FIXING THE SEQUESTER’S BUDGET CUTS

ABSTRACT: The impacts of the $85 billion, 5% across the board budget cuts that went into effect on March 1^st (known as the Sequester) are being felt. The cuts to air traffic controllers caused flight delays, so Congress acted with rarely seen speed to provide funding for them.

However, other impacts of the sequester, which are having far more significant effects on people’s lives than having a flight delayed, are being ignored by Congress. It is estimated that almost 60,000 young children will lose or receive reduced Head Start and Early Head Start services. Grants for child care subsidies have been cut, which will undermine the ability of parents to work and the school readiness of an estimated 28,000 children. The estimated impacts of other cuts include: lost nutrition benefits for 600,000 mothers and their young children, reduced K-12 education supports for 1.2 million disadvantaged children, fewer meals for tens of thousands of seniors, and 4,000 fewer AmeriCorps and VISTA volunteers. Unemployment benefits, vouchers for rental housing assistance, and health care funding have also been cut.

I urge you to email, write, or call your representatives in Congress and the President to say that it’s nice to fix the sequester’s impact on flight delays, but it’s much more important to fix the significant, negative impacts the sequester is having on people’s daily lives, on our children and their education from birth onward, on seniors’ ability to live independently, and on the ability of low income families and the unemployed to make ends meet.

FULL POST: The impacts of the $85 billion, 5% across the board budget cuts that went into effect on March 1^st (known as the Sequester) are being felt. As you’ve probably heard, the cuts to air traffic controllers caused flight delays. So Congress acted with rarely seen speed and in just two days passed a bill that shifts money from airport improvement projects to provide funding for the controllers. The meat industry, the Pentagon, and the Homeland Security and Justice Departments also got some relief from the sequester’s cuts in the bill. [1]

However, other impacts of the sequester, which are having far more significant effects on people’s lives than having a flight delayed, are being ignored by Congress. Here are some examples: [2][3]

Early childhood care and education:
- Head Start and Early Head Start, which provide families in poverty with school readiness enrichment for children under 5 and other support, are cutting services. Some are closing early and some are shutting down for 2 – 3 weeks. Others are laying off staff and serving fewer children, with some conducting lotteries to determine which children will be asked to leave. This is potentially harmful to children’s brain development, which is likely to negatively affect their success in school and their ability to be productive workers in the future. Nationally, it is estimated that almost 60,000 young children will lose or receive reduced services.
- Grants to the states for child care subsidies have been cut. Therefore, states will offer less help to low income families to pay for child care. This will undermine the ability of parents to work and the school readiness of an estimated 28,000 children.
Nutrition for mothers and their young children: It is estimated that 600,000 low income mothers and their young children will lose nutrition benefits. This could do long-term harm to the health and school readiness of these children.
K-12 Education: School teachers, aides, and literacy and remedial specialists are being laid off. In particular, the Title I program that provides funding to schools serving high numbers of low income families has been cut by $726 million, which is estimated to affect 1.2 million disadvantaged students and 10,000 school staff members.
Unemployment benefits: The federal government advised states to cut their unemployment benefits to the long-term unemployed by 10.7% in the first week of April or make larger percentage cuts later. In California, for example, where unemployment is 9.6%, 400,000 long-term unemployed workers, whose average weekly check is $297, will receive a cut of $52 a week.
Housing: Vouchers for rental assistance are being cut. Some recently issued vouchers are being rescinded and some subsidized tenants are being asked to pay more toward their rent. Waiting lists and times (measured in years in many places) for housing assistance are growing. Tens of thousands of families will be affected.
Services for seniors: Transportation services for seniors are being cut and some senior centers are being closed. Meals on Wheels will deliver hundreds of thousands fewer meals for tens of thousands of seniors.
Health care: Local clinics, the most convenient and cost-effective places to get health care, are cutting services, forcing patients to travel longer distance to access more expensive services at hospitals. Hospitals and health care organizations will lose $11 billion this year. Non-profit hospitals that serve large Medicare populations will be disproportionately affected.
Community service: 4,000 of 80,000 AmeriCorps and VISTA volunteers will be cut.

The impacts of the sequester’s cuts to social and human service programs are difficult to quantify and describe because they are in numerous programs and grants, and are happening differently in each state, in each city, and in each agency and program as these entities struggle to implement the cuts with the least harm possible.

Meanwhile, Congress, including prominent deficit hawks, is insisting that the military spend almost half a billion dollars on tanks that the Pentagon doesn’t want to save 700 jobs at a General Dynamics plant in Ohio. General Dynamics, by the way, spent $11 million on lobbying last year. [4]

I urge you to email, write, or call your representatives in Congress and the President to say that it’s nice to fix the sequester’s impact on flight delays, but it’s much more important to fix the significant, negative impacts the sequester is having on people’s daily lives, on our children and their education from birth onward, on seniors’ ability to live independently, and on the ability of low income families and the unemployed to make ends meet.

[1] Grant, D., 4/16/13, “Before members rush for airports, Congress ends sequester flight delays,” The Christian Science Monitor

[2] Zero to Three, 4/26/13 and 4/8/13, “The sequester’s pain: Air travelers get relief, little kids not so much,” and “When babies share the burden – How the sequester is affecting young children,” Baby Policy Blog of Zero to Three

[3] Coalition on Human Needs, April, 2013, “Sequester impact factsheets,” http://www.chn.org/background/save-state-fact-sheets/

[4] Lardner, R., 4/29/13, “Army says no to tanks, but Congress insists,” Associated Press in Daily Times Chronicle

MOVING FORWARD ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE

ABSTRACT: A serious effort for campaign finance reform is moving forward in New York State. The citizen / public campaign financing system that is in place in New York City is a great model for the state’s efforts and others.

We need campaign finance reform because, for example, in the 2012 federal election campaigns over $7 billion was spent with the bulk of the money coming from wealthy individuals and corporations. One third of the roughly $1 billion spent by groups other than the candidates’ campaigns themselves was secret funds anonymously funneled through front groups created to launder the money and hide its source. The voices of average citizens – the 99% of us – are drowned out in the campaigns and in policy making by the megaphones and mega-dollars of the wealthy. Money in campaigns does matter. In 2012, more than 80 percent of US House candidates and two-thirds of Senate candidates who outspent their general election opponents won. As Justice Brandeis stated, “We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”

New York City has a system of citizen funding for campaigns for city offices. It provides matching public funds that give candidates the opportunity to run for public office without dependence on large contributions from wealthy donors. Participants in these city races are getting the majority of their funding from a broad spectrum of small contributors, while candidates for the state legislature from the same area, without the citizen funding system, get the majority of their funding from large contributors.

At least 10 states and 7 cities have citizen / public campaign financing for at least some elections. You can find information on campaign financing and whether there is a reform effort in your state at the Public Campaign website (http://www.publicampaign.org/).

Citizen / public campaign financing is an essential step in making our elected officials accountable and responsive to the 99% of us, as opposed to wealthy campaign contributors.

FULL POST: A serious effort for campaign finance reform is moving forward in New York State. The citizen / public campaign financing system that is in place in New York City is a great model for the state’s efforts and others. [1]

We need campaign finance reform because, for example, in the 2012 federal election campaigns over $7 billion was spent. We have the best democracy money can buy and the bulk of the money came from wealthy individuals and corporations. Of course this means it isn’t a democracy at all, for the golden rule of US politics is that he who provides the gold, rules.

Each of the presidential candidates raised and spent over $1 billion. President Obama broke all records by attending a fundraiser on average every two and a half days throughout the long campaign. Is this really how we want our President – and our other elected officials – spending their time? The 435 races for the House of Representatives cost over $1 billion, or an average of $2.3 million per seat. The races for the 33 Senate seats up for election cost over $700 million, or an average of $21 million each.

One third of the roughly $1 billion spent by groups other than the candidates’ campaigns themselves was secret funds anonymously funneled through front groups created to launder the money and hide its source. For the Super Political Action Committees (PACs), which could raise and spend unlimited sums because of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, the top 32 donors gave an average of $10 million each and just 159 people donated 60% of their funds.

The great bulk of the $7 billion spent on the federal races in 2012 came in large amounts from wealthy individuals and corporations. The voices of average citizens – the 99% of us – are drowned out in the campaigns and in policy making by the megaphones and mega-dollars of the wealthy.

So there is no question that we need comprehensive campaign finance reform if we want government of, by, and for the people. As Justice Brandeis stated, “We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”

New York City has a system of citizen funding for campaigns for city offices. It provides matching public funds that give candidates the opportunity to run for public office without dependence on large contributions from wealthy donors. Someone running for citywide office or for city council who wants to participate in the voluntary citizen financing system has to raise a qualifying amount in small contributions. A mayoral candidate has to raise $250,000 from at least 1,000 city residents. A City Council candidate has to raise $5,000 in small donations from at least 75 in-district residents.

Once a candidate has achieved the qualifying threshold, any contribution up to $175 is matched six to one by public funds. So a $25 contribution is worth $175, a $100 contribution is worth $700, and a $175 contribution is worth $1,225. Only contributions by residents of the City or district are matched, and any amount over $175 is not matched. In addition to the qualifying thresholds and matching funds, there are per election spending limits ($161,000 for City Council and a little over $6 million for Mayor) and disclosure requirements. [2]

Participants in these city races are getting the majority of their funding from a broad spectrum of small contributors, while candidates for the state legislature from the same area, without the citizen funding system, get the majority of their funding from large contributors. This citizen funding allows candidates to focus their attention on ordinary citizens, not those with deep pockets, and still raise an amount of money that’s sufficient to run a credible, competitive campaign. And it engages citizens, because somebody who contributes $10 to a campaign, is more likely to volunteer, is more likely to show up and vote, and is more likely to follow and engage with what happens in government after the campaign than someone who doesn’t contribute – because they don’t believe their small contribution matters.

This blunts the influence of the big money in multiple ways. Beyond the base amount needed to run a credible campaign, additional money has a diminishing marginal return (to use a term from economics). In other words, after a point, additional campaign spending just doesn’t have that much impact. That’s one of the reasons all the Super PAC money wasn’t as effective as many thought it would be in the 2012 elections – people just got tired of hearing the same message over and over.

But money does matter. In 2012, more than 80 percent of House candidates and two-thirds of Senate candidates who outspent their general election opponents won. And although money doesn’t often literally buy elected officials’ votes, it does corrupt some of them and it certainly gets their ears and may well get them to lean toward the interests of their contributors.

At least 10 states and 7 cities have citizen / public campaign financing for at least some elections. A serious effort to implement broad citizen / public financing of elections is underway in New York for state elections. You can find information on campaign financing and whether there is a reform effort in your state at the Public Campaign website (http://www.publicampaign.org/).

Citizen / public campaign financing is an essential step in making our elected officials accountable and responsive to the 99% of us, as opposed to wealthy campaign contributors. It was important before the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allows unlimited spending by wealthy interests, and it’s even more important now.

[1] The majority of the content for this blog post is a summary of Bill Moyers’ show of 2/15/13, “The fight to keep democracy alive.” You can watch it at http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-the-fight-to-keep-democracy-alive/. A podcast is also available. As I probably don’t need to tell you, Bill’s shows are fantastic and I urge you to watch or listen to them regularly if possible, or whenever you can find the time.

[2] Migally, A., & Liss, S., 2010, “Small donor matching funds: The NYC election experience,” Brennan Center for Justice, http://www.brennancenter.org/issues/public-financing

SHAMEFUL FAILURE TO ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE

ABSTRACT: A filibuster in the US Senate just blocked passage of a law to require background checks on most gun buyers, despite the fact that 90% of Americans support these background checks; even 74% of National Rifle Association (NRA) members support them!

This reflects the power of money in politics – the money of the gun and ammunition makers and sellers. Their well-funded front organization, the NRA, only has about 2 million members, but wields outsized influence.

The facts make this failure to address gun violence shameful. In the four months since the Newtown massacre of 20 young children and 6 adults, over 3,500 people have died from gun violence. Roughly 30,000 people die each year from gun violence in the US. This is ten times as many as died on September 11^th, but we spend far more time and money to prevent violence by terrorists than we do to prevent gun violence.

Contrary to the NRA’s rhetoric, guns do NOT make you safer: 1) For every use of a gun in self-defense at home, there are 11 suicide attempts, 7 assaults or murders, and 4 gun accidents; 2) Gun death rates are over three times higher in states with high gun ownership; and 3) Despite the claim that more armed civilians would stop mass shootings, this hasn’t happened once in the last 30 years.

In 1996, Australia banned automatic and semi-automatic weapons, required strict permitting and tracking of gun purchases, and purchased and destroyed about 700,000 firearms. The results are:

59% decrease in firearm murders (without an increase in non-firearm murders)
65% decrease in firearm suicides (without an increase in non-firearm suicides)
No gun massacres in the 16 years since enactment of the law compared with 13 massacres (in which 4 or more people died) in the 18 years before enactment
The murder rate has dropped to 1 per 1 million people. (The US rate is 33 times higher.)

The votes in the US Senate are profiles in cowardice. There is no reason for anyone other than law enforcement and the military to have automatic and semi-automatic weapons with magazines that hold over 10 bullets. I urge you to call, email, and / or write your federal and state elected officials and demand reasonable gun laws that will prevent future gun massacres.

FULL POST: A filibuster in the US Senate just blocked passage of a law to require background checks on most gun buyers. Although there was a majority of 54 votes in favor, the Republicans, abetted by four Democrats, obstructed progress. This occurred despite the fact that 90% of Americans support these background checks; even 74% of National Rifle Association (NRA) members support them! The Senate also failed to pass a provision banning the sales of assault weapons; there were only 40 votes in favor, even though 45% of gun owners support a ban on these weapons. [1]

This reflects the power of money in politics – the money of the gun and ammunition makers and sellers. While their lobbyists operate behind the scenes, their well-funded front organization, the NRA, operates in public. Although it only has about 2 million members (out of 300 million people in the US), which is only 5% of gun owners, and 30% of gun owners have an unfavorable opinion of the NRA, it wields outsized influence. Together, the money, the private lobbying, and the public publicity have banned federal research and data sharing on gun violence and perpetrated myths about guns and gun violence.

The facts make this failure to address gun violence shameful. In the four months since the Newtown massacre of 20 young children and 6 adults, over 3,500 people have died from gun violence. Roughly, 30,000 people die each year of gun violence in the US, 12,000 murders and 18,000 suicides. This is ten times as many as died on September 11^th, but we spend far more time and money to prevent violence by terrorists than we do to prevent gun violence. There is also far more focus, effort, and resources spent to keep illegal immigrants out of this country than there is to keep guns out of the hands of illegal gun purchasers.

Contrary to the NRA’s rhetoric, guns do NOT make you safer:

For every use of a gun for self-defense at home, there are 11 suicide attempts, 7 assaults or murders, and 4 accidents with a gun. Six times more women were shot by husbands, boyfriends, and ex-partners than were murdered by strangers. A women’s chance of being killed by her abuser is 7 times higher if he has access to a gun.
Gun death rates are over three times higher in states with high gun ownership. The state with the highest gun ownership (Wyoming, over 60% of households) also has the highest rate of gun deaths (over 15 per 100,000 people). The state with the lowest gun ownership (Hawaii, less than 10% of households) also has the lowest rate of gun deaths (less than 5 per 100,000 people). The other states clearly demonstrate this relationship that more guns means more gun deaths.
Despite the claim that more armed civilians would stop mass shootings, this hasn’t happened once in the last 30 years.
Civilians in the US own roughly 310 million guns while law enforcement and the military have 4 million guns. Roughly a third of Americans own a gun, down from about half in 1973. The average gun owner has 8 guns. [2]

In terms of evidence to support the effectiveness of legislation to prevent gun violence, there is a very relevant example from Australia. In 1996, 35 people were killed in Australia by a gunman in a massacre reminiscent of those we have experienced recently here in the US. In response, Australia, under Conservative Prime Minister John Howard, banned automatic and semi-automatic weapons, required strict permitting and tracking of gun purchases, and purchased and destroyed about 700,000 firearms in a gun buyback program. [3]

The results are: [4][5]

59% decrease in firearm murders (without an increase in non-firearm murders)
65% decrease in firearm suicides (without an increase in non-firearm suicides)
No gun massacres in the 16 years since enactment of the law compared with 13 massacres (in which 4 or more people died) in the 18 years before enactment
The murder rate has dropped to 1 per 1 million people, a fortieth of what it was. (The US rate is 33 times higher.)

The votes in the US Senate are profiles in cowardice. Colorado, New York, and Connecticut have recently passed meaningful gun violence prevention laws. There is no reason for anyone other than law enforcement and the military to have automatic and semi-automatic weapons with magazines that hold over 10 bullets. Sensible gun laws, as evidenced by the Australian experience, would make a difference. (See my post of 12/16/12 for more detail.)

I urge you to call, email, and / or write your federal and state elected officials and demand reasonable gun laws that will prevent future gun massacres. I also encourage you to participate in on-line or local actions to express your support for common sense gun violence prevention laws.

It’s past time to take serious steps to reduce gun deaths and violence, as well as hopefully, eventually, to eliminate the occurrence of gun massacres – as Australia did. We must insist that our elected officials pass sensible gun violence prevention laws.

[1] Jan, T., & Viser, M., 4/18/13, “Wider checks on guns rejected,” The Boston Globe

[2] Gilson, D., March/April 2013 issue, “Hits and myths: Ten pro-gun claims that don’t stand up to fact-checking,” Mother Jones

[3] An equivalent buyback program in the US would need to purchase and destroy 40 million guns.

[4] Matthews, D., 8/2/12, “Did gun control work in Australia?” The Washington Post

[5] Editorial Board, 12/18/12, “Australian gun control holds lessons for U.S.,” USA Today

SOCIAL SECURITY AND CHAINED CPI

ABSTRACT: In his federal government budget, President Obama has proposed cutting future Social Security benefits. He has done so in a way that is probably meant to obscure this fact. The Social Security Administration estimates that the result would be a 5% cut in benefits over every 12 year period.

It would not reduce the annual deficit, because SS has its own, dedicated funding stream. Social Security (SS) does not have a major funding problem; its shortfall 20 years from now is easily remedied.

Therefore, it seems that the only reason President Obama is proposing this cut in SS benefits is to offer a political olive branch to Republicans who want to cut SS because they are ideologically opposed to it.

An average 77 year old is receiving $23,832 per year from SS. If chained CPI had been used over the last 12 years, this person would be receiving $22,560 instead. Despite the very modest level of income that SS provides, one-third of seniors rely on SS for at least 90% of their income and another third for over 50% of their income.

The use of chained CPI as the government’s new, official measure of inflation will also, over time, reduce low income families’ eligibility for benefits and push low and middle income taxpayers into higher income tax rate brackets. Thus, it will disproportionately hit low and moderate income families. This would be morally and ethically questionable in the best of times, but with low and middle income families still suffering from the effects of the Great Recession, and income and wealth inequality at levels unseen for at least 80 years, this is unconscionable.

I urge you to contact the President, your Senators, and your Congressperson in the House of Representatives and ask them to oppose this change – or to explain why they support it.

FULL POST: In his federal government budget, President Obama has proposed cutting future Social Security benefits. He has done so in a way that is probably meant to obscure this fact or at least muddy the waters so his proposal isn’t describe as a benefit reduction.

Obama has proposed that the annual inflation adjustment for Social Security (SS) benefits be calculated differently. Instead of using the current Consumer Price Index (CPI), he proposes using a figure called the “chained CPI.” [1] It gives a lower estimate of inflation than CPI, so benefits would increase more slowly. The Social Security Administration estimates that the result would be a 5% reduction in benefits over every 12 year period.

This would cut total SS payments by $10 – $20 billion per year over the next 10 years. However, it would not reduce the annual deficit (which is roughly $800 billion), because SS has its own, dedicated funding stream and is not part of the regular federal budget. Furthermore, SS does not have a major funding problem; its shortfall 20 years from now is easily remedied by other steps that don’t reduce future payments to retirees. (See posts of 1/7/13 and 12/4/11 for more details.)

An average 77 year old is receiving $23,832 per year from SS. If chained CPI had been used over the last 12 years, this person would be receiving $22,560 instead, $1,272 less or a little over a 5% reduction. [2]

Despite the very modest level of income that SS provides, one-third of seniors rely on SS for at least 90% of their income and another third for over 50% of their income. Chained CPI won’t keep up with the inflation that seniors actually experience, given the high portions of their incomes that go for the necessities of food and health care. [3]

And if that isn’t bad enough, remember that SS was meant to be one leg of a three legged stool of retirement security that included employer pension plans and personal savings. Employer pensions have disappeared for most workers and have, at best, been turned into personal savings plans, such as 401ks, where workers have all the risk, just like other personal savings. Given this, now is not the time to be cutting SS, the only guaranteed retirement benefit left in what is now a much less stable and riskier two legged stool.

The use of chained CPI as the government’s new, official measure of inflation will also, over time, reduce low income families’ eligibility for benefits and push low and middle income taxpayers into higher income tax rate brackets. For example, the federal poverty rate is adjusted annually for inflation. Using chained CPI, it will rise more slowly and, in the future, fewer families will fall below the poverty line, which is used to determine eligibility for programs from Head Start to health care, food, and heating assistance. The federal income tax brackets are also adjusted annually for inflation. With the cut off amounts for higher income tax rate brackets rising more slowly, more taxpayers will fall into higher brackets, increasing their income tax. This doesn’t affect the wealthy, of course, because they are already in the top bracket. [4]

The bottom line is that this change in the measure of inflation that is used to calculate Social Security benefits, eligibility for many anti-poverty programs, and income tax rate brackets will disproportionately hit low and moderate income families. This would be morally and ethically questionable in the best of times, but with low and middle income families still suffering from the effects of the Great Recession, and income and wealth inequality at levels unseen for at least 80 years, this is unconscionable.

In reality, this is a backdoor way to cut benefits for SS recipients and low income families, and to have low and middle income taxpayers pay more in income taxes – without having to say that’s what you’re doing. Obfuscation is the name of this game.

I urge you to contact the President, your Senators, and your Congressperson in the House of Representatives and ask them to oppose this change – or to explain why they support it.

[1] Chained CPI assumes that as the prices of goods and services rise, consumers substitute less costly alternatives. For example, if gas prices rise, consumers use their cars less or buy (usually smaller) cars that get better gas mileage. Or if the price of beef goes up, they buy less beef and more chicken or less meat overall. Or if the price of heating oil goes up, consumers turn down the heat and use electric space heaters to heat only the rooms in which they spend time. First, this sounds, in many cases, like a decline in one’s standard of living or quality of life. Second, in some cases buying a cheaper substitute isn’t really an option. When the cost of health insurance and health care goes up, there often isn’t a way to buy a less costly alternative. And for seniors, this is a big part of their budget.

[2] Matthews, D., 12/11/12, “Everything you need to know about Chained CPI in one post,” The Washington Post

[3] Warren, E., 4/10/13, Newsletter from Senator Elizabeth Warren

[4] Ohlemacher, S., 4/8/13, “Obama plan hits seniors, low-income taxpayers,” Associated Press (in the Reading Daily Times Chronicle)

THE SHRINKING DEFICIT

ABSTRACT: The federal government’s annual budget deficit is falling, and falling faster than at any time since WWII. Overall government spending has been falling since 2007. Roughly 750,000 government jobs have been cut since the recovery began in 2009, cancelling out much of the benefit of increased private sector employment, and leaving unemployment higher than it would be otherwise.

Many economists believe that an austerity strategy of a rapidly declining deficit and spending cuts such as the “sequester” could hurt the economy and its recovery. Europe is experiencing a second recession and very high unemployment (12%) due to its austerity strategy. The current, irrational obsession with the deficit is precluding investments that have a high return and would improve the fiscal picture over the long-term.

Ultimately, jobs and a strong economy are the answer to taming the deficit, which is already shrinking rapidly.

FULL POST: The federal government’s annual budget deficit is falling. And it’s falling faster than at any time since the end of World War II. And that’s even before the March 1 spending cuts (the “sequester”) are factored in. [1] The deficit for this year is projected by the Congressional Budget Office to be $845 billion, down from $1,100 billion last year and $1,413 billion in 2009. It grew in 2008 and 2009 because the Great Recession led to 1) a dramatic loss of tax revenue due to decreased economic activity and jobs; [2] 2) increased expenditures for unemployment, food assistance, and other government benefits that softened the impact of the recession on families; and 3) tax cuts that were used to stimulate the economy, reducing the depth of the recession. [3]

Overall government spending, including the federal, state, and local levels, has been falling since 2007. Although the decline in federal spending in the fourth quarter of 2012 is seen as the culprit in causing the economy to shrink (i.e., negative growth) in that quarter, spending reductions and job losses have been most pronounced at the state and local levels. Federal spending has declined from 25.2% of our total economy or Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2009 to 22.8% in 2012, and is projected to fall to 21.5% by 2017 without any dramatic changes in budget policy. (The 40 year average has been 21.0%.)

Roughly 750,000 government jobs have been cut since the recovery began in 2009. This has been a “massive drag on the economy,” cancelling out much of the benefit of increased private sector employment. [4] Although the US unemployment rate has fallen to 7.7%, it would have fallen significantly further if these government jobs, including those of many teachers, had not been lost.

Many economists believe that an austerity strategy of a rapidly declining deficit and spending cuts such as the “sequester” could hurt the economy and its recovery. Historically, rapidly falling government deficits and spending have tended to lead to recessions. [5] If you want evidence of this, you need look no further than Europe at this moment. Europe is experiencing a second recession and very high unemployment (12%) due to its austerity strategy. Mark Cliffe, chief economist at IMG, describes its austerity strategy as “a bit of a vicious circle. Europe is pursuing a policy that is self-evidently failing.” [6]

The current, irrational obsession with the deficit (rather than a focus on creating jobs and strengthening the economy), is precluding investments in infrastructure and other activities that have a high return on investment and would improve the fiscal picture over the long-term. Especially given the federal government’s ability to borrow money at near zero interest rates, now is an ideal time to make investments in the future strength and growth of our economy, which is the best long-term strategy for reducing the deficit. [7]

There isn’t a good answer to the question of why the deficit – which is already rapidly falling – is more important now than creating jobs and strengthening the economy. [8] And if we look at Europe, we can see clear evidence that an austerity strategy does not lead to a falling deficit or a stronger economy with more jobs. The only answer is ideology – a belief that a smaller public sector is more important than putting struggling Americans back to work and back on their feet.

Ultimately, jobs and a strong economy are the answer to taming the deficit and the overall accumulated debt. Furthermore, a focus on creating jobs would resonate with the American public, many of whom are still struggling with the impacts of the Great Recession. It’s a matter of delivering a clear message about the need to create jobs and stimulate the economy, and that this will solve the issue of the deficit, which is already shrinking rapidly.

[1] Klein, E., 2/12/13, “The deficit chart that should embarrass deficit hawks,” The Washington Post

[2] Raum, T., 2/22/13, see above

[3] Konczal, M., 1/22/13, “The most important graph on the deficit, “ The Roosevelt Institute

[4] Raum, T., 2/22/13, “Government downsizes amid GOP demands for more cuts,” Associated Press (in the Reading Daily Times Chronicle)

[5] Klein, E., 2/12/13, see above

[6] The Balance Sheet, 4/3/13, “Europe’s austerity addiction,” The American Prospect

[7] Summers, L., 1/21/13, “America’s deficits: The problem is more than fiscal,” The Washington Post

[8] Wolf, M., 1/22/13, “America’s fiscal policy is not in crisis,” Financial Times

NO FISCAL CLIFF FOR CORPORATE TAX LOOPHOLES

ABSTRACT: So you thought our Washington politicians were serious about reducing the deficit? Guess again. The actual bill that averted the “fiscal cliff” in January included 43 corporate tax breaks worth $67 billion in 2013, which is more than the revenue that was raised! This means that the “fiscal cliff” legislation did NOT decrease the deficit, but rather increased it. The tax breaks include: 1) $11 billion for corporations such as GE, Citicorp, and Ford on overseas earnings, 2) $430 million for Hollywood producers for filming in the US, 3) $331 million for railroads for track maintenance, 4) $500 million for pharmaceutical giant Amgen, and 5) $120 million for Whirlpool Corporation. The support for corporate tax loopholes is often bipartisan as they provide leverage for campaign contributions.

So, take with a big grain of salt all the talk about deficit reduction. Corporate welfare continues unabated while deficit reduction is used as an axe to cut government programs, many focused on helping low and middle income families. And take with a big grain of salt the talk about the need to cut Medicare and Medicaid spending when big giveaways to Amgen and other pharmaceutical corporations are costing these programs billions of dollars every year.

Note: I’m back to blogging after a three month hiatus. And no, unfortunately, this post is NOT an April Fool’s joke.

FULL POST: So you thought our Washington politicians were serious about reducing the deficit given the last minute “fiscal cliff” deal in January and the automatic spending cuts (“the sequester”) that went into effect on March 1? Guess again. Corporate tax loophole giveaways that were actually part of the “fiscal cliff” bill cost more than the revenue that was raised!

As background, the manufactured austerity crisis, known as the “fiscal cliff,” was a package of spending cuts and tax increases set to go into effect automatically on December 31, 2012, if a substitute agreement on deficit reduction wasn’t reached. (See post of 12/12/12 for more details.)

Early on New Year’s Day legislation was passed that supposedly tackled the deficit by increasing revenue. It also postponed the spending cuts until March 1. Most of the scheduled tax increases were scaled back, so only $30 – $60 billion per year in new revenue was generated. Income tax rates on individuals with incomes over $400,000 were increased, with some reductions in deductions starting at $250,000 in income. The estate tax was increased a bit and workers’ Social Security taxes were increased by 2% of wages on earnings up to $110,000. (This restored a temporary cut in the Social Security tax that was targeted at boosting the economy and middle and low income workers during the Great Recession.) (See post of 1/7/13 for more details.)

The postponed spending cuts ended up going into effect on March 1 because our politicians could not come to an agreement on other deficit reduction measures. These spending cuts are likely to hurt the economy, slowing the recovery and increasing unemployment. In addition, these cuts are hurting low and middle income families. Head Start’s high quality school readiness programs are serving fewer children – fewer 3 and 4 year olds from families in poverty. School systems are laying off teachers and staff. College students are losing government support. Housing authorities are laying off staff and cutting housing assistance to poor families. And there will be cuts in health care that will disproportionately affect low income individuals. [1]

Despite all of this, quietly, and with very little coverage by the mainstream (corporate) media, the actual bill that averted the “fiscal cliff” in January included 43 corporate tax breaks worth $67 billion in 2013, which is more than the revenue that was raised by the highly publicized tax increases. [2] This means that the “fiscal cliff” legislation did NOT decrease the deficit, but rather increased it by giving more in tax breaks to corporations than it raised in tax revenue from individuals!

For example, Whirlpool Corporation got a tax benefit worth an estimated $120 million in 2012 and 2013 after spending $1.8 million on lobbying over the last two years; a 6,700 percent return on investment. Whirlpool’s total income taxes paid to federal, local, and foreign governments for 2009 -2011 were a REFUND of $561 million! And it is carrying forward federal tax credits it can use to decrease its US taxes in future years. Meanwhile, Whirlpool closed a factory in Arkansas and laid off 800 workers, moving the manufacturing of its refrigerators to Mexico. This was part of an overall reduction of its workforce in North America and Europe of 5,000 jobs, which it announced in 2011. [3]

Another example was a provision in the “fiscal cliff” legislation that gave two years of relief from Medicare cost controls for certain drugs. Although not mentioned by name, the clear beneficiary is the pharmaceutical giant, Amgen. It is estimated that this loophole will cost taxpayers about $500 million over two years – to the benefit of Amgen. The company’s CEO quickly informed investment analysts of this good news. Two factors make this particularly egregious:

Amgen had already received a two year delay on these cost controls and another one is hard to justify
Two weeks earlier, Amgen had pleaded guilty in a major federal fraud case to illegal drug marketing and had agreed to pay $762 million in criminal and civil penalties

This particular case is tied to close relations Amgen has with three Senators: Max Baucus (D – Montana), Mitch McConnell (R – Kentucky), and Orrin Hatch (R – Utah). [4][5] As in this case, the support for corporate tax loopholes is often bipartisan. Many of them have to be renewed every two years. This gives members of Congress leverage for an on-going source of campaign contributions from these corporations and their lobbyists. The supposedly temporary nature of these corporate tax loopholes also avoids the accounting analysis, and resultant publicity, the federal budget process requires of permanent or longer-term tax expenditures. Overall, corporate welfare will cost the federal government at least $154 billion in 2013 through 135 individual provisions in the tax code. [6]

Other corporate tax breaks in the “fiscal cliff” legislation include:

$11 billion for corporations such as GE, Citicorp, and Ford on overseas earnings
$430 million for Hollywood producers for filming in the US
$331 million for railroads for track maintenance

[1] Coalition on Human Needs, 3/22/13, “Sequester Impact,” http://www.chn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/sequester-impact-mar-13-21.pdf

[2] Rowland, C., 3/17/13, “Tax lobbyists help businesses reap windfalls,” The Boston Globe

[3] Rowland, C., 3/17/13, see above

[4] Moyers, B., & Winship, M., 1/25/13, “Foul play in the Senate,” Common Dreams

[5] Lipton, E., & Sack, K., 1/20/13, “Fiscal cliff bill benefits Amgen,” The New York Times

[6] Rowland, C., 3/17/13, see above