The Coming Public/Private War

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Saturday January 23, 2010 · 8:15 AM PST

2010/01/23 · 08:15

While the Great Recession is now over two years old, 2010 is shaping up to be a terrible year for state/county/local governments. Just about every layer of local government is hurting, including universities, school districts, transit authorities, etc. Exacerbating the situation is the down turn in housing prices, which will impact the main source of local revenue as property taxes fall. Sales tax receipts are down, etc.

In addition, costs are up. Governments are spending more on unemployment, medicaid, etc. Many students who would have gone to a private university are thinking of attending community colleges to save money.

We all know what is coming. We can see the looming iceberg but we can't seem to steer the ship of state away from disaster.

lawboy

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Sunday July 12, 2009 · 9:57 AM PDT

2009/07/12 · 09:57

Like many DKos readers, I believe that the current health care debate and legislation is the most important domestic policy issue that has faced the nation in years. And there have been many suggestions on how to advance the ball politically, such as using the reconciliation process to avoid cloture in the Senate.

While I am not discounting any of these options, the time has come to address legislative deal-making. Like Obama, I have lived most of my adult life in Chicago and let's be blunt: You do not survive in that political culture without knowing how to cut a deal.

The question then becomes: what do the Blue Dogs/Repubs need and desire legislatively that they cannot get without support from the Democrats and President. This is always a problem in dealing with the Conservatives, for most of the time they do not want anything from the legislature. Sure, they may want to increase a criminal penalty on a drug-dealer or buy a new bomber, but they are perfectly happy to ignore most of society's problems, believing that their root cause lies in governmental action.

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The Coming Public/Private War

Health Care: Looking for the Right Lever