Next week, progressives in Congress will release their annual budget proposal. They do this every year, and every year the national news media largely ignores it. Will the elite media report on it this year? Make some noise, and maybe they will.
There are alternative ways to run a government budget, but they are just excluded from the national debate. The elite position creates a "conventional wisdom" that there are no alternatives. But America's top income tax rate used to be more than 90 percent, to combat inequality and the threat inequality poses to democracy — and the rich still got richer. At the same time, the corporation tax rate was 50 percent, and corporations paid 32 percent of all taxes. That has dropped to just 8.9 percent now, and Congress and the president are now proposing to reduce the corporate tax rate dramatically — again. As a result of these cuts, inequality has soared, budgets have been thrown out of balance, schools have declined, we no longer even maintain — never mind modernize — our crucial infrastructure.
We can have a budget that serves "We, the People." It's about priorities. Frankly, in the richest country in history, it is possible to make sure that everyone has a job, good medical care, a good retirement, a good free education, and keep our infrastructure modernized and up-to-date — and all while making sure that the budget is balanced. It really is just a matter of priorities — choices about how we distribute the country's resources. Unfortunately for 99 percent of us, "we" choose intense inequality and a vast military machine.
The Congressional Progressive Caucus' People’s Budget: A Raise for America
Next week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) will release its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2016, called "The People’s Budget: A Raise for America." This budget offers a real alternative that shows what our country can do, with the right priorities.
Let's see if we can get the media to actually report that the progressives in Congress have offered a budget. Let's see if we can get them to actually report what is in it. Contact the national news outlets as well as your local newspapers, and let them know you would like them to report when the Congressional Progress Caucus releases its budget next week.
CAF Reports On The CPC Budget
Here are just a few CAF posts on prior CPC budgets:
May, 2011, The PEOPLES Budget Plan From The Progressive Caucus
July, 2011, The Peoples Budget Is The Template
March, 2012, The Budget for All Creates More Jobs, More Justice and Less Debt Than House Republican Plan, statement by Robert Borosage.
April 2011, Progressive Caucus Alternative Deficit-Cutting Plan.
April, 2012, Three Reasons To Rally Around The Progressive Caucus Budget For All.
March, 2013, Corporate Media STILL Won’t Cover Progressive Budget, Or The Fall In The Deficit
March, 2013, Whose Budget Polls Best – Ryan or Progressive Caucus?
March, 2013, Will The Media Cover The “Back To Work” Budget? by Bill Scher.
March, 2014, Why The Blackout On The Progressive “Better Off Budget”?
May, 2014, Progressive Caucus ‘Better Off Budget’ Plan: 9 Million Jobs In 3 Years.
----
This post originally appeared at Campaign for America's Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture. I am a Fellow with CAF. Sign up here for the CAF daily summary and/or for the Progress Breakfast.
