Graphs for Democrats: April 2011

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Higher Taxes Didn't Chase the Rich from New Jersey

Link to this graph: http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2011/04/20/millionaire-tax-didnt-chase-the-rich-from-new-jersey-study-says/

A Decade of Debt Ceiling Votes in One Graphic

Think the vote to raise the debt limit is about principle? Think again. Our new infographic shows stand-alone votes in Congress to raise the debt ceiling over the past decade.

In 2003, 2004 and 2006, Republicans controlled everything—the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate. When the debt limit came up for a vote in the Senate, guess what happened. The vote to raise the debt ceiling came almost totally from Republicans. Same thing was true when the debt ceiling came up for a vote in the House in 2002 and 2004. In June 2002, a year after Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont became an Independent, the Senate was narrowly controlled by Democrats but the House was still Republican.) In 2009 and 2010, Democrats controlled everything. So what happened? Votes to raise the debt ceiling came almost entirely from Democrats. When power was divided in 2002 and 2007, the Senate votes to raise the debt ceiling were bipartisan.

If there is a principle involved, it seems to be this: whose problem is it?

Link to this graph: http://www.thirdway.org/publications/387

Issa's Budget Hearings Brought to You by the Koch Brothers

"It's no coincidence that the Koch's fingerprints were all over yesterday's hearing. In a political system where clean elections laws are steadily being swept away, wealthy advocates for corporate welfare have the ability to buy unprecedented influence on decision makers. While millions of Americans struggle with unemployment, lose their insurance, and try to get by on less, it's the Koch agenda that gets a hearing in Washington."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marge-baker/issas-budget-hearings-bro_b_849905.html