The Progressive Caucus's "people's budget" shows why progressives can't get the message out.

The progressive caucus published a people's budget in early April in response to to Paul Ryan's Republican budget proposal.

http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=70&sectiontree=5,70

The "People's Budget" is by far better than the Republican budget proposal, it's even better than the budget outlined by President Obama, so what's wrong with the "People's Budget"?

The "People's Budget" is mainly a response to the current deficit debate raging inside the Beltway. It fails to address the main concerns of the average American: Jobs, declining real wages, health-care, education, and the environment. Thus, the CPC let beltway professional types set the agenda instead of pushing the progressive agenda.

The #1 issue should be jobs, I don't see that the "People's Budget" creates significantly more jobs than the current trajectory. The $200 Billion/year infra-structure spending is way too small make a serious dent in the $1 Trillion/year output gap; it's also offset by the $400 Billion/year higher taxes on the rich.

A true "People's Budget" would close the output gap mainly by eliminating federal income taxes on the bottom 90% (about $300 Billion/year federal income tax), spend $400 Billion/year on infrastructure (nationwide broadband, high-speed rail, and renewable energy), and $300 Billion/year on Medicare for all. Closing the output gap, by spending $1 Trillion on Main Street, in this way creates 20 million jobs, helps Mrs average American pay the bills through bigger paychecks, reliefs health-care concerns, and improves the environment true renewable energy investment.

A true "People's Budget" balances the budget (eventually) mainly through economic growth, but also through higher taxes on the top 10%. The taxes outlined in the "People's Budget" are a good start, but the corporate tax should be zero provided that all profits was paid out to investors. Once the capital-gains tax rate is the same as regular income, it would raise more money than the corporate tax. It would also remove most of the reasons for Wall Street financial manipulation like share buy-backs, stock-options, and insider manipulation.


Second, the bullet points, on the front page, are general, non-committal, and unemotional; the average American doesn't feel that the "People's Budget" affects him/her in any way. Yeah, it balances the budget (eventually), that's nice but it doesn't help Mrs Average America to pay the bills; nor does it help Johnny find a job; nor does it help to deal with health-care insurance companies; nor does it help with Johnny's college tuition; nor does it do much to deal with foreign oil dependency.

A  true "People's Budget" bullets should read:

Creates $20 million jobs
Zero federal income tax
Medicare for all
Interest-free student loans
Renewable energy