Bruce Bartlett

Over at Economix, CG&G alum Bruce Bartlett does a very nice job explaining how House Republicans are trying to change the congressional budget process so that cutting taxes is never a problem no matter what damage that would do to the deficit and national debt.

Here's the money quote:

...the Republican effort is just a smokescreen to incorporate phony-baloney factors into revenue estimates to justify unlimited tax cutting. How soon before the C.B.O. is required to incorporate estimates from the right-wing Heritage Foundation in its calculations?

Capital Gains and Games alum Bruce Bartlett's new book -- The Benefit and the Burden -- not only has now been published, but (and not at all surprising) it's getting rave reviews.

The Financial Times last week said the book was "...remarkably successful in interweaving the underlying economics of the US tax system with the political choices that have made it what it is." The FT also said that Bruce's book is a "lucid analysis of the politics and economics of the broken US tax system."

I'm halfway through it and so far agree completely with the FT. If you're intrigued, you can click on the ad for the book that appears several places on CG&G or on the link above and see for yourself.

Capital Gains and Games is about to enter a new and very exciting chapter in its history.  After close to five years of being a collaborative effort between a group of friends and colleagues, CG&G is going solo.

Andrew, Pete, Bruce and Gordon will be leaving CG&G on January 1. As the potentially watershed 2013 federal budget debate gets underway I will be the principal writer and managing editor and what you read and comment on about "Washington, Wall Street, and Everything In Between" will be mine and mine alone.

The main reason for the change is that blogging has changed considerably since CG&G began. Although the group blog concept still works in some places, it's become increasingly clear to methat readers prefer a blog with a single personality and viewpoint. CG&G had to change to provide that.

If you haven't looked at this yet, you should: It's Bruce at his absolute best.

To say the least, Andrew, Ed, Pete, Troy and I are so proud.....

  We shouldn't be surprised that David Frum got fired from the American Enterprise Institute for violating the Republican party line on health care.   Notwithstanding the Palin/McCain campaign rhetoric, the GOP has been hostile for years to to mavericks, independent thinkers and, frankly, almost any kind of thinkers. 

   Even so, I was struck by this post from Frum's wife, Danielle Crittenden:

We have both been part of the conservative movement for, as mentioned, the better part of half of our lives.  And I can categorically state I’ve never seen such a hostile environment towards free thought and debate–the hallmarks of Reaganism, the politics with which we grew up–prevail in our movement as it does today. The thuggish demagoguery of the Limbaughs and Becks is a trait we once derided in the old socialist Left.  Well boys, take a look in the mirror.  It is us now.