March 23, 2007: Votes on Budget Gameplan

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The Senate has been working for most of the week on the FY 2008 Budget Resolution.  The resolution is non-binding but not insignificant.  It is a sort of playbook that the Senate passes to help it pass its budget for the coming fiscal year.  That said, it is an open feast for senators to push their pet amendments regarding taxes and spending.

For instance, the Democrats just voted down a Grassley Amendment that would have repealed the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).  It received only 44 votes; and frankly I'm surprised that no Democrat voted for it, considering they are such big advocates of "the middle class."  Score one for the Repubs here.

Now Jim DeMint (SC) is offering an amendment to repeal the "death tax" a.k.a. the estate tax, which he calls un-American.  The Senate is about to vote on it.

In summary, both sides are bemoaning government spending and now finally the Republicans are complaining about the national debt.  Both sides agree, however, that federal spending on entitlement programs (social security, medicare, and medicaid) is about to get out of control.  It seems to me that these programs either have to be pared back (which the democrats won't do) or taxes have to be raised (which Republicans won't allow).  Figure that out.