The Tinkerer-in-Chief | National Catholic Reporter

The Tinkerer-in-Chief | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: The Tinkerer-in-Chief is fine with politics.  MSW does not understand budgeting.  First, most budgets are modifications of the departmental and agency requests - I think this one more than others.  The infrastructure piece was first found with the House Republicans.  He is daring them to enact their own proposal with his blessing. They won't.  The raise to the military budget seems to high to be real.  Check your math - although if it is real it is because they are making up for the ill fated sequester that has me working at AMC rather than the Pentagon.  As for taxes, dump mortgage interest and increase the child tax credit.  I think he is doing the latter, but not the former.  As for Social Security, lower the employee contribution cap (which just raises benefits for the rich if the cap is increased) and decouple the employer and employee contribution (give everyone the same dollar amount) and eliminate the cap - possibly funding with a VAT so that profit is taxed and not just wages.  Shoring up our long term finances will take a much larger tax on the wealthy, one that is never gong to pass this Congress.  As for Census, I expect automation or the mid-term count. Either way, this does not come  from the top (most of the budget does not).