Funding bill passes House, averting threat of government shutdown
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a huge stopgap spending bill to keep the government open through the end of September, sidestepping any threat of a government shutdown.
The bipartisan 318-109 vote sends the measure President Barack Obama to be signed into law.
The measure would fund the day-to-day operating budgets of every Cabinet agency through Sept. 30, provide another $87 billion to fund overseas military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and maintain a pay freeze for federal workers.
The measure leaves in place automatic spending cuts of 5 percent to domestic programs and 8 percent to the Pentagon that will mean job furloughs for hundreds of thousands of federal workers but takes steps to ease the impact of those cuts to food inspection and college assistance for active duty military.
Next year Obamacare will force government to "do a budget" and it's not going to be pretty. Expect the most expensive / dysfunctional healthcare system in the history of the world.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/senior-health/more-docs-plan-to-retire-early.aspx
Know & love your future Nurse Practitioner (UK). Maybe put he/she on your Christmas card list. Your life may depend on it.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/article/2525132
can't we just privatize some of these government functions? maybe have a CEO instead of a president?
It is not infinite, we will crash unless we stop borrowing. The piper will co.e to collect what is justifiably his.
@lee986321 Is "piper" a new slang for Chinese? I'm not sure you're allowed to post that, lee.
This is stupid. The U.S. is still giving money by the ga-zillions to foreign countries the same way it has been doing for fifty years or more. Just go on line and check out how much goes to each country over seas and you will be sick to your stomach! There is no money shortage for them. Why?
No government budget in 5 years!!
Pathetic !
@Rob C 503 I know!! Congress makes me sick.
@Rob C 503Â
Um, of course we've had budgets. Â What are you talking about?
How long is this bankruptcy sale going to last and they finally shut the doors.
@tallyÂ
America has been in debt every single year we've been a nation except 2. Â So...few hundred more years, prolly.
@Diogenes @tally About as long as that furniture place at se 82nd and Division
@tallyÂ
...the only furniture store that sticks in my brain on 82nd is the old Tom Peterson place on Foster. Â Don't know which other place you're talking about.
Now we can all go back to accusing our president of being a Kenyan Muslim.
@Fake Pilot Duh. Unless he converted to Mormonism?
@Fake Pilot I never stopped.
@Fake Pilot HAHAHA!! Excellent!
Another stopgap. Can Congress and the President do nothing? When is the last time they actually passed a budget?
@Nobody April 2009
Thank goodness. Â I'll end my hunger strike, finally.
Why can't these highly educated and suppossedly distinguished people put aside these bloody "party" agendas and work together to come up with an actual budget for the next few years that will run this country properly and responsibly? I hate political parties! It gives weak kneed politicians a back support to make them seem more normal in their illogical ways of tending to the business they were elected to do. That's why I always look up a candidates history, both politically and privately as in their employment and public personal life goes. This way my vote is for a person whom can actually do the job they are asking to be elected to. Just because they are running for an office doesn't mean they are qualified to have it.Most likely the oppisite is true, that is why they need elected, they could not be hired to a comperable job. I am very glad they passed this stop gap budget! But there is still much they absolutely need to do and do it now! Not wait until August.
@MickRohYes, it is a shame that people in general can't see the sham of the 2 party system. Unaffiliate!
Well some lost 40 to 60 % of their savings..
We can't ask or make the richest folks who's income has gone up 400 to 700 % to pay 2% more in taxes.
Why that would destroy the country right???
@uknow2 The top 1% of wage earners ALREADY PAY 37% of  all personal income taxes.....
1/100th of the people are paying north of 1/3rd  of the taxes.....
The top 10% are paying 70% of all personal income taxes....
 how much do you expect them to pay
@kramr @Diogenes @uknow2 I expect them to pay 2% more than they're paying now (a drop in their Bucket O' Moolah).  And I expect them to lose the loopholes that Mitt Romney enjoys.  Hide your money in foreign banks?  Pay double taxes on it.  Alas, since your 'side' isn't interested in doing anything other than protecting them....feel free to explain that to me sometime -- why you're so concerned about the financial well-being of someone who pulls in $40 million/year.  Hopefully it's not because you believe they care about your situation, because they don't.
@kramr @uknow2Â
So, you're quite ignorant.  "1/100th [sic] of the people are paying north of 1/3rd [sic] of the taxes......[sic]"  That's not remotely true.  Federal Income Tax only comprises 44% of Federal revenues.  42% of Federal revenues come from the Payroll Tax, which almost nobody in the top 1% even pays (it's assessed only against salary income, and it's capped).  Furthermore, in a progressive tax system (that's what we have), we don't tax on total income, we tax on income remaining after cost of living.  Most people don't have a lot of money left over after food, clothes, energy bills, etc., so they don't pay a whole lot in taxes.  The top 10%, however, have TONS of money left over after they purchase the necessities, so they bear a tax burden commensurate with their excess income.  That's the tax scheme endorsed by the founder of economics, Adam Smith, and it's the one approved by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.  It is, in fact, how we've constructed our various tax systems since Washington instituted a luxury tax on imported goods.  So, how much do I expect them to pay?  Because they have all the wealth (excess income), because the Federal Income Tax is only 44% of total revenues and the poor and middle class ACTUALLY pay quite a lot more in total taxes than the wealthy do, and because income and wealth inequality have been directly linked to regressive tax policies, I want them to pay A LOT MORE.  Next?
@tally @Diogenes @kramr @uknow2Â
And I was talking about exemptions, genius. Â What the hell is "H and R?"
@Diogenes @tally @kramr @uknow2 No like Schedule A for itemized deductions. Is it slow at H and R today?
@tally @Diogenes @kramr @uknow2Â
You mean "exemption." Â Standard deduction is an entirely different thing.
@Diogenes @tally @kramr @uknow2 Why did you not just say standard deduction. You had my hopes up. I thought there might of been a schedule E for eats.
@kramr @Diogenes @uknow2
Right. Â You want to focus on that one tax (which you've attempted to do EVERY SINGLE TIME THIS ISSUE COMES UP), because you want to lionize the rich while ignoring that your rhetorical point is pure BS. Â And you moved the goalposts when you said "1/100th [sic] of the people are paying north of 1/3rd [sic] Â of the taxes....."Â You're either ignorant for conflating the Income Tax with all "of the taxes," or you're dishonest for trying to convince others that the rich are the victims here.
EVERYBODY with half a brain sees through your garbage, kramr. Â The rich aren't put upon, they're not overburdened by taxation, they're not victims of this top-only economy, they're the friggin' architects of our unfair economy. Â When idiots like you happen along and spout the dumbest talking points Cato and Heritage can concoct, anyone with a passing knowledge of tax policy could spot the sleight of hand you keep trying to pull. Â Total taxation favors the rich. Â Since people don't count their income by only one tax while ignoring all other taxes that come out of their check, your point is a flat out lie, and you know it.
Oh, one other thing: "' """""we tax on income remaining after cost of living."""""
I think you need to have a talk with those millions of teens who work in the summer and  pay federal taxes"  PERFECT example of your ignorance on this issue.  Teens working summer jobs have a lot of living expenses, do they?  Or are their parents claiming them as dependents?  You do know what an exemption is, right?
@tally @Diogenes @kramr @uknow2Â
See: Marginal Tax Rate v. Effective Tax Rate; people making less than the Federal poverty line don't pay Federal Income Tax. Â In general, a family of 4 won't pay any tax on the first $10,000 they earn because of various deductions. Â That's because the government has acknowledged for a very long time that a certain amount of money is necessary just for basic necessities. Â If you didn't know that, you should probably not bother people with stupid questions.
@Diogenes @kramr @uknow2  You really need to learn to just read the words that are typed and NOT read into them.  Hell, you can't even quote me correctly.Â
What I said is absolutely CORRECT.  If you read very carefully  what I typed  "OF PERSONAL INCOME TAXES PAID"..... not  of all taxes..... JUST PERSONAL INCOME TAXES.Â
http://www.ntu.org/tax-basics/who-pays-income-taxes.html
""""""Â in a progressive tax system (that's what we have),"""""" Â Â Â
followed by     """""" directly linked to regressive tax policies,""""""
So which is it a progressive tax system that we have  or regressive  tax policies.Â
BTW, exactly how do  the poor and middle class pay more in taxes?  since you didn't type as a percent of their income you must have meant in total dollars?
I'd like to hear that explanation
 ' """""we tax on income remaining after cost of living."""""
I think you need to have a talk with those millions of teens who work in the summer and  pay federal taxes.Â
""""""So, you're quite ignorant."""""""
It wouldn't be a lefty post without  insults and a condescending tone.Â
@Diogenes @kramr @uknow2 Who does your taxes? I could not find the deductions for food and utilities
Good.
Man, whats wrong with a year long budget?
Nothing wrong with it, it's just that Obama hasn't put one out in the time he's been in office.
@disgustedman Obama has presented a budget every year he's been in office.
@kramr I keep entering Publishers clearing house sweepstakes with high hopes
@kramr
You "have no interest" in being honest. Â And your stupidity is far more offensive than anything I could say, believe that.
@Diogenes @kramr  Still with the insults and condensation..... nice
 If at some point you want to have an adult conversation.... great.  But I have no interest in responding to childish insults.Â
@kramr You realize that is a scam right?  A political move by the opposing party and it's been done many times?
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/apr/06/mitt-romney/romney-says-obama-failed-pass-budget/
@kramrÂ
Ignorance and egoism often go hand in hand. Â No president's budget has ever passed in Congress. Â It's not supposed to. Â It's actually a policy document that informs the Congress about the president's priorities. Â It's like a wishlist, and it's not intended to be voted on since, as you apparently aren't aware, the president doesn't write bills; by the way, the bill that just failed in the Senate was an 8-page document that purported to boil down two 1-inch thick bound books of narrative text, and it bore no relation to the actual presidential budget and everyone knew it. Â Now go forth and study civics and speak no more of issues you don't understand.
@kramr @JTesla  Doesn't matter "how bad" his budget must be.  He won, Romney didn't.  Maybe I've said this before to you, but next time you guys might want to think about putting up a candidate the majority of people like and can support....then you'd be saying how awesome your guy is despite not getting HIS budget through. Â
@JTesla ..... quite the joke of  a budget since  it failed in the senate 99-0.
How bad must B HO's budget be if it fails  to get a single vote in the  D controlled senate
@portlandborn83 The fiscal year starts October 1 for the US, so this gets us to the point where we should get a budget for the 2013-2014 year to cover October 1 2013 to September 30 2014.
"should" being the key phrase. I don't see it happening with the current batch of clowns.
@portlandborn83 These are our elected officials, they don't work a year at a time like the rest of us.