What Americans Want: The People’s Budget lays out a surprisingly popular vision of the future

[marmar]

from In These Times:




What Americans Want
The People’s Budget lays out a surprisingly popular vision of the future.

By David Moberg


A national budget tells a lot more about a country and its politics than simply where the government’s money comes from and where it goes. As President Obama rightly stressed, it is also “about the kind of future we want … the kind of country we believe in.” But

as happens so often in the United States, the political and media establishments distort the public debate by accepting the right-wing’s framing. In this case that means the issue is simply deficits and spending cuts, not national needs and adequate revenue. In this context, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the architect of the Republican budget plan, gets taken seriously when he proposes—with echoes of Vietnam—that we destroy Medicare in order to save it.

Consequently, the public is confused. More significantly, the corporate media give progressive alternatives short shrift, even though opinon polls show the public often supports such measures.

The United States could do much better with more active and—yes—even bigger government, partly because many of the things our society needs, the government can do more efficiently, fairly and effectively than private individuals and businesses in a market. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/7333/what_americans_want

[annabanana]

1. If our Republic was in working order, this would be a breeze.

It would fly through the House and Senate, no problem. It would have been signed into law a long, long time ago.

The whole system is sclerotic, encrusted with monied barnacles . . inoperable.