NYT article, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/us/05deficit.html, puts some hundreds of billions on the table in talks (I refuse to think of them as negotiations since the Whine House has no idea of how to). Also, article in FireDogLake on same subject.

Biden says flatly the Medicare and Medicaid are subject to trades. As of this point, the Dems have NO revenue enhancements from deal, and look for some garbage which extends the Obama-Bush tax cuts.

Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, the No. 3 Senate Democrat, said: We are very willing to entertain savings in Medicare. Medicare gives very good health care very inefficiently.

What the hell is that supposed to mean. Can you even imagine Medicaid being a full block grant to the NC legislature, which cannot find its way to the bathroom.

New study on privatization claims it simply does not work, and documents it. In fact, privatization sucks.

Here are some impacts the Cornell University Hebdon Report found that result from privatization:

-diminished quality and access to services

-lower employee morale, productivity and training

-worker exploitation through lower wages and benefits

-increased discrimination against minorities and women

-loss of government control and sovereignty

-lost constitutional and other legal rights

-decreased efficiency as a result of difficulty monitoring and administrating contracts

-loss of accountability and control

lost infrastructure

-increased corruption, bribery, kickbacks, bid-rigging, campaign donations, low-ball bids, and contractor bankruptcy

-higher direct costs or hidden costs to pay for the loss of pensions and benefits of public employees

-increased conflict, strikes, grievances, and arbitrations

There is a clip of Senator Nesbitt at http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2011/03/22/nesbitt-gops-budget-ideas-eerily-similar-to-john-locke-pla...

In it Nesbitt shows a new Locke publication which he has word will be the basis for the Republican proposal, which the Democrats have not seen. Locke proposal takes a hell of a lot out of education to arrive at $18.3 billion. See

http://www.johnlocke.org/research/show/spotlights/259

If you look at it, you will find it follows the rule for Taxpayer Bill of Rights: adjust budget only for population and inflation and that only. Only Coletti takes the mid 1990s as the starting point.

This from "The difference between us and them>", an item which looks at The Third Way (the remnants of the DLC of another day). If you had any confusion of which way things are going to go... well read: http://avedon.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html#4594097885400235057%234594097885400235057

In an earlier Third Way paper, The Politics of Opportunity, we argued that 21st century economic policy—to be both politically resonant and substantively meaningful—should reflect the hope and optimism of the American people. Thus, unlike both conservatism and neopopulism, our approach is also profoundly optimistic. In contrast to conservatism, we have a positive belief in government’s ability to foster new middle-class opportunity. And in contrast to neopopulists, we have faith in the basic strength of the American economy to grow and in the ability of middle-class Americans to succeed...