Photo: Progressive Caucus Members announcing their alternative
The People’s Budget:
Quick Summary of a Good Plan
By Kay Kirkpatrick
Beaver County Blue
Among the budgets proposed in Congress recently, one eliminates the deficit in 10 years, puts Americans back to work, and restores our economic competitiveness.
Unlike the GOP proposal from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the People’ Budget does not seek to crush those with a low-income, the elderly or otherwise cripple vital government services.
Instead, it preserves Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and unemployment benefits; expands jobs and job training programs; shifts the tax burden off the backs of the people; eliminates tax credits for the oil and gas industries and subsidies for new nuclear power plants; invests in infrastructure and brings our troops home.
This version of our financial future, proposed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), is not only in keeping with priorities of the majority of the American people, it is viable, reasonable and sustainable.
The CPC plan ends the budget deficit two decades earlier than the Ryan plan. Specifically, the budget offers:
· $5.6 trillion in deficit reduction
· $869 billion in spending cuts
· $856 billion net interest savings
· $3.9 trillion revenue increase
· $1.7 trillion in public investment, and
· $30.7 billion in a budget surplus in 2021.
Continue reading Budget Debate: Getting Us Headed in a Progressive Direction
Called, "Talking Points for Selling Oil and Gas Lease Rights," the document begins by saying it is designed for Field Agents to outline what to say to commonly asked questions, and more importantly, how to avoid answering the hard ones. And it cautions, "Remember, if at all possible try not to deliberately mislead the landowner, that only makes our position harder to defend at a later date." Right — that gets a little less believable as you read on. 
By Carl Davidson and Tina Shannon 
“We are one! We are one!’ and ‘What’s Disgusting? Union busting!’ were among the chants echoing off the concrete and glass walls of downtown Pittsburgh. Somewhere between 500 and 1000 marchers waved V-signs at passersby in cars and buses–but more often than in a long time, one saw a sea of the more militant clenched fist salutes as well. As usual, different contingents of workers wore their color coded T-Shirts for the day-camouflage for the UMWA, dark blue for the Steelworkers, red for Unite Here! hotel workers, and purple for SEIU service workers.
