by Jack Lee
21 Nov 2011: First it was left up to Congress to come up with a balanced budget, but they couldn’t agree. So, they sent it into committee. The committee couldn’t agree and then they sent it to a Super Committee with more bi-partisan players. Now the story is the Super Committee has failed to reach an agreement. They are miles apart and intractable, in fact they can’t even agree on what time to make the press release, but it should come today .
Here’s the most pathetic part of this story: The cuts they were supposed to make weren’t even real cuts. That’s right, they were only reductions to scheduled increases. The $1.2 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years doesn’t even keep pace with this year’s deficit of $1.3 trillion! So, at best this effort is only cutting the growth of the debt and the big debt of over $14 trillion is still accumulating. Since it looks like the Super Committee has failed automatic spending cuts will be imposed. However, even that isn’t a sure thing because Congress could roll them back.
The democrats are demanding that if they cooperate with the spending reduction, they must get a tax increase on the wealthy. This has been the sticking point all along, but the republicans counter that giving Congress more tax revenue is akin to giving a junky more heroin. The evidence falls on the side of the republicans because in past years democrats, admittedly with some help from the republicans, shows they consistently spend more than they have taken in. This mismanagement has taxpayers furious on both sides. The conservative voters are demanding a balanced budget or else. This leaves the republicans in Congress with no where to run, their voter base won’t accept any more excuses.
There is a simple solution. Start the budget cuts immediately and stop all pork projects and funding of any new programs. Let it ride for one year, maybe two and then lets see if the democrats were able to restrain their spending addiction. If they have, then lets reinstate the former tax rates on the wealthy and see how that works. Both sides need to test their plan and their promises and this simple method would do it.
BRIEF HISTORY: A balanced budget amendment (BBA) was considered by Thomas Jefferson in 1798, but it took until 1936 for a BBA to come before Congress. In 1982 Congress had another shot at it. Sen. Tip O’Neill – D, fought the BBA, but it was brought to a vote by a discharge petition and lost because it didn’t meet the 2/3rds vote requirement.
The first and only time the House gave two-thirds approval to a balanced budget amendment was in 1995, when Members voted for the “Contract with America” that helped Republicans win major congressional majorities. That was the last time the House held a floor or committee vote. Since then, the Senate has failed twice–each time by a single vote–to gather the two-thirds needed.
Spending has never been cut, not ever. It is always a reduction in a future planned increase, which, of course, would do no good at all to save us from the crash that is coming. Most of us would not really be against a tax increase if it were actually used to balance the budget, but we have learned through bitter experience that the Democrats will immediately leap upon any new revenue and spend it on new boondoggles. If we fall for the old “balanced” or “compromise” trick, we will get increased taxes that take effect immediately in return for promises of fictitious cuts that are scheduled for tomorrow, and tomorrow never comes.
Soaps, exactly!
Quentin: You can’t elect “A” republican. First they need majority control in Congress, but it must come with a clear understanding what their mission is. IF the reps can’t give their solemn promise to take care of the deficit and balance the budget then there is NO reason to elect them and every reason to call for the immediate destruction of the GOP so we support a real political party that has the guts and ability to do it…period, end of story!
I have a confession. In the past, I have spent too much time picking on Quentin. I have begun to feel like a bully, and probably should be sent to sensitivity classes.
However! I have learned something from this blog that has changed my perspective. I just discovered that Quentin has read books! Not one book, but two of them! One of those books was written by a university professor/progressive political activist, and the other by a baby boomer journalist, but Im quite sure the books were unbiased and objective anyhow. These two books are evidently responsible for Quentin taking up the outdoor life.
From these books, Quentin has learned that Ronald Reagan is responsible for the imminent collapse of western civilization. If Quentin read it in an actual book, it must be true. An Uncomfortable Truth, but one that should impel us all to join him downtown, in protest against the former president.
Lets just hope that Quentin doesnt make another trip to the library and check out something like “Dirty Bombs For Dummies,” or the recently published “Serving Your Fellow Man,” by Hannibal Lecter.