US Politics: A Beginner's Guide to the Wisconsin Uprising

Photo: Andy Manis (AP)When you put out every moral defence of the labour movement --- in Wisconsin's case, presenting the dispute as concerning the rights of all union workers – and you lose it after a long and protracted battle, then the original credibility of the unions is destroyed. Fail in Wisconsin and it becomes that much harder, despite the differences in regional politics in the US, for unions to retain any rights elsewhere. And that is why, with demonstrations planned in at least 29 states next week, Wisconsin has become Ground Zero for the immediate future of American labour unions.

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US Politics Special: The Conservative Way Forward on Social Security

Last week's quiet in Congress was broken when the House of Representatives debated the spending levels to keep the government in operation through 30 September, the end of the current Fiscal Year.On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the House did not adjourn until past midnight. Members can presumably catch up on sleep this week when Congress is in recess for President's Day.

Meanwhile, President Obama released his budget for Fiscal Year 2012, which starts on 1 October.Some sympathetic commentators, i.e., those who didn't castigate the President for cowardice or a lack of statesmanship, argued that this was a credible political strategy. Ignore the subject of this year's budget and let the Republicans raise it; with the consequence they become labelled as the party that wants to tear apart America's welfare system. That is not a badge you want to wear as you enter a 2012 election campaign that, as always, will be decided by moderate Independents.

Entitlement reform will be the political battleground for the foreseeable future. The current struggles over cutting government spending are only the initial skirmishes in a long campaign ahead. Momentum is growing for the budget summit called for two week ago by Sen. Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and Republicans are intimating their leadership will only attend if entitlement reform is on the agenda for discussion.

That brings up to a final look at the Conservative Roadmap put forward by Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wisconson), with its recommendations for Social Security and Tax Reform.

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US Politics Special: The Conservative Way Forward on Medicaid and Medicare

The conservative Roadmap's guiding philosophy is the vaunted economic efficiency of the free market,with hundreds of millions of individual choices in the health insurance market driving down the overall cost of health care provision.

Both Medicare and Medicaid began in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society". Medicare is funded solely by federal dollars, partly through an employee payroll tax, and provides health care coverage for participants who are over 65. Medicaid is a joint state-federal enterprise, with states generally receiving a dollar of federal money for each dollar they spend, allowing low-income families to receive medical treatment.

The highlight of Rep. Ryan's recommendations for Medicaid is the issuing of a debit card to low-income families, loaded with a set amount of funds that can be paid to approved health care insurers.

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US Politics Special: A Guide to the Conservative Plan for Health Care Provision

Government spending on health care for citizens is primarily conducted through Medicaid and Medicare. Central to the Conservative Roadmap's recommendations for reducing the costs of those two government funded programs is a reduction in the price of premiums paid by taxpayers. Its proposers believe that the health care framework will make the market more competitive; this will then provide the foundation for a leaner and cheaper Medicare and Medicaid both leaner and cheaper without compromising on the range of services offered to recipients.

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US Politics: Economy Special --- A Conservative Roadmap to Stability and Character

As much as detractors of conservatism may disagree, the conservatives' Roadmap illustrates that the defense of the free market in the United States, at least for the true believers, is based more on moral imperatives than on selfish economic interests. The Roadmap's author, Representative Paul Ryan, contends that “it is government's responsibility to uphold the principles of free and competitive markets", and he and maintains that following this principle in the future will have the moral consequence of restoring the American character. For, he explains, “consistent with this is the longstanding recognition among Americans that freedom and responsibility are two sides of the same coin.... Only by taking responsibility for oneself, to the greatest extent possible, can one ever be free; and only a free person can make responsible choices... these moral characteristics inhere in individuals, growing from the coupling of freedom and responsibility; and this in turn is the root of the Nation's virtue."

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US Politics Special: A New EA Series on the Debates Over the Economy

Two political stories will dominate US news coverage this year: the campaign for the Republican nomination to face President Obama in the 2012 election, and the efforts by both parties, bi-partisan commissions, and independent think tanks to find a solution for the state of the American economy. Included in the latter debate will be terms that turn us all bleary-eyed; debt ceilings, discretionary and non-discretionary spending, entitlement reform, tax reform, and a myriad of health,care acronyms like MSAs (Medical Saving Accounts). The grim reality beyond the terms is that the United States is facing a fiscal crisis, and this year will see the beginnings of policies that will have long-standing consequences for the future of America.

Over the next few weeks EA USA will post a series of articles looking in-depth at the various recommendations for changes.

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US Politics: "Cooling Saucer" or "Tar Pit"? The Filibuster Continues in the Senate

So there will be few dramas on legislation this year. That is, unless a Democratic minority in the Senate –--where some fiscally conservative members could join a united Republican caucus –-- endorses cuts in government spending. And then we start talking reconciliation for finance bills and Presidential vetoes.

But enough speculation; the filibuster remains largely as it was, and along with it the nearly impenetrable rules of the Senate. "Cooling saucer" or "tar pit"? You decide.

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US Politics: Previewing Obama's "State of the Union" (and How the Republicans Will Try to Pre-Empt It)

It promises to be an interesting Tuesday with potential filibuster reform and an outside chance of Republicans forcing a repeal vote on the health care plan. But in the end it will be the power of the Presidency that draws the world's attention to Washington on Tuesday. With one of his most important weapons, President Obama has the chance to remind Americans, and an international audience, of the optimism that surrounded his election in 2008.

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US Politics: Why the "Filibuster" Issue May Cast a Shadow Over President Obama's Speech

Today at 10 a.m. the Senate will convene for the first time since 5 January. The issue of the day, hours before President Obama gives his State of the Union address will be filibuster reform.

The topic has been debated extensively over the last 12 months, and especially since the end of July after the DISCLOSE Act intended to reform campaign finance laws was defeated by "obstructionist" tactics. Possibly this afternoon, more likely later in the week, the Senate will finally decide whether or not to reform the rules that made the last two years the most filibustered in history of the chamber, with 400 bills passed by the House never reaching the floor of the Senate for debate.

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US Elections Analysis: A Warning for the Tea Party

The electorate clearly showed the limits of their support for the Tea Party, in an economic climate when everything was in their favor. That ceiling will only lower over the next two years as the reality of wielding power in the House tarnishes their anti-establishment core appeal. We have had three elections now in a row where there has been a wave of protest votes against Washington; in two years, that protest may be one of rejection of a record of “no compromise.”

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