Outside the Beltway

The American public still has a totally unrealistic view of what it will take to get the Federal Government’s fiscal house in order.

When determining the effects on the deficit of a certain legislative action, both revenues and spending have to be accounted for. Indeed, you can’t determine whether there is a deficit, surplus or balanced budget without both variables.

Freshman Members of Congress are threatening to block a vote to raise the debt ceiling that Congress will have to take by this Spring. They’d be irresponsible if they did so.

The seemingly sensible end-of-life counseling that was originally part of the Health Care Reform Bill is making a comeback.

The new House Republican majority will force lawmakers to vote when they want to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, publish committee attendance records, ban former members from lobbying in the House gym and require new mandatory spending to be offset by cuts to other programs.

Did we have a free market in health care prior to the passage of PPACA? No.

Is “ObamaCare” a slur or a breezy and descriptive nickname?

PolitiFact’s Lie of the Year 2010.

The battle over the individual mandate is really just nothing more than the latest round in a batter that has been ongoing for 221 years.

Republicans were largely silent during the Bush Administration as spending went out of control. Will they do that again?

President Obama is already taking heat from the left for his compromise on tax cut extensions, but will it actually hurt him in the end?

The Republican talking point that lowering taxes lowers spending and raising taxes increases spending is denied by reality.

There is a simple mathematical equation that explains why deficit reduction is so difficult.

Thomas Ricks laments that the combination of the all-volunteer military and lower top marginal rates mean that the wealthy have “checked out of America and moved into physical and mental gated communities.” To solve this problem, he proposed bringing back the draft.

A new poll about the proposals coming out of the Deficit Commission makes it clear that the American public needs to grow up.

Here’s my plan for creating a budget surplus of $126 billion by 2015 and $592 billion by 2030.

Former Congressman Bob Barr argues that the right should not be so eager to rehabilitate George W. Bush. He’s right.

They’ve won the elections, but Republicans still aren’t getting specific about exactly where they’d cut Federal spending.

The race between Jeb Hensarling and Michelle Bachmann for Chair of the House GOP Conference is a microcosm for a battle that is likely to take place within the GOP for the next two years.

Nancy Pelosi is strongly considering staying in Congress as Minority Leader. It’s her job if she wants it.

Ok, what strategy should Speaker Boehner pursue?

Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson takes a look at the Tea Party movement and claims to find racism.

Pundits and partisans constantly overreact to the momentary mood expressed in a single election. The Republicans have already rebounded from 2008. The Democrats will recover from 2010.

Dan Coates has an ad that makes a claim that should make your head explode.

An ad for Republican Senate candidate Roy Blunt complains that his opponent voted to cut Medicare in order to support “government-run health care.”

Jack Conway’s “Aqua Buddha” ad has come back to haunt him in the polls, and may become the act that seals his fate on Election Day.

Instead of decades-old retreads like talking about abolishing the Department of Education, it would be nice if we had a real debate about the fiscal circumstances in the country.

Yesterday’s appearance by Carly Fiorina on Fox News Sunday provided an excellent example of how un-serious Republicans are when it comes to living up to their fiscally conservative rhetoric.

More bad news for Democrats as a new poll shows that voters are more likely to consider them extreme than Republicans.

Greg Mankiw argues that, the more of his money the government takes, the less incentive he has to earn more. That’s debatable.

In 1994, it was the Contract With America. In 2010, it’s the Pledge To America. But does it really mean anything regardless of what it’s called ?

The CBO sees a clear threat of a fiscal crisis during the next two decades unless we’re saved by magic ponies.

Party labels are just names, as such all Republicans are Republicans in name only.

The nation’s 2nd smallest state is becoming the biggest battleground between the Establishment GOP and Tea Party insurgents.

Facing a difficult economy and a very bad November, the Obama administration is considering a tax cut proposal to spur hiring.

A special tax rate for millionaires wouldn’t raise much additional revenue but it would make journalists feel better.

Are government imposed mandates making it impossible for businesses to justify hiring new workers?

Paul Krugman’s Medicare projections don’t line up with what the actuaries are telling us.