OMG! So typical of the republicans. For them what they presented was a big accomplishment as they do not have the intelligence to come up with anything of substance. They are not only ridiculous, they are laughing stock world wide.

I am an American living in Canada right now and I've got to tell you that paying $108.00 a month for health care insurance for my family of four is pretty sweet. Sure we have some wait lists up here for non emergency proceedures but I have a family doctor which they always say is hard to get and if you need critical care you move right to the front of the line.

To the person who mentioned the right wing bloggers here.  Some of the comments are outrageous and there are certain names I don't even read any more because they're hatefilled wrath.  I don't mind reading oposing opinions but not rants.  I look forward every evening to Countdown
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So, you find hate-filled wrath bothersome but you look forward to listening to Keith Olbermann?  Hmm, something doesn't compute here.  Oh wait-you don't mind hate-filled wrath from someone you agree with.  

What a bunch of great thinkers the Republicans are. Gripe, gripe, gripe, run our country into the ground, give away our constitutional rights, and now this.  A vague, vapid "blueprint".  So the only way they come up with anything is when they are taunted--and then it's a big nothing when they do?  What leadership!  I, too, am not happy with the proposed budget and would like to see some serious weeding done--including eliminating the 1.7 billion bucks for those Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

Grow A Pair: Try coming up with an argument based on facts that don't come from your talk radio cult leaders, and stop playing games with "all caps," then you can tell the rest of us to grow up.

Mel: Progressives can't take reasoned arguments and a diversity of ideas? Have you seen what passes for reasoned argument coming out of your side?

"Every man for himself" is not a governing philosophy.

Sad really.  After 60 days of constant criticism of their perceived failings of President Obama and his administration the best they can do is an outline and one without a single new, original thought.  Can't wait for the several hundred page detail.  

Sad really.  After 60 days of constant criticism of their perceived failings of President Obama and his administration the best they can do is an outline and one without a single new, original thought.  Can't wait for the several hundred page detail.  

No one is saying the Republican numbers are soft.  We're saying THE REPUBLICANS HAVE NO NUMBERS AT ALL, PERIOD!  ---> jawillie


Being off by $3 trillion means the Democrats don't have any numbers either Sunshine.

Oh, give the Republicans a break. They've only been in office for 8 weeks! How can anyone have anything done in 8 weeks?

Is Boehner's fake tan the perfect analogy for this no substance "budget", or what?

>>>I luv Keith Olbermann (Sent Thursday, March 26, 2009 3:19 PM)

==========
ROTFLMAO!  YOUR POST JUST MADE MY DAY!  THANKS!

http://jawillie.blog.com

Attack, attack, and attack, then come out with nothing-what a sound strategy!
Doles, Miami, FL

I'm confused. You talking about the Republicans, or the Democrats, or both?

Tzalaran: This budget debate is an absolute farce. President Obama was elected because of his vision for returning america to greatness.


Pfft!! Obama was elected because he's black and Soros threw a billion into the campaign hopper to get him elected.

This 'budget' includes cutting the maximum tax rate to 25%.  The last time it was that low?  1925-1931. This is astonishing. The Republicans are trying to recreate the conditions that led to the Great Depression.

What difference does it make - the Democrats are in charge of everything - they will pass any budget they want - more money for Acorn and Moveon.org
The Last Living Democrat (Sent Thursday, March 26, 2009 2:52 PM
__________
Interesting post.  Show us the numbers that show what ACORN and Moveon are getting, LLD, or are you just running your mouth?

kj, Dallas, TX - Thanks, I did it!  I also called my representative and my senators yesterday.  It was funny. My republican rep. Scott Garrett in NJ, didn't even bother to ask my name or info. when I asked his office to let him know I supported the budget, they just said thank you and hung up, but both senators asked for my info.  Interesting, huh?  I feel like I really got the brush off!!!

Did the teleprompter censor out most of the GOP's proposal??????

I agree that we should wait until the details for the Republican plan comes out before criticizing . . . I'm not holding breath, though.

The problem I see with the Republicans is that they are insisting that the deficit is reduced NOW.  Well, because of their misguided ways over the last 28 years, we do not have that luxury.  It's like a house that hasn't been maintained well and needs repairing.  You can't do that unless you spend lots of money now, you know, go into a bit more debt, but it means that any future maintenence will be cheaper later if you spend more now.

The CBO have never gotten a 10 year projection correct. To base a 10 year budget projection on a single budget proposal is foolish.  As President Obama has said, no one knows what is going to happen and by the time 10 years rolls around, there will have been 10 budgets passed.  He has indicated that they will look at what is working and what isn't working from this budget to tweak the next budget. This makes any 10 year projection moot.

We need a strong foundation so that what we are going through doesn't happen again but you can't get a strong foundation if you don't spend the money up front.  Think beyond your nose, think beyond today but most importantly, think.

No numbers in a budget?

I wouldn't have been able to sit down for a month if my deceased father ever saw me try to con people like this.

A budget without numbers belongs in the Bush league.

Jody, Iowa,

Countdown and Rachel simply live in an echo chamber and are simply opinion.

65,000,000 people voted for Obama. Yet 60,000,000 voted for McCain. Almost half of the American people did not vote for Obama.

I understand I get the left slant from MSNBC, the right slant from Fox, and CNN appears to be more middle. At least CNN criticized Obama's press conference. Watching MSNBC it was like they had cameras and live feed on site covering Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

Blind faith in any political leader is suicide.

This is typical of Republicans these days. They are just a bunch of blow hards that are full of hot air and bile. When will these guys get voted out of office? Can we please replace these morons with conservative Democrats? At least they do their jobs which is constructively trying to find compromise rather than blanket obstruction and ridiculous political games.

I'm not pure left but far from the right, I personally think someone should get a roll of duck tape and tape the stupid republicans mouths shut, I think they just like hearing themselves on TV and actually it is hilarious to watch them make asses out of themselves.  Go repukes you guys are just so smart and fantastic I can't believe John McNuts did not win the election!!!!!!

The "Gross Odd People" (GOP) call that piece of manure a budget?? What a joke America! Again. No specifics, no exact numbers, and no hope for our economic future. This piece of filth was created by "Crazy Cantor's Cronies" and the "Bonehead Boehner Bunch." These functional illiterates did not write a budget! They drew a comic book of only 19 pages long! These fools do not want to move forward at all!

I read the 19-page GOP pamphlet. Instead of one big NO, it's just a bunch of little no's strung out one per topic.
It still rehashes the same old same old Republican tactics which got us into this mess in the first place.

They don't offer any real facts, conclusions, or facts and figures.  They speak of financial reform but don't give specifics.  They just don't learn.

"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew."
Abraham Lincoln

Oh, these guys are slick aren't they!  We have a plan yeah, yeah that's the ticket, float the boat and call it a plan.  They will buy it they believed us before going into Iraq didn't they!  They believed us when we said we did not torture didn't they! They believed us when we said we did not spy on innocent Americans didn't they!  They believed us when we said that we were fiscally responsible didn't they!  They believed us when we said we needed less oversight didn't they! ------These guys are nothing but enemies of the state!!!!!They have no plan other than obstructionism!  Their plan only takes care of the rich!  Time for a revolution to take place against the Repuke party which is an enemy of the state!

So......Is it true the GOP spent money on these 19 pages; only to return to the printer with finished product....ie detailed issue?
 This is fiscal responsibility?

talk about wasting money repbplicans payed someboby to draft a budget and all they got was 19 pages i dont think they got their moneys worth

Clearly to the GOP "put up or shut up" means "put up a heavy screen of smoke and mirrors and shut up about the fact that it's all vaporware."

Uh oh, read the blueprint: no mention of any budget for our two wars....

Mel, Illinois (Sent Thursday, March 26, 2009 2:50 PM)

Sorry, Mel,  hope you don't think you're fooling anyone. Pretty good joke tho'.

Let's see, Pres.bush created a dept obligation of 1.3 trillion dollars annually, so 10 years down the road that would total a 13 trillion dollar defecit if nothing is changed in what he has initiated. Yet republicans continue to defend  everything he had done. WOW!

Now I hear republicans want to scrap the charitable giving increase in tax rate because this would stifle any charitale giving from the wealthy. Americans probably would prefer you derease some of your exhorbatant compensation and pay your employee a living wage to provide for their families adequately. This would enable companies to continue employing them longer than 6 months after a drop in our economy. Most Americans would prefer a decent paying job than your charity anyway.

Also, charitable giving is down because of current market conditions, which also shows individuals who were making less than 250,000 were the majority of individuals actually giving to charities. Shocking isn't it?

If corporations (executives)were more prudent in their obligation to their publically traded companies success, we would not have to be bailing them out. Think about it, if executive take 12.4 billions dollars a year in bonuses in a bad year, even more through good years, and add that up over the last ten to twenty years, I think you'll find most companies would not have to lay off employees just 6 months after a down turn in our economy.People who have been layed off would still be employed and spending thus minimizing the overall effect of a downturn spiraling even further down.

It also appears that most executives are the one that have overspent their lifestyle to the point they need these compensation packages just to stay afloat, to keep those 11 or so homes afloat, the jets flying, the ranches solvent, etc. But now they claim that individuals who can't pay for one home have somehow overspent and deserve their fate. I'm all for executive of publically traded companies  to make damn good money,but do you really need to make 300 + times the amount of your average employee. If I was an investor in that company and watch it's executives and board members bankrupt a company, had the government take over it and eliminate the shareholders for the takeover, I would be expecting people to go to jail, especially if this board and executives had paid themselves these giant parahute packages. Executives of publically traded companies have(or should have) a fidicuary responsility to share in the profits as well as the losses. Once publically traded, it is no longer your company, it belongs to the public as well.

I know this kinda talk upsets most executives, and personally have no vendetta against them. However in moving forward I would hope you would trim your sails voluntarily as has most Americans hav been forced to do. If not, you deserve all the anger most Americans can weild.

Clearly, the GOP does not expect to be taken seriously. The times demand serious and thoughtful responses. If they do not care to give thought and meaning to their own words, why should anyone else? A budget includes numbers by definition. The numbers convey meaning and choices.

I luv Keith Olbermann (Sent Thursday, March 26, 2009 3:19 PM)

Thanks for the GOP budget plan discussion -- I was laughing out loud (I know I'm supposed to type LOL,or ROFLMAO according to my granddaughter, but I'm too damn old to learn new tricks). Anyway, thanks, it was great. I loved it.

As a head of department, if I were to present my CEO with a folder and wave it saying "you asked for a budget, here it is - a detailed blueprint", and he opened it and saw a ":budget" with no numbers, MY number would be up.... my ensuing steps would be to my office to pack and then through the door.

And why was the writer of this article so careful to leave out the fact that this "budget" cuts the tax rate for the wealthy from 36 to 25%? Interesting "oversight"

The Republican Plan is a floor wax AND a dessert topping!  

Just more critique and talking points, but these pages are incredibly different: they have a blue cover.

BBWWWWAAAAAAA - you didn't think the retreads would actually come up with anything substantial or viable did you??  What a joke, more tax cuts. They just don't get it.  It probably took them all of 30 minutes to put this crap together.  Step out of the way gop and let the real leaders press on.

It's a blue print you idiots!  Just Like Obama's blue print for his "economic recovery plan"  Our dear leader took weeks to come out with the hard numbers after his blueprint, I think you should extend the same timeframe for republicans, and judge the 2 plans on 2 things:  which one creates more jobs, which one lowers our national debt, and aims to balance the budget.
Jon Johnson (Sent Thursday, March 26, 2009 3:45 PM)


You need a hug, and a life.  

Hey, maybe the delay on the actual numbers is because Michelle Bachmann is doing the 'cipherin' in the new non-American currency she's so concerned about.

Ah ha ha ha ha!!!  St. Ronnie has to be rollin' in his grave at the unmitigated stupidity of his party.

Budget, that a budget, hmmm, oh my!!!
I must not produce that as a term paper in my graduate class, this is nothing more than a high school term paper. Them people need serious help, unfortunately they are led by people who don't understand intellectual development at all, what a big SHAME. Go Get A Budget PUGS.
THIS IS AN EMBARRASSMENT, I SEE WHY THE SENATE REPUBLICANS DON'T WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS TRASH. GET YOUR SELF TOGETHER. AND YOU ALL NEED TO GROW MORE THAN A PAIR

Ted, Mid Michigan
It would be great if you supplied every American with health but right now myself and plenty of other hard working Americans are having another trouble feeding our own families much less all the welfare mooches that we are having to feed also.  I really don't need the added burden of making sure you get your cold looked at by a doc.  People need to get back to taking care of themselves and not depend on everybody else to do it for them.

chris, alabama (Sent Thursday, March 26, 2009 3:46 PM)---------------------------------------------------

What you seem to be too dense to understand is that if everybody received coverage, everybody’s average health costs would lower. YOUR costs would lower. Less emergency room visits, more preventative care, more COMPETITION. The Insurance Agency will not be able to hold you hostage any more.

No one here is speaking of "Free" anything. You pay your health Insurance now, right? Directly out of your check from your employer, right? Only difference would be the money goes to a national health plan. Or, are you one of those who choose not to have insurance, partly the reason that premiums are so damn high now? So, where's the rub. Less Emergency room visits + More preventative care = lower health costs. Also, look at the TREMENDOUS cost that health care burdens business, large and small with.

And, while you're on you morally high horse, know this. I’m fully and gainfully employed, I'm educated, I'm a father, I pay property and all other required taxes, I give to charity when possible, and I pay for all those "moochers" too (don't you know anybody who needs some help right now?);I am a productive piece to our society. Sounds a lot like you, huh? Difference is, I would GLADLY pay a higher tax rate to ensure the medical needs you and your family! Because it's the right thing to do.

I am not even going to bother reading what any one post here but I will say this, Again you stupid americans have let yourselves get robbed by the same conservative talking heads again and again. They woo you in with the BS about giving you your money back and this time they are stealing it right in front of you and all you idiots can do is complain about what Obama is doing. You all deserve the crap storm you voted for the past 12 years, am glad to see you get robbed again, and again. You idiots got robbed under Regan, then asked Bill to clean it up, get rapped under Bush and now you want Obama to fix it but not with any money. Again, glad to see you all burning in the hells you all created.   Good for all of you.

I have just one comment on a 19 page US budget with no details and no numbers..
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
I get it; It is a joke, right?

Geez.  The GOP comes up with 19 pages of a preliminary budget after 8 years.  Wow, that must have been really hard work!  I guess next week will be the real deal (Not!).  Don't they get that there is no budget without numbers....

The Republican plan looked like a piece of toilet paper wrapped in a blue folder.....Where's the Plan?

the only 'hard' numbers in any GOP anything are the gay prostitute PHONE NUMBERS, and the phone numbers of meth dealers, aka, they are HYPOCRITICAL SONS OF BEYOTCHES, to the last one!

I don't agree with Obombya much, but it chaps my hide to see the GOP SCUM pull this crap, when they are the REASON FOR THE DEFICITS THAT DESTROYED THE NATION IN THE FIRST PLACE!  HOW DARE THEY OPEN THEIR TREASONOUS FACES TODAY, after what they've done to this country.

What is this somone's childs book report? Maybe you should have bought  how to write a report for dummies.  Hang on to this for 2012 - maybe Palin will use it.

i just got a copy of the gop's budget. here it is:

pp. 1:4: picture of rush (4 pages are needed to cover the spread of the great leader)
p. 5: recovery plan: tax cut
pp. 6-7: economic plan: tax cut
pp. 8-9: energy plan: drill, baby, drill
pp. 10-12: unemployment benefits (pictures of tent cities: bushvilles)
p. 13: picture of a windmill
p. 14: picture of volcano jindal
pp. 16-17: health care plan (various prayers for the sick)
pp. 18-19: education plan (pictures of hannity, beck, joe the plumber, and rush again)

that's all folks

" don't claim that the rich are victimized (although it seems that this country is headed in a direction in which successful people are punished), "

Funny how a lot of idle, hedge fund rich complain of a three percent rise in taxes which is what they paid under the Clinton, Reagen years when in the early part of the 20th century anyone making over 100,000 had a tax rate of 90%. Strange that we still had lots of multimillionaries and billionaries. Funny that every few years we lower the taxes on those making over 100,000 and the inflation would continue to rise making the dollar a lot less in worth.

Why was it okay for the rich to pay such high taxes? Because those taxes motivated them to make more money. When the rich get a tax cut they just horde the money. When the poor and middle class get money they spend that money immediatly on things that will make them more comfortable raising them up an income bracket if things go well or at least take pressure off them. How is a multibillionare buying one yacht going to increase the economy when you compare it to effects of a million people buying a toaster oven?

Wealth trickles up it doesn't trickle down. Spending money on those you call worthless actually helps the economy because a lot of people who are jobless want to work but they cannot since no one is hiring. Food stamps help the economy because that money buys food which helps the grocery stores and the farmers/companies. There have been several studies on how much each dollar spent on various things generates. Such things were unemployment, food stamps, welfare, tax cuts for the wealthy. Tax cuts for the wealthy produced the least amount of dollars compared to every dollar spent on welfare.

Spending money on road construction, improvement, maintance hires tons of people and generates a lot of economic activity as does most infrastructure improvement.

The New Deal actually helped ease the depression. Each year of the new deal hired millions of people for work. When such jobs are added to the employment and deducted from the unemployment figures the great depression is a lot less worse. Also consider the ecomonic effects of all those schools being constructed, dams, bridges, roads. It takes years but the effects do happen. World War 2 was just four times the New Deal in terms of money spent. Millions of people were hired by the goverment to fill out positions in the miltary. Millions more were employed under goverment contracts to make weapons.  

Why should the wealthy get more out of every dollar they deduct for charity on their taxes? Shouldn't a poor or middle class person get more of a deduction since giving to a charity is more financially draining then it would be on a rich person?

Why would the GOP do this to themselves? A budget without numbers? So embarassing! Their proposal on tax cuts does even more for the most well off than George Bush's did.  Why not wait until Ryan actually had the real numbers and approach this seriously instead for politically? They need a leader stat!

House Majority Leader Boehner have no answers or num-bers. And why not? Instead of playing since January 20th, they should have been working to get those numbers to the public. No, they thought this would all die down and they could continue business as usually. The produce some pages with hogwash and later next week it will be more of the same. I am so tired of people (rich people) thinking someone want their money. How did they get their wealth? Some was inherit, but still where did it come from. They have been playing on the middle class and lower class to make their money. Then they lie and skim so they want have to pay taxes, hide money in oversea banks. So, who is cheating who? And the Republicans have helped themselves as well as their friends; and now they are scared the American people will find out just what they have been doing. The American people have found out just where their loyalty lies and it is not with the American people. Face it, the republicans are selfish; if you are not in their group, then you are beneath them. Can anyone answer the question "what have the Republicans done for you lately?" Americans should see how they have wasted everyone time since January 20th. They have been so busy getting their party together, they didn't bother to work on a plan to show the American people or Obama. It is really just sickin' for them to treat the American they way they do. Right now they just threw out a bone; and next week they just might throw a bone that has a little meat on it.

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