Obama

A record budget deficit coupled with increased government spending has much of America in an uproar.

In case you thought income inequality wasn’t bad enough, the 2008 recession made it worse. September Census Bureau stats for 2008 household income show a decline in incomes across the board, but less of a decline for those in higher brackets.

Could we make a rule — a kind of eleventh commandment -- which requires us, every time we honor soldiers killed in battle, to remember: thou shall not kill?

President Obama is keeping his cool on health care and most other progressive issues despite the fact that forceful words and strong convictions may actually fare better with the American public.

On NY1's "Road to City Hall" the other day, I listened to former New York senator Alfonse D'Amato, former mayor Ed Koch, and former Comptroller Carl McCall, recently agreeing that there was no difference between billionaire Michael Bloomberg's use of personal money in his mayoral campaign in New York, and Obama's use of private fundraising activity during his campaign.

President Obama's new budget proposals would limit itemized tax deductions to 28% for people who earn more than $250,000. It also calls for reinstating marginal tax rates of 39.6% for the same group. As a result, The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University projects that overall charitable giving could decrease by 2.1% or $3.9 billion.

The goal of public policy post-Bush is, I hope, to advance the general welfare and thereby ensure economic security for Americans devastated by grossly under-supervised bank and finance giants. That goal must be put front and center as the test of any policy’s value.