How to Finance Barack Obama's New Entitlement Program

Why are voices like these ignored when it comes to policy decision-making?

"Tax Collecting for Obama's Welfare State," by James C. Capretta (see bio below).

Here's a key quote: "The chutzpah here is something to behold. Having passed the largest entitlement expansion in half a century, in the most partisan manner imaginable, the president now wants Republicans to provide political cover to Democrats as they search for ways to finance the welfare state of their dreams."

Capretta bio:

James C. Capretta, a Fellow in the Economics and Ethics Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), was an Associate Director at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from 2001 to 2004, where he was the top budget official for health-care, Social Security, education, and welfare programs.

At EPPC, Mr. Capretta studies and provides commentary on a wide range of public policy and economic issues, with a focus on health-care and entitlement reform, U.S. fiscal policy, and global population aging. 

In addition to his work as a researcher and commentator on public policy issues, Mr. Capretta is also a health policy and research consultant with Civic Enterprises, LLC and an Adjunct Fellow with the Global Aging Initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and with Hudson Institute.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Capretta served for a decade in Congress as a senior analyst for health-care issues and for three years as a budget examiner at OMB. He has an MA in Public Policy Studies from Duke University, and he graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1985 with a BA in Government.