Reading through budget proposals and plans on how to reduce government spending might traditionally not be the most exciting pasttime for students of political science (or concerned voters), however, the current debates certainly deserve to be monitored very closely. After the President handed in his budget proposal for 2012, the House passed a Republican sponsored bill last week that proposes to cut spending by $ 61.5 billion. (Side note: although it would cut domestic spending by 14%, the House bill would also leave Medicare and Social Security untouched. While the two programs are certainly the biggest drains on government spending, they are also overwhelmingly popular with the American public). It is now up to the Senate to make adjustments to the bill and come up with a compromise. On March 4 the current budget will expire and the federal government will effectively run out of money. While a government shut-down seems to be an option that both Republicans and Democrats have declared to want to avoid, compromise also appears to be a fairly unlikely option; political maneuvering remains the order of the day.
 Click here to watch last week’s press conference during which the President commented on the GOP budget proposal. |
 Click here to watch an interview with the Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. |
Amidst all of this, it is often difficult to discern where the line between fact and political spin can and should be drawn. While policy papers and reports with titles like “OBAMACARE: A BUDGET-BUSTING, JOB-KILLING HEALTH CARE LAW”, released by Speaker of the House John Boehner in January, arguably make it relatively easy to spot an agenda, others are certainly more subtle. Visit the non-partisan (and non-profit) website www.factcheck.org for an excellent analysis of the ongoing “Budget Spin”. And, as always, leave any thoughts and comments below.
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