Does Anyone Know?

[WillowTree]

Can anyone explain in simple terms, why the dimocrats haven't done a budget in over 800 days? It's a to me? Why would they not do a budget?

 

[WillowTree]

And then secondly. What was in obie doodle budget that warranted a 97-0 vote? What the hell did he ask for?

 

[driveby]

Blank check, nothing on paper that anyone can be critical of. What will come first, a paper with an actual democrat budget or a paper with Obama's grades in college?......

 

[The Rabbi]

Can anyone explain in simple terms, why the dimocrats haven't done a budget in over 800 days? It's a to me? Why would they not do a budget?

BEcause if they commit themselves to something, they are responsible for it. It was the most irresponsible Congress ever. This is why they failed to pass the "clean" bill on the debt ceiling Obama demanded. If they did that, they would be accused in the next election of raising the debt ceiling. If they dont, then they can't be accused of doing it.
Similarly with the budget.

The Democrats are the most feckless weasels on earth. They voted many times to condemn the war in Iraq but would never vote to cut off funds. It was simply a show for their supporters. So too here with the budget.
The GOP are the only adults in the room.

 

[zzzz]

Who needs a budget, they do not follow it anyway. Its just a waste of time and money and paper.

 

[Si modo]

Can anyone explain in simple terms, why the dimocrats haven't done a budget in over 800 days? It's a to me? Why would they not do a budget?

The fiscal year starts on 10/1 and often the congresscritters haven't done their job on time. So, usually they pass a continuing resolution then they get the budget done - usually a few months later.

But, this is crazy. Fucking insane, as a matter of fact.

 

[JRK]

And then secondly. What was in obie doodle budget that warranted a 97-0 vote? What the hell did he ask for?

Is it not amazing anything could get so spun out?

2009 we had a all dem congress
dem president
dem budget
dem failed stimulus
dem 1/2 of tarp

and the deficit in 09 was GWB fault

 

[waltky]

Foreign aid gonna suffer...

US Budget Fight Threatens World Food Security
July 27, 2011 - Agriculture research could be casualty in debate over borrowing limit

Despite wavering global food security, agriculture research could be a casualty in the debate over the U.S. borrowing limit, the latest battleground for advocates demanding deep federal spending cuts. However, in an unusual twist, the American Enterprise Institute - a leading conservative group - is calling for increased funding for agricultural research to help control soaring food prices. That stands in stark contrast to AEI's other recommendations for farm programs: cut crop subsidies; cut ethanol subsidies; cut crop insurance programs. In a recommendation he co-wrote for AEI, University of Minnesota economist Phil Pardey says the government should be spending much more - not less - on agricultural research and development.

Slow growth

The threat of more budget cuts comes at a time when yields for major U.S. crops such as wheat, maize, rice and soybeans are dwindling . From the 1950s to the 90s, American harvests grew slowly but steadily, by about two percent each year on average. After 1990, that rate of increase fell by nearly half, says Pardey. "For those of us who watch these things, that's a really big structural shift," Pardey says, adding the shift has big implications for today's food prices and for tomorrow's food security. Demand for food from a growing population and the increasing production of biofuels has caught up with the slowing pace of farm productivity gains. With supplies tight, prices have skyrocketed. Pardey says a big reason for today's high food prices is yesterday's budget cuts. "We've been ratcheting down the rates of growth of R&D spending for many decades here in the U.S."

R&D, research and development, is what scientists do to keep farm productivity growing. Federal R&D funding grew by about four percent per year through the 1950s and 60s. But the pace slowed in the following decades. By the 90s and 2000s it barely kept up with inflation. And Pardey says we're paying for that now. "If you start slowing down the rate of growth of spending and start re-directing that funding to other things, then the seemingly inevitable consequence is what we're seeing in the data: that is, a slowdown in productivity growth." Productivity growth needs to be speeding up in order to feed the nine billion people expected on the planet by 2050, Pardey says.

'Shooting ourselves in the foot'