Changing American electorate

An interesting analysis about the changing American electorate. The folks mentioned in the article, who contemplate such things, think that the long term trend for Dems is great, and the GOP has become a minority party. Time will ultimately tell. In the meantime, this is a fun article.

Deficits

Here's a useful article on how the deficit became so large over the past decade or so (NYTimes):

The story of today’s deficits starts in January 2001, as President Bill Clinton was leaving office. The Congressional Budget Office estimated then that the government would run an average annual surplus of more than $800 billion a year from 2009 to 2012. Today, the government is expected to run a $1.2 trillion annual deficit in those years.

You can think of that roughly $2 trillion swing as coming from four broad categories: the business cycle, President George W. Bush’s policies, policies from the Bush years that are scheduled to expire but that Mr. Obama has chosen to extend, and new policies proposed by Mr. Obama.

The first category — the business cycle — accounts for 37 percent of the $2 trillion swing. It’s a reflection of the fact that both the 2001 recession and the current one reduced tax revenue, required more spending on safety-net programs and changed economists’ assumptions about how much in taxes the government would collect in future years.

About 33 percent of the swing stems from new legislation signed by Mr. Bush. That legislation, like his tax cuts and the Medicare prescription drug benefit, not only continue to cost the government but have also increased interest payments on the national debt.

Mr. Obama’s main contribution to the deficit is his extension of several Bush policies, like the Iraq war and tax cuts for households making less than $250,000. Such policies — together with the Wall Street bailout, which was signed by Mr. Bush and supported by Mr. Obama — account for 20 percent of the swing.

About 7 percent comes from the stimulus bill that Mr. Obama signed in February. And only 3 percent comes from Mr. Obama’s agenda on health care, education, energy and other areas.

Health Care reform

Congress is now back in session and it seems likely that they will be addressing health care with the hopes of providing health care coverage for almost all Americans. With that effort in mind, I will try to offer an ongoing array of articles that deal with the issue. I don't promise my article selections will be "fair and balanced," but my choices don't directly reflect my policy preferences either.

Posted on 01 June 2009:

Great article from the New Yorker, discussing why health care is so expensive in one area of Texas, and what can be done about it: Click HERE.

Helpful overview of what President Obama and Congress will be striving for: Barack Obama's health plan takes shape - Carrie Budoff Brown - POLITICO.com

Interesting New Republic article, promoting the "Twinkee Tax" to help pay for what will undoubtedly be a costly change (though the author believes it will be most efficient in the long run). Click HERE.

Posted 06-03-2009:
NYTimes Magazine long one by one of the best, Matt Bai. Getting it through Congress. Click HERE.

The President is bending in working with Congress. Click HERE.

Posted 06-04-2009:
Tumulty from Time - Five Big Dilemmas: Click HERE.
Galston from The New Republic. What's it really gonna cost?

Posted on 06-08-2009:
Perhaps the best overview, by the congressional Research Service. Click HERE.

Posted on 06-11-2009:
Slate's online guide to health care reform debate: Click HERE.

The Obama White House, which aired on NBC, was a great special. Some related information:

Fantastic interactive map of the White House to go along with the special: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30932789/

The website for the special, which can be viewed online: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30892505/

Renegade

There will be many Campaign 2008 (aka Obama) books out over the next year or two. A first journalistic take out of the gate was reviewed in the Washington Post, Renegage, by Richard Wolfe. Interestingly, the reviewer, Ted Widmer, mentions the true standard for campaign books by journalists: Theodore White and his "Making of the President" series. (The 1960 Kennedy=Nixon election was the best of the best.) Sadly, though Widmer gives the book a positive review, I'm left unimpressed. Read the review here.

Supreme Court stuff

A VERY useful resource for Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) info can be found at SCOTUSblog.com.
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The blog gets a nice article by Howard Kurtz in the .

Community Colleges meet the needs of citizens, at a reasonable price

Great article in the Washington Post about the increasing demand for community college education, with a focus on NOVA.

On the sadder side, the loss of a great NOVA professor. RIP Margarita Hodge.