10 things you should know about Obama's plan (but probably don't)

[Soylent Brice]

got this from moveon.org. though i'd post it in case there's anyone here that hasn't seen it yet.

10 things you should know about Obama's plan (but probably don't)

The plan:
1. Makes a $634 billion down payment on fixing health care that will go a long way toward paying for a more efficient, more affordable health care system that covers every single American.3

2. Reduces taxes for 95% of working Americans. And if your family makes less than $250,000, your taxes won't go up one dime.4

3. Invests more than $100 billion in clean energy technology, creating millions of green jobs that can never be outsourced.5

4. Brings our troops home from Iraq on a firm timetable, finally bringing the war to a close—and freeing up almost ten billion dollars a month for domestic priorities.6

5. Reverses growing income inequality. The plan lets the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire and focuses on strengthening the middle class.7

6. Closes multi-billion-dollar tax loopholes for big oil companies. 8

7. Increases grants to help families pay for college—the largest increase ever.9
8. Halves the deficit by 2013. President Obama inherited a legacy of huge deficits and an economy in shambles, but his plan brings the deficit under control as soon as the economy begins to recover.10

9. Dramatically increases funding for the SEC and the CFTC—the agencies that police Wall Street.11

10. Tells it straight. For years, budgets have used accounting tricks to hide the real costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush tax cuts, and too many other programs. Obama's budget gets rid of the smokescreens and lays out what America's priorities are, what they cost, and how we're going to pay for them.12


Sources:
1. "Climate of Change," The New York Times, February 27, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/opinion/27krugman.html?em
2. "Obama Calls His Budget Sweeping, Needed Change," The New York Times, February 28, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51201&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=2
3. "Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=3
4. "Obama Expects Fight Over $3.55 Trillion Budget Plan," Bloomberg News, February 28, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51203&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=4
5. "Energy Budget Is Sunlight After Eight Years of Darkness," Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51204&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=5
6. "The Economic Cost of War in Iraq and Afghanistan," The New York Times, March 1, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/weekinreview/01glanz.html
7. "Tax Cuts," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-tax.html
8. "Energy Budget Is Sunlight After Eight Years of Darkness," Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51204&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=6
9. "Student Loans," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-edu.html
10. "Obama unveils budget blueprint," CNN, February 26, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/26/budget/
11. "Obama budget would boost SEC, CFTC, FBI," Reuters, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51205&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=7
12. "Obama's budget," Los Angeles Times, February 27, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51206&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=8
13. "Student Loans," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-edu.html
14. "Health Insurance Stocks Dive on Medicare Advantage Cuts," The Wall Street Journal, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51207&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=9
15. "Agriculture," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-agri.html
16. "Investing Wisely in Our Children," Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51208&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=10
17. "Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=11
18. "Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=12
19. "Setting 'Green' Goals," The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51209&id=15687-10933385-MrIvtox&t=13

[Earth_First]

1. re: #6

Does this also reduce (or eliminate) windfalls or tax windfall profits?

I suppose it's off to google with me...

[KharmaTrain]

2. And The Reasons The Rich & Right Wing Are Fighting Tooth And Nail

From phony "tea parties" to screams that all our taxes will be raised, the corporates are not gonna let go of their golden ring without a fight. They're seeing 30 years of being pampered coming to an end and they're doing all they can to keep the party going...or to bring the whole house down in the process.

President Obama's proposals step on a lot of third rails from Big Pharma to Wall Street to Military contractors and so on...a lot of money and influence that will be bought over the months ahead. We'll get astroturfed constantly about how evil all these plans are and the noise of the wealthy will get louder and louder...and this is where our job is cut out.

We must continue to hold our Democratic Representatives and Senator's feet to the fire...or to cover their back from all the pressures that will be applied. If we're ever to break the cycle of a kleptocracy, these proposals are a solid start and a road map to a far better future. But its one we have to fight for.

[Soylent Brice]

3. let them try. they're not getting anywhere.

[KharmaTrain]

4. They Already Are...Look At This Assclown Santelli

As suspected, he was a plant for a bunch of right wing groups funded by Charles Koch...one of the same "funders" that hounded Clinton in the 90's. His Cato Institute is leading the way is spreading fear about how taxes on everyone will be raised or how the "law abiding" people are having to pay the freight for the dead beats.

Yesterday I scanned past a hate radio asshat blaming President Obama for the big drop in tourism in Vegas. This shitstain's premise was that since Northern Trust's 1 million dollar plus fiasco had been exposed, along with other similar banking games, many other companies were cancelling their convetion plans...somehow fearful of some government or public ridicule. No mention about the fact people are upset at these banks using taxpayer money for watching Sheryl Crowe or that private corporations that don't use the government dime should have no reason to cancel their plans...unless they're losing money and can't afford it due to a shit economy.

The spinning is out there...and a lot of it is designed to confuse and muddy the waters. Right now a majority of Americans trust President Obama...their game is to erode that trust...bring him down to their level and hope any reforms get stonewalled.

[FLDCVADem]

5. The only one of those that I question...

...is #4

"Brings our troops home from Iraq on a firm timetable, finally bringing the war to a close—and freeing up almost ten billion dollars a month for domestic priorities."

I don't question the first part, bringing the troops home and bringing the war to a close, but rather the second part, freeing up almost ten billion dollars a month for domestic priorities. That $10B is borrowed money - we won't be freeing up anything, simply borrowing $10B less per month.

[Soylent Brice]

7. a penny saved is a penny earned...

i'd rather take out a 10 billion a month loan for health care than for a war...

[FLDCVADem]

8. No argument from me on that...

...but we also need to be honest about the presentation and say that the money is being borrowed.

[Soylent Brice]

9. everybody knows china is our master.

there's no lack of transparency. there's no misguided representation. there's no misleading wording.

on any level.

stimulus.gov, et. al as an example.

don't sweat it. equilibrium is beginning.

[FLDCVADem]

10. We'll agree to disagree...

...on the no misleading wording part.

[Soylent Brice]

11. wow. really? well...

here it is:

http://readthestimulus.org/hr1_final.pdf

name one thing in here that has misleading wording.



also, check this out when you have a second.

http://www.stimuluswatch.org/

[Bandit]

6. Even a Deficit cut in half will still be larger than any Bush* created.

He has to do better than that.