April 17, 2011 The dueling deficit-cutting plans presented by congressional Republicans and President Obama both promise to restore the nation’s fiscal credibility. But if they fail to deliver, the result could be still higher deficits and the potential for another devastating economic crisis.
Even if the far-reaching and painful measures like those in the two proposals were adopted, economists say, more drastic action would be required in the years ahead to bring the deficit down to a sustainable level.
The GOP plan, drafted by Rep. Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, would reduce government red ink by $4.4 trillion over 10 years. It would cut federal spending by $5.8 trillion, but would offset that by $4.2 trillion in tax cuts. Ryan counts on the tax cuts to stimulate the economy and end up delivering substantially more tax revenues.
Obama would shrink deficits by $4 trillion over 12 years. He would make considerably smaller spending reductions, a total of $2 trillion, but would increase taxes by about $1 trillion, focusing on wealthy Americans. Since his definition of wealthy begins with families earning $250,000 a year, many working couples with hefty salaries but few if any tax shelters could feel the effects of his plan more sharply than the millionaires and billionaires he often talks about.
Obama’s savings rely in good part on future efforts by government regulators to hold down the costs of medical care — a major, but yet untested, element in the healthcare law that does not take full effect until 2014.
Both the Ryan-Republican plan and the one outlined by Obama in his speech last week are opening bids in what’s expected to be a drawn-out battle along partisan lines. But the two approaches agree on one thing: Over time, the nation’s mounting debt threatens the economic stability of the whole country, and the government — along with most voters — will almost certainly have to find ways to do more with less.
University officials cancelled Ann Coulter’s appearance over riot fears after she told a Muslim student to ‘take a camel’. Above, students protest her remark.
Coulter explained the comment as ‘satire.’
BY BILL HUTCHINSON Wednesday, March 24th 2010, 7:05 AM
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Firebrand conservative Ann Coulter’s lecture at a Canadian college was cancelled Tuesday night over fears students would riot over racist remarks she made to Muslims.
Security at the University of Ottawa scrapped the right-wing darling’s talk when more than 2,000 students showed up to protest her telling a Muslim student Monday to “take a camel” as an alternative to flying.
Coulter’s tasteless comment came after previously she told a gathering that Muslims shouldn’t be allowed on airplanes and should take “flying carpets.”
The camel quip came when Muslim student Fatima Al-Dhaher challenged Coulter on the remark - and told her she didn’t have a flying carpet.
“What mode of transportation?” Coulter responded. “Take a camel.”
Students jeered Coulter’s remarks, and showed up in mass Tuesday night let her know she was not welcome at the school.
Coulter tried to explain away her comments Tuesday as “satire.”
“I can say it a lot quicker with a joke, and by the way, they wouldn’t be bringing me in here for a speech if I never told a joke, if I never used satire,” she told a Canadian TV news channel.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2010/03/24/2010-03-24_ann_coulter_causes_firestorm_by_telling_muslim_to_take_a_camel_as_alternative_to.html#ixzz0j7Qw3AnF
NEW YORK (AP) — A bill to translate ballots in New York City for Russian immigrants is making its way through New York’s Legislature.
Republicans accuse Democratic sponsors of the bill of trying to drum up Democratic votes in the city seeing a rise in Russian-speaking immigrants.
But Democrats say the measure to provide voting materials, instructions, and voter registration in Russian is needed to assure more immigrant citizens are assisted in voting.
The Senate passed the bill with bipartisan support and it’s headed to the Democrat-led Assembly where it has some powerful sponsors.
The New York Immigration Coalition says voting documents are already available in Spanish, Chinese and Korean.
