without new legislation, hit 22m Americans in 2007, up from 3.4m in 2006. Worse, the proposals are internally inconsistent. There is a promise to end the Republicans' fiscal profligacy by reinstating budget rules that require tax cuts and spending increases to be matched by savings elsewhere. But there is no explanation of how the Democrats' own pet tax cuts or spending increases would be paid for.
Within the next few months the Democrats will have to decide whether they care more about fiscal discipline or shovelling money at ordinary Americans. That decision will set the budgetary tone for the next two years…”
A ler ainda
Putting his presidency together again
2 comentários:
Convite
Decorrerá de 23 de Novembro a 2 de Dezembro, no Edifício Novo do Campus de Angra do Heroísmo da Universidade dos Açores, sito ao Pico da Urze, junto ao Palácio de Santa Catarina, a exposição fotográfica Arcos d’Água da autoria de Cristina Oliveira-Brasil, autora do blog Lâmina d’Água, de Vasco Oswaldo Santos-Canadá, autor do blog Escriba e Maria de Deus Moreira – São Miguel, autora do blog Sentimentos.
A inauguração da exposição ocorrerá pelas 20:00 h do dia 23 de Novembro e contará com a presença física dos seus autores.
Venho por este meio, convidar-te, a ti e à tua família para estarem presentes. Será uma honra contar com a presença dos bloguistas Terceirenses na sessão da abertura.
Esta exposição surge exactamente da interacção e disponibilidade demonstrada na blogosfera.
Cumprimentos:
Félix
amigo pauleta, dei aqui uma espreitadela rápida e isto está animado!!
quanto ao convite que aqui te é formulado,´parece-me muito interessante a iniciativa, depois me dirás como correu... se fores.
aquele abraço... estou a pensar criar um blog... dá-me uma dica de orientação.
OTTOsson
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