Chicago Tribune

New Battle in Health Care Fight: How Many Americans Will Be Insured? | Chicago Tribune

Cecille Isidro — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:41:00 -0400

"They got locked in to spending less than $900 billion," said Len Nichols, an influential economist who heads the healthcare program for the centrist New America Foundation ...

The Revenge of Ross Perot | Chicago Tribune

Cecille Isidro — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:02:00 -0400

Maya MacGuineas, head of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, notes another cause for dismay. After promising that health-care reform would ...

A Budget Hurricane | Chicago Tribune

Cecille Isidro — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:49:00 -0400

"Having spent over a decade worrying about budget deficits," said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, "I can quite honestly say that things have never looked as bad as they do now." Original article

New Castro, Old Question for Cuba | Chicago Tribune

Communications — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 02:14:00 -0500

... shine an unflattering spotlight on their economic management, said Patrick Doherty of the New America Foundation, a Washington public policy institute. ...

BCS Teams Flunk Off the Gridiron

Cecille Isidro — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:33:00 -0500

In a few weeks, the Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners will face off on college football's biggest stage in the Bowl Championship Series' National Championship game. Unfortunately, many of the college seniors playing in this game will not be walking across the graduation stage next May. Instead, their schools will revel in the short-term glory of gridiron success, while the players will have to face the long-term consequences of joining the workforce without a college degree.

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget | 'Meltdown Will Hobble Next President's 100-day Sprint'

Cecille Isidro — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:32:00 -0400

The non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that--even assuming the sometimes-dubious savings the campaigns claim--both the Obama and McCain plans would add more than $200 billion to the federal deficit by 2013. And that estimate was compiled in September, before the candidates announced costly new economic stimulus plans. LINK

Maya MacGuineas in the Chicago Tribune | 'Fiscal Fairyland'

Cecille Isidro — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:47:00 -0400

One of the most illuminating parts of the debate came when someone asked the candidates what sacrifices they would ask of Americans. McCain said that he would assess every federal program and "eliminate those that aren't working." Not that he could name one.

Obama was no more helpful. He encouraged Americans to conserve energy. Both of them vowed to take on ballooning entitlements, and both declined to explain how.

"They don't make any of the tough choices," despairs Maya MacGuineas, president of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. "Not even close."

For all their differences, Obama and McCain agree on one central policy: to go on living in Fiscal Fairyland. It will be nice while it lasts. LINK

Daniel Levy in the Chicago Tribune | 'U.S. Envoys Less Active in Mideast'

Communications — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:01:00 -0400

...The threat of military blowback from the U.S. is not what it would be if there weren't 150,000 American troops stuck in Iraq," said Daniel Levy, a former member of the Israeli negotiating team now at the New America Foundation... LINK

Shannon Brownlee in Chicago Tribune | 'High Cost of Unnecessary Treatment'

Communications — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:41:00 -0400

...[T]he best here is medical journalist Shannon Brownlee's argument that health care is screwed up not because we don't ration care like Canada; or that malpractice lawsuits are to blame; or that absurd administrative costs raise insurance costs; or that consumers don't shop wisely since we often don't pay out of pocket.

No, she contends that over-treatment is to blame not only for high costs but for often making us more sick, suggesting we spend $500 billion a year on unnecessary care...LINK

CRFB in Chicago Tribune | "Republicans' Fight Against Tax Realities"

Communications — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:08:00 -0400

Full article

. . . [John McCain] rules out tax increases to cut the deficit, while vowing to get tough on spending. But the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget says that while his proposals would slow the growth of spending, total outlays would still rise faster than inflation. Result: a larger deficit. . .