From Stark
Okay. I’m officially confused. When the budget supercommittee was formed, we were told that its chances for success were high, because its failure would punish Congress (and America?) with automatic budget cuts and tax increases that were said to be unthinkable and draconian.
Now, some commentators are noting that the automatic measures will mean deficit cuts far beyond anything that has been seriously proposed so far, and they will accomplish this with one dollar of spending cuts for every three dollars in tax increases. Here’s a take from Fareed Zakaria at CNN, and from Ezra Klein at the Washington Post.
Some doves are also noting, with approval, the defense cuts that are supposed to be automatic in the wake of the supercommittee’s face plant. And even Republicans in Congress appear reluctant to mount an effort to spare Defense from the cuts they earlier agreed to make if the supercommittee failed in its Mission Impossible. The New York Times reports.
All of this leads some commentators to suggest that the automatic cuts will be a good thing, but there is still widespread concern that cutting spending and raising taxes will cut economic growth.
“Have you been following this so-called supercommittee? They’re the new superhero group of superfriends from the super-Congress who are going to save America from plummeting over the cliff and into the multitrillion-dollar abyss.
There’s Spender Woman (Patty Murray), Incumbent Boy (Max Baucus), Kept Man (John Kerry) and many other warriors for truth, justice and the American way of debt….
http://news.investors.com/Article/591396/201111111709/Committee-Finds-Savings-By-Adding-To-Deficit-.htm
The super committee is a super joke but the bad news is; it is on US!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
“Here’s an assessment from the Republican co-chairman of Congress’ unfortunate “super committee” of why the bipartisan panel failed to produce a deficit reduction plan last week:
“We could not bridge the gap between two dramatically competing visions of the role government should play in a free society, the proper purpose and design of the social safety net and the fundamentals of job creation and economic growth,” wrote Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas).
Is that all?…
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-mcmanus-column-supercommittee-20111127,0,610401.column
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
“We could not bridge the gap between two dramatically competing visions of the role government should play in a free society…”
No, that’s not a job for a committee. That’s for the people to decide. And it looks like they will be soon, in the streets, as the two party’s leaders are now “buypartisans”
Someone with solutions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV-RqPtT2PU
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!