oh i. have a. the launch are going to washington d.c. and here's what's coming up tonight on the big picture it's friday which means it's time for our conversations with great minds this evening i'm joined by scholar and author chuck collins discussed the country's growing problem of wealth inequality an increasing unemployment rate plus our city budget cuts to blame for the recent drowning of a california man will debate that issue and more in our weekly rumble and finally this isn't the first time there's been a showdown in congress over raising the debt limit in today's daily take find out

what happened back in one nine hundred eighty five it could give president obama a secret weapon in the debate today. are you ready to rumble it's time for the big picture of all when i sit down with three expert political commentators great down the week's biggest stories on our panel tonight daniel helper that any online editor the weekly standard erica kennedy democratic strategist and janie weinstein deputy editor at the daily caller dot com ok let's get started. it took an hour for a man to drown himself in the san francisco bay on wednesday i guess that's a little more serious isn't and the entire time that he was in the water firefighters looked on from the shore and did nothing to stop them and why is it in a cold water here or training why because of budget cuts so despite the fact the

budget cuts could have tragic real life consequences republicans in the house are pushing for guess what more budget cuts even cuts directed at first responders cutting one billion out of the federal first responders program so why do publicans think we can cut our way to prosperity can you name one nation in the history of the world that cut spending cut taxes. actually achieved prosperity just one this is actually a great microcosm california because california has the highest sales tax in the country one of the highest income saxon's taxes in the country a lot of so high local state and city taxes one most tax states in the entire country yet there it is there is it's the largest economy in the euro bill bradley prize if it's a beer not prosperous then here in the budget troubles out there a deal if you don't believe there's a proposition what is in the you want to do increase taxes you have more money what business isn't leaving the state because they want the highest corporate taxes in the country this is this is the problem this is your ideal vision of the world taxes are high but guess what the economy is terrible and i think that first

responders not being actual responders is pretty careful i mean at some point what . budget cuts going back and back and back me if you look at like i hated the household budget i just i think it's ridiculous to compare government budget to that but if you were to do that it's like you cut back on paying your mortgage just cut that out we're going to cut back on. and at some point you can't cut certain things you just can't keep doing and you know for the first time your argument is ludicrous and specious you could obviously make the same argument that it's because of big government and because of big government bureaucracy that the person drowned he was standing in shallow water the problem is these people had to be abided by the protocol of the fire department friend they had he was in shallow water other people were going in there he wanted to commit suicide that's fairly shallow but it was way out. because they were afraid of not of not using your common sense instead of with them no they were afraid of of the ramifications that might come from not

following the protocol and so on a respirator kind of is here he's got rid of the if you got rid of these these stupid policies and just let people use common sense i think this guy would still go when soup. that would help obviously i didn't know that was in the book you're suggesting what why the person wasn't saved because. that's because he wasn't that's ok. my quick take on this somalia and sweden are very different sweden is spending money in somalia. i don't want to see it go to somalia in joplin missouri residents are receiving help from elephants to clean up tornado damage more than a week after deadly twisters leveled the city and i'm not talking about republican it's. i'm talking about actual elephants that's because republicans instead of helping

those in need are nickel and dime in those in need saying we need to cut money for grandma or the environment before we can help turn it over to us so while leaving joplin high and dry well republicans rather spend money we don't have on tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires or corporate welfare for big oil polluters to taxpayer subsidies that's actually not what that's actually not what eric cantor said and i think that's who you're referring to areas are said that you would love to give money to the republican house that we would love to give money to the people in joplin but we need to get money from elsewhere bad there's a finite amount of money and you don't have an infinite amount of money this is finally. really someplace we're also the money coming from and it's coming we're going to get it from one year and he's going to do a lot of these kind of one point later windemere why situation what he's going through the time is of the essence i mean even tom de lay said that you have i would really need right now and of course you know down the road i mean it in money there are many people and they're willing to have my choice i gave up my medicare down the road or are not get and you see they may have the benefit because that's

what republicans want to cut they want to cut the or special serve. to both you guys all you have to say is you got to spend more we got to spend more what you want to cut i mean only in fantasy land are there money trees where we can go get money for everything that we need there has to be decisions that have to be made we can't keep borrowing from the chinese every time we want to do something we have to . or is here and. that's not official long term budget saving tips a longer term more complicated problem then you know when there's an emergency designation and there's going to be fun they're going to go there when they need money they don't have now they have the money to the right now and they don't have a hook and some promise that the money will come all the lines come on the line this emotion behind we're not the money come from that's all that's not the only things why don't they want the cuts purse why can't they do this is ten thousand out of three they're not here we have the funds there's a hair money now they have where we've pushed the question is down the road will they have money but they have enough money or is it we're going to pay them or once we're going to take your argument that it's going to be fun tax that conversation

going over the pay for i now the wharf iraq all these people are now saying we have to pay for everything and didn't really feel that they needed to do that's all i'm trying to reform long term liabilities where is the democrats' plan the republicans have a plan well the progressive caucus actually has a plan too and it's and it's a good plan and you know we have our tax rates right now are lower than they've been since since the great depression since before the great depression and our tax collections and it's it's just it's really i think very straightforward all you all we have to look at eisenhower the top tax rate was ninety one percent he was spending money like crazy building bridges and schools and hospitals and roads and the eisenhower highway system and we grew our way out of the great depression and we could see that for the california we just talked about their high taxes is limited by the by the initiatives that are put in by the right wingers and therefore they make it takes a supermajority pass tax increases and if you test you but they don't need to pass a they really have gigantic effects and not very much about the federal government which decided they didn't need to pay for. this is that's it and paul stepped in

this week after saying on the sean hannity radio show that muslims should be thrown in prison if they attended a speech that rand paul doesn't like a proper protocol and people on the color of their skin or on their religion but i would take into account where they've been traveling and perhaps. you might have to indirectly take into account whether or not they have been going through radical political speeches by religious leaders but it wouldn't be that they are islamic but if someone is attending speeches from someone who is promoting the violent overthrow of our government that's really an offense that we should be going after they should be deported or put in prison that's because last week he was trying to shoot down the patriot act i guess in light of these new comments he didn't think big brother went far enough in the patriot act so that combined with peter king syrians and two american muslim communities how long until republicans just make it official bring back john adams alien sedition acts and begin putting bloggers in jail like adams did with newspaper editors he didn't like yours that you could

great liberal hopes internment camps but. what i think what i've been doing what is right what i think what he was saying is that he might have misspoken at the end of it but what he was saying is that you know if someone's going to yemen and going to listen to anwar a lot we're going to his his mosque maybe we should watch out for that. i don't think it's particularly crazy and he has to walk that people are going for here's the other question is what does that mean for people attending political speeches in our country and you can necessarily be responsible for what a speaker says on the stage or you know ted nugent says something crazy if you're going to be enemies of god or anything you can challenge you know it's different had you didn't preface it with what he did he said where they travel you want to take pay attention where they're traveling if you're going to listen to people that went over there when they could be even bigger of really not in terms so so if i go to france i was in a somebody that's objectionable you want to put me in prison i don't i don't want to put anyone in prison i don't think you say automatically put them in prison but you know what if you go to yemen that shows you know on where a lot we i do think the f.b.i. should be maybe paying a little closer attention to i think it's not

a hit with orders from the seekers when he's wrong and i. was wrong on this and he was also wrong when he voted against the patriot act which protects our civil liberties this is a problem rand paul is generally very concerned it's odd because to protect our civil which is my taken away you know we're going to protect them by snooping by keep. it's safe look brand rand paul is generally consistently libertarian i thought i did and i think he was wrong in this instance and he was wrong on that i'm not really sure what explains it i'm inclined to believe as james suggested that perhaps it was a flaw it's odd that. i'm not going to be here to defend it and i've got everything he has where he's completely wrong on that i mean the patriot act isn't necessarily i think the best piece of legislation in terms of protecting our civil liberties but that idea that spying on people protects our liberties and makes us safer is just completely ridiculous and even more ridiculous is the idea that if you listen to this is purely an issue of the us system and i don't agree i'm not saying somebody who doesn't is all those things he was going to say because these are not

the best i don't try to listen to go to jail purely for using the idea that if you're going to listen on where we i think that we've probably seen this from the charges should not be the basis on which we put people in prison it should be your own behavior more shocking details are emerging in the republican budget proposal and you know republicans are trying to cut eight hundred thirty million dollars in food assistance programs for poor women and children that were program half a million people will have food taken right off their table if republicans have their way but here's the kicker the eight hundred thirty million cut to food assistance could easily be recouped if the bush tax cuts for the rich were allowed to expire for just one week that's right just one week of bush tax cuts for the rich cause the same as food assistance to a half million women and children so how can republicans possibly justify this one really when did starving women and children to let billionaires. become the american way it's nice that you call them the bush tax cuts but you might as well call the obama democratic tax cuts because that's who last author on the show that

i'm a loser that as passed that he had to do has order to get unemployment to his appeal and he signed it so it's his it's his will so it that's interesting that you call it that way look the democrats could vote for it in fact they have voted for it when they voted for work let me just get this that the republicans are now attacking the extension of the tax. i'm raising it i'm saying that was one of obama's strong that was one of the his best message posies but what i'm also suggesting is that democrats could have voted for this program when the obama's budget was up in the senate last week and every single democrat and republican voted against obama that's which included this provision that's not easy to civil but they still had a vote on it it was ninety seven zero against the bush's budget which was the obama transition a lot of it was a procedural on the it wasn't actually strange that on the bills here on this provision is frankly how this provision included i don't understand this idea that we don't give out government subsidies to people or that you know we're going to

cut back on giving out subsidies but yet we're going to give out subsidies to industries and corporations and you know it's a redistribution of wealth i mean it's the government subsidizing she has money to republicans of social government subsidizes a number of industries and number of different programs that's just a fact and that if we're going to choose to do ones that directly impact the lowest income women and children and families that are that are literally on the margins but not other industries i think is ludicrous i think if you're going to if we're really going to tax cuts we're really going to budget cuts why aren't we looking at i don't know that that affects every american regardless of income equally i challenge this whole method of argument you can remove taxes for we could pay for food assistance for whatever period of time but said so you want to raise taxes and that would do it you could raise taxes one hundred percent and for a short period of time get everyone in america. because i know that it was your idea it's not if you're going to argue with a tax cut it was an attack it wasn't a rollback of the tax rate and that's the problem is that now people decided that this is what their tax rate should be or not this was

a short term you know particularly related to go all the economic it goes towards ration because it's not about what it's not it's not about what you're taking it to is that when you're going to talk about you know. i'm going to talk about it's not about small government programs but having a long term growth agenda and here's what it's going to do is live for the bush tax cuts when. had the clinton tax levels we had a balanced budget remember maybe we should consider going back there more signs that republicans love big intrusive government florida governor rick sanchez rick scott says me signed a new law that requires welfare recipients in florida undergo mandatory drug screens before they receive any benefits if they pass the test they'll get reimbursed if not eighty books also if they don't pass the test they're barred from receiving any benefits for a year so should we be forcing a family into starvation someone smokes a little pot on the side or is even in the room with someone who does which will flip a drug test positive and isn't this a radical invasion of privacy and is rick scott going to make millions more on

these drug tests and his company does that our drug test you know for a permit we're going to try to save money so where it seems like a pretty good idea that maybe the government should be subsidizing someone's cocaine habit that's going to place here is no evidence that there's higher truckies and those that are on welfare than the general are saying they're going to accept government funds where i know what i do a good half and only a whole nother system of iraq or say we're going to now be issuing trying task administering them and then reimbursing people's eighty dollars any because that's not going to cost us any money and i'm not about educating once we've stripped them of their welfare both of the due process and being able to appeal to the congress here you know what you would are you going to the department just as it goes it's their own to their own you know how can the select well this is in every way economy should take one to anyone is getting any government money should take going to meetings should take a drug test before you go in tax relief i mean i think it's an opportunity job. and i just think it's a matter that it's interesting and it's dehumanizing and this idea that we're going to suddenly marginalize or accuse this whole segment of population they have to prove their worthiness but you had

a whole nother millionaires who have to prove they're well without a tax and why is this in one of the virtually identical to do propane or another there is not a step back surely profit from imply an island we are supposed to use his product of the government property from the government profiting progress but i do not oppose so not getting welfare funds for you subsidizing their drug. i don't i don't it's not it's more it's a smart responsible there or there are budget cuts all round and it costs less on his shave you sleep i think you know if they're not more administering it i mean it is absolutely absolutely it was on your drugs you're going to have you're going to have your welfare check i think that's an excuse for what this is is a variation on the model in the mean that if you steal fifty bucks from seven eleven you're going to go to prison and if you steal fifty million dollars from the american people and you're a bank strong wall street a billionaire you're going to get a bailout or you might you might get slapped on the wrist that's that's what this is really center last word for every trader as you had to prove that they are not buying anything let alone that we don't spend it's beneficial to the drug addicts

and it's going to provide them where they don't have because we cut that he's going to hurt if you last and why should not be last question this is quick for sarah palin suffered a debilitating case of foot and mouth disease are wildly publicized bus tour across the northeast apparently she's running low on sarah pac funds to keep her celebrity lifestyle so she's on the road to collect more money and she earned a dollar for every crazy thing she said in this post to be a result in success should kick things off here in d.c. by saying this. all year are all your beds on the bus tour to be this without. a black berry. i love that smell your mission right cheers i'm going to ellis island to rail against of all things immigration reform. and the. rest of. them. and then was in boston offer her own take on paul revere's midnight ride and

. the. british that they were going to be taken we are. still in the end he sure is he's writing his tours through two. shots the bellows. going to be secure and we were going to be free he warned the british while he was sure it was gone so now the ghost tour is winding down where will she go next time sarah pac funds start to dry up will be eight the gulf coast where shoulder where her love for black sand beaches or be not rushmore where she'll tell the pressure that she's present she's super excited to see reagan space on the mountain or see vernon where show reminisce about the historical monument where the slaves were freed in the plantation michele bachmann the she will go to wisconsin when she will see paul ryan announce his candidacy for the presidency of the united states he recently just gave a foreign policy speech seeming that he is considering a run and i think that the good news for america while i think would be good news

for everyone if they're kind went through a fifth grade history class i mean i think most people can recount most children recount the power of mirrors and i write it's going to genius move on her part of the precious chasing her and for what for what she has everyone sort of in me will be as i started top of drudge report for two days in a row was about her trip and i don't exonerate but getting a lot of money enough to keep going with this job is not ever going to run in a family vacation the joke's on everyone else because it's wildly successful for it is my choice dee the twilight zone where she and running mate donald trump might actually have a chance to win the white house any of daniel help or. jamie once again thank you thank you all for being there for a great. coming up after the break a daily take by what happened back in one nine hundred eighty five that could give president obama a secret weapon and a debate today. let's

not forget that we had an apartheid break. i think. even on the well. we never got that says the safe to graduate because of their freedom.

you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then he slips something else here's some other part of it and realized everything you saw you don't i'm sorry there's a big. fat . five. ft.

yesterday moody's investment services basically a global credit rating agency fired a shot across the bow of the united states they basically said if our lawmakers can't come together to raise the debt ceiling by next month and they'll downgrade the credit rating of our nation signaling to the rest of the world that america can't pay back its bondholders likely causing a global financial catastrophe so the clock is ticking for the speaker that was john boehner to quit playing games and raise the damn debt ceiling it's truth is republicans could care less about the debt ceiling the only clock they care about is the one this take it away to the two thousand and twelve elections republicans have made a calculated decision that if democrats don't agree to privatizing medicare or other massive cuts and they're going to go ahead and let our nation default on our debt because they believe that in the end it will be president obama who will be blamed in two thousand and twelve by the voters for the economic disaster as

matthew glaces reports one republican as close to john boehner reportedly said a closed door republican budget meeting of course it's dangerous but it's dangerous for everybody especially the president at the end of the day. now and then he says at the end of the day obama will have to give it another republican piped up and said who has egg on their face if there's a sovereign debt crisis house republicans are the resident truth is the republicans are right president obama is the guy who will likely take the hit if our nation defaults he'll become the next herbert hoover and democrats might be banished from politics for a generation if that happens and that's the exact endgame the republicans are trying for with their scorched earth strategy they'll do anything to win back the white house even if it means another great depression for the rest of us that's why republicans are playing hardball case and what the republicans don't realize and i'm not even sure the president realizes this is that while republicans may have be armed with machetes in this budgetary knife fight president obama has

a chainsaw and that chainsaw is a power that the office of management and budget has given to treasury secretary tim geithner back in one nine hundred eighty five there was a debate going down just like today over raising the debt ceiling and one senator from oregon bob packwood had a question so we wrote a letter to the government accountability office basically asking how and in what order our debt obligations would be paid off if congress failed to raise the debt ceiling and what he received back in response is incredible here's the letter to the honorable bob packwood chairman son of the committee on finance and said some of your requests that our views on whether the secretary of the treasury has authority to determine the order in which obligations are to the aid should the congress fail to raise the statutory limit on the public debt or whether the treasury would be forced to operate on a first in first out basis and here's the key part of this letter it is our

conclusion that the secretary of the treasury does have the authority to choose the order in which to pay obligations of the united states. now translating that into english what that means is that treasury secretary tim geithner has the sole authority to determine how our debt obligations are met by deciding which bills to pay and when to pay them of course doing to them on behalf of the president in fact he's already doing this we hit the debt ceiling and passed the debt ceiling back on may seventeenth and geithner is now borrowing from federal pension funds to keep our government running so if republicans really want to play hardball the president can direct tim geithner to play hardball right back after is that a cannibalizing federal pension funds he could cut into federal assistance to states whose republican senators and congressman are blocking a limit on the debt increase or the raising the debt ceiling baiter could basically

say or he could accident the president could basically say hey john boehner you don't want to raise the debt ceiling that's fine but kiss all that federal money ohio gets every day go by we're using that money to pay off our debt no more highway funds no more medicaid funds no more education funds no more nothing. you're out of business or hey paul ryan i know is constant struggling financially right now and it's about to get a whole lot worse because we're blocking all federal grants to the states we need to pay off our debt somehow it's a pretty simple choice really do we use existing federal funds to finance john boehner as corporate pet project of an alternative thirty five and jet engine or do we use the funds to pay off our debt and avoid a global meltdown so we use our money to help rebuild a road in paul ryan's congressional district or do we use it to assure other nations that our debt is still good i don't know about you but i'd rather let a few potholes deteriorate in wisconsin than let republicans bring about the next

great depression. so mr president asks some of the old timers around the white house how lyndon johnson took fed chairman william martin into his office and literally physically beat him up then slammed him up against the wall and then delivered his ultimatum it's time for you to do the same metaphorically at least with eric cantor in the tea party republicans in congress and want to destroy your presidency but he's trying to credit worthiness of our great nation slamming the op against the wall by pulling all federal funding to every state whose member of congress wouldn't vote to raise the debt ceiling and then let them try to explain to their voters why their food stamp cards don't work rather social security checks aren't arriving and the road repairs all stopped and half their schools are closing time for some hardball serve respectfully of course. coming up senior scholar truck collatz joins me tonight for a conversation with

a very. let's not forget that we had an apartheid regime. i think. one well. we never got that says they're going to keep you safe get ready because their freedom.

you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so for lengthly you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else and you hear or see some other part of it and realize that everything is ok you don't know i'm tom hartman welcome to the big picture the first. five.