July 2012 Blog Archives


You Ask, We Answer: Do Some People Pay No Taxes at All?

NPP’s new report “The Untold Story of Deficits in Washington” has sparked a LOT of questions about federal revenues – the “budwonk” word for “taxes” – especially this one: “Is it true that half of all Americans pay no federal taxes?”Here’s the deal. Because many people don’t earn enough to ...


Review: A People's Guide to the Federal Budget

Have you ever felt confused when hearing about the federal budget? Do you feel that the frequent debates in Washington about deficit and spending are complex, and you wish you understood them? Then A People’s Guide to the Federal Budget is the book for you. The book is written in very simple language, making it accessible for the average reader with absolutely no previous knowledge of the federal budget.


Where Are We Now – Pentagon Spending and Sequestration

The week of July 16 was a big one in Washington for Pentagon watchers. The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve the fiscal year 2013 Defense Appropriations bill, while the House Armed Services Committee held hearings on the potential impact of upcoming spending cuts on the Pentagon’s budget.The FY2013 ...


A New Way to Cast Your Vote

If we want to have a say in how our tax dollars are spent, we need to have a say in who represents us. Fortunately, we do have a say in who represents us – in theory, at least. In practice, a majority of Americans of voting age don’t have any role in determining their representation. According to the Census Bureau, just 37 percent of eligible voters actually voted in the 2010 midterm elections. Frankly, that stinks.


You Ask, We Answer: Who Benefits from the Bush Tax Cuts?

Last week President Obama affirmed his support for letting the Bush-era tax cuts expire for American families making over $250,000. There was a flurry of activity on our Facebook page as folks debated the merits of extending all the tax cuts versus allowing them to expire for upper-income taxpayers. And there were lots of questions and some confusion over who benefits from these tax cuts.


Data Story: Rising Medicaid Enrollment

Unemployment rose sharply following the start of the Great Recession in 2007. At the same time, enrollment in Medicaid increased as Americans who were hard-hit in the economic downturn qualified for the health insurance program for low-income Americans. Medicaid enrollment rose from 16.6 percent of the under-65 population in 2007 to 20.6 percent in 2010.


You Ask, We Answer: How Will the Supreme Court Decision Change Medicaid?

Since the Supreme Court ruled on the Affordable Care Act – also known as Obamacare – there have been lots of questions about Medicaid: How it's funded, what the Supreme Court decision meant, and what's going to change now. While the Supreme Court upheld most of the Affordable Care Act, it struck down a part of the law pertaining to states' participation in expanding Medicaid eligibility. The Court ruled that Congress cannot hold hostage existing Medicaid funding in order to compel states to comply with the expansion. If you find this a little confusing, you're not alone.


Across the Great State of Maine with A People's Guide

As I travel with candidates to meet voters across the state of Maine, I see people who disconnect from politics because they are overwhelmed and confused by the political landscape. Because of that confusion, I find that most people retreat from discussions about budget priorities – on the state and federal levels – and pass up opportunities to advocate for themselves and their families. 


You Ask, We Answer: What's a Block Grant? (And Why Nuns Care)

Karen from Colorado asks us, “What’s a block grant?” She said she’s been hearing that phrase a lot without knowing what it means – or if it’s important. It’s a great question, Karen, because block grants are important. They’re part of the reason a group of nuns recently began the Nuns on the Bus cross-country tour.