The Super Committee, charged with shaving $1.2 Trillion dollars off the federal debt, failed to answer their mandate and now admits defeat. The committee was comprised of 6 Republicans and 6 Democrats. They have met since August, 2011.
I haven’t followed them. I saw that all 6 Republicans chosen for the committee were tied to Grover Norquist pledges so the entire committee became a joke. Committees should consist of people who have a willingness to compromise. Those committed to a pledge won’t be able to do that. Why were people chosen who were bound to a pledge that technically could not involve any outcome that involved taxes being raised anywhere? Do we all just look stupid?
Hold on to your 401k and other investments today. The ride should be like a roller coaster….all going downhill. The pledgers are bound to destroy us to save us.
No person committed to a pledge should have ever been chosen for a committee that by definition will require compromise. Thanks R’s. Thanks for nothing, again. And you want my Independent vote because? Yea, I want to be broke. I want my social security, my medicare and my other retirement funds broke. That just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. Let’s protect the rich from any tax increase at all and stick it to the senior citizens and the middle class.
Our system is morally corrupt.
I’m not holding anything hostage. Either a debt ceiling is valid or it is not. And the debt ceiling was opposed by OBAMA when the GOP wanted to raise it. And the conservatives have been trying to stop spending for years. AND the out of control spending…..DOUBLE that of Bush, is what has finally opened everyone’s eyes…well..not yours. Its not just the wars….. So…either get rid of the debt ceiling or abide by it.
And your bias is showing…..”extreme right wing finances.” So, NOT spending like a fool is now “extreme right wing” Trying to live within our means is “extreme right wing”
Then I guess that I’m extreme right wing……by your definition.
When we get downgraded again…there will be no one to blame but the Democrats. And I will laugh. How many times do the ratings agencies have to say that its the spending before you believe it? They’re saying it again. That the committee cuts are fake. That THEY want 4 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years.
Oh…and by the way….apparently the super committee was designed to fail…that’s why the Democrats were so unreasonable. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68815.html
“Instead of satisfying some fetish for the notion of bipartisanship with an entire group of politicos whose ideology put us in the economic mess we’re in, the Super Committee failure would actually help the country,….”
There’s that moderate bi-partisanship you keep saying that the Left is full of.
This whole scenario was set up to 1) protect Democrats in Congress from having to make ANY decisions, 2) blame Republicans for any failure because Democrats can Never be unreasonable. Raising taxes by $1 trillion dollars in exchange for “future” cuts that never materialize has always been such a great deal for America…..
Of course, the left, including our out of touch, vote present President is already blaming the GOP. Reid wants to block any GOP efforts to block cuts to military. He likes the idea of the committee failing. Reid never wanted to have to make decisions.
So…the Democrats get what they want. Biased press blaming Republicans. Forgiveness for being cowards. And the Republicans were idiots for agreeing to the committee thing.
I guess everything NTK said just went in one ear and out the other?
I hope my bias on last August’s debt ceiling debacle is showing. I said I blamed the tea party/Norquiest No-ers and that I would never forgive them. I can’t be more explicit than that.
NTK is far more knowledgeable than I am on macro economics than I am. IN fact, I expect he has forgotten more than I have ever learned. If you won’t listen to him or even talk with him, why should I bother?
I find it horribly disturbing that people think like you do. Would you have been one of those fools at that debate cheering for letting people die? We bearly avoided a hude depression. Money had to be spent. Mistakes were made. There is no blue print.
@Cargosquid
Congress alone has the power to appropriate funds and to authorize spending in excess of revenue. Since 1995 we’ve had 9 Congresses. Republicans had a majority in the House in 7 of the 9 and a majority in the Senate in 6 of the 9 (counting the period when Dick Cheney got the tie-breaking vote … remember the one where he voted to reduce revenue while we were at war and said deficits didn’t matter?).
Good story in Rolling Stone about how the GOP became the tax-cutting party of the rich. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-the-rich-20111109
Letting people die? What? Where did that come from?
Yes, NTK is probably more knowledgeable about economics.
And you blame conservatives for trying to force commonsense into the democrats and refuse to accept that Democrats can be unreasonable and don’t have your best interests at heart. So you won’t forgive them. Now…when the next downgrade happens because the gov’t can’t control spending…will you then not forgive the Democrats?
And yes, there is a blue print. Many blue prints. Obama is using the one marked “FDR Mk II”
thinking that he can spend his way out of a recession and a deficit. Or hadn’t you noticed that he keeps lying to your face about trying to cut the deficit and the debt and trying to build jobs while wrecking our domestic energy, adding more regulations, and increasing taxes. It failed then. It will fail now. FDR was a failure at curing the Depression. It took WWII to fix that.
And we haven’t avoided a “huge depression” yet. Obama is still trying to screw it up by trying to raise taxes and increase regulation.
Money HAD to be spent. Really. That’s your excuse for supporting such spendthrift idiocy?
If money HAD to be spent..what’s the excuse now? 5 trillion in 3 years. FIVE TRILLION.
I guess its like “too big to fail.” We’ll just keep printing money until we are out of debt….isn’t that the plan.
As for your story Morris…I never said that deficits don’t matter. And I’ve never supported his statement. But , until recently, we hadn’t reached a tipping point like now. THEN, apparently, both parties weren’t too concerned about deficits…..And if you noticed….Bush’s policies resulted in two elections of conservatives staying home. What’s that called again in business….manageable debt?
Now.. we’ve maxed out the credit cards, mortgaged all of our property, borrowed too much from the mob, AND used our kid’s lunch money. 450+ billion deficit and dropping is better than 1.5 trillion and growing. Tell me that there’s no difference, Morris.
Everyone always brings up these “unfunded” wars. Where’s your complaint about Obama not only continuing that tradition, but adding to it with Libya. Where’s your complaint about the unfunded stimulus packages? Where’s your complaint about the unfunded loans to Solyndra and other payoffs to donors? Where’s your complaint about unfunded “jobs” bills? And where is your complaint about the unfunded $900 BILLION cost for Obamacare?
Your hypocrisy is showing.
The two most disgusting RINOs in Congress, McCain and Graham are already out there trying to stop the defense cuts. I can’t stand those two A-holes. You agreed to play by the rules, and now that you didn’t win the game, you want to change the rules after the fact. Here’s a thought, get the heck out of Afghanistan, Iraq, Diarrhea-stan, and close our bases in countries we really don’t need bases in. There’s your cuts, no effect on our ability to defend ourselves. And good for Obama for vowing to veto any bill trying to circumvent the cuts. Obama needs to hold the RINOs to their cuts, and we need the RINOs to hold the Dems to their cuts. Had to vent. I can’t STAND McCain and Graham.
I have gotten so I cannot stand Graham. @pokie
@Moon-howler
Moon, coming in way late back to my earlier comment. I just wrote me reaction in that reading the blog, the appearance was if someone did not sign the RC Pledge, there were issues with that person…or for that matter, someone who signs it and then breaks what, as I see the document intent, a form of a contract to honor. And yes, I have read it over on the other site and fully understand the intent.
All that said, I do agree it is good to know a canditate’s mindset, especially when it comes to plowing every dang stretch of ground they can. I am a big, big fan of Conservation of Natural Resources going all the way back to the Boy Scout Merit Badge I earned.
If you recall in posting on Ann Wheeler, I said I was impressed by her and her thinking. I also wrote that anyone who says they support no changes in the Comp Plan is not watching the business of the County – the Strategic Plan rewrite kicks off in January…with the goal to have the BOCS Appointees in place by January 20th so groups can be formed. Anyone saying they support no changes to the Comp Plan is a dang fool to start with since once the SP is overhauled, then the Comp gets tweaked.
My comment was agreeing with George – the phrasing in the lead to this section about signing pledges just struck me as odd given my interpretation of what I read and follow. But you are right, and I stand corrected when it comes to those yahoos in DC – signing that Pledge in their case was just cover to protect their gluts when the shotguns get fired at them by the greater American People.
In the past week Obama has threatened to veto the Nat’l Defense Authorization Act over detainee provisions and now any bill to suspend the automatic cuts Boehner and Reid crafted. If he actually followed through on his threats it would equal the sum total of all his vetoes in his first nearly 3 years in office. If I had to guess which was more likely — Obama vetoing a bill, Clarence Thomas asking a question, or hell freezing over — I’d have a 1-in-3 chance of guessing correctly.
@Cargosquid
The fallacy is thinking that it is common sense. You also seem to assume I think Democrats are all reasonable. Not really. However, they weren’t the ones taking the notion of raising the debt ceiling to its most critical mass. And yes, that is holding the nation hostage.
The debt should have been dealt with long before this. All of a sudden, in the middle of a crisis when the economy needs an infusion, some Republicans begin calling for draconian measures to the point of bringing the nation to her knees? Yes, I will not forgive, especially when it costs me a lot of money.
Biased? on this subject I think that is probably an understatement. I feel like a bunch of yahoos who don’t know what they are talking about caused my security to diminish just so they could brag to their Republican tea party constituants. Sorry if that seems harsh but I don’t like losing money I will never be able to make up because of someone elses’s politics.
As for FDR, (too many subjects) Many many Americans see him as a hero. He kept people from starving to death. People have written books on the subject. Depressions aren’t over with over night. You are entitled to your opinion but please don’t lay it down as fact. Regardless of what FDR did or didn’t do, it has nothing to do with what Obama did, does do, or should do. Much as changed since. then. Finally, we don’t know that things would have been a bit better if FDR had acted differently. We don’t know that McCain would have done anything differently or that it would have worked better or worse.
Cargo, I think some of your pronouncements are disturbing.
@Ray Beverage
Thanks for clarifying, Ray. We (Elena and I) have never criticized Canland for not signing the pledge. We have attacked Corey for signing it and then approving Avendale which would put as many as 300 houses on that tract and would approve sewer.
Our problem with Candland is him first off attacking Elena rather than discussing RC issues. He then equivocated that he supported the Rural Crescent. Well, what does that mean?
In talking to the press he sounded like he was on the precipice of being a tie breaker.
We will just keep an eye on what Candland plans to do with land use. Hopefully he will be his own person and guard the entire Gainesville District. If he does that, I will be the first person to go on record in support of him.
@Moon-howler
As I find yours. Your blind belief that the Democrats were not playing brinkmanship with the debt ceiling is scary. And who was supposed to “take care of the debt before this”? The Democrats? The Republicans under Bush? Both of whom I have criticized on spending.
This is the first time since Gingrich and Clinton were able to control spending that there was a chance to force the spendthrifts into common sense. The economy doesn’t need an infusion. Infusions don’t work as shown by the stimulus and the various QE1,2 and whatever they’re calling this one. We went from a decreasing deficit of 450+ billion to an increasing debt of over 1.2+ trillion per year. Our debt has increased by 5 trillion bucks in 3 years. Do you expect people that are worried about this to NOT try and stop out of control spending, especially when its obviously politically linked and motivated. When burning that money would have been more productive…at least we’d get heat.
Your security diminished because Congress refused to take care of business. BOTH parties, BOTH House and Senate. None of the mainstream pols want to control spending. And apparently, its ok to completely betray one’s principles and one’s constituents just so the Democrats can get a deal…….
Compromise means always doing it the Democrat way.
I know why my security declined. The economy did need an infusion. You can not say one way or the other whether it worked or didn’t work. Where would be be if there was no TARP? Want to imagine that one? That’s a good place to start.
Our debt increased because we were staving off a recession. We can’t agree on TARP, despite what financial and economic experts say saved main street. Why go further. I am glad that Bush and Obama were there rather than some ideology, that’s for sure.
Congress needs to take care of a lot of business. Where do I even start? Compromise needs to happen from all parties. I think back to last summer…..one little group kept saying NO. That’s the only word they knew.
Actually I was talking about the stimulus packages…not TARP. Philosophically, I disagree about TARP and I find many aspects about it corrupt. But I’ve heard about it both ways. Some people I respect say it was necessary and others say that it was wrong.
The statement that Obama was there rather than some ideology is a perfect example of blinders. You truly believe that Obama does not and did not act from an ideology? Really?
His entire career is based on crony capitalism and socialism. He is a classic progressive through and through.
That one little group said no. And so did the Democrats. THEY also said no. Remember….Compromise is not defined as “Doing what the Democrats want.”
Just because you repeat it does not make it fact that only the Tea Party was playing hard ball.
So..ok. Let’s do it your way. We are printing money to pay our debts and raising inflation. We continue to spend money with no actual cuts in sight. Stimulus packages failed. Green loans are failing and being shown as possible graft. Restrictions on domestic energy development continue to keep prices high.
There ya go. Lets spend more money to get out of debt. Please tell me how that works. Please allay my fears that this country will not end up like Greece because of unsustainable debt. Please show me how having debt equal to our GDP or greater does not harm our country.
You tell me that I’m wrong in wanting cuts, tax and reg reductions. Ok…I’ve laid out my arguments in previous posts. How does your world work?
I can’t either. Guess that makes two of us. Never thought I’d see the day I would say thanks for supporting President Obama.
I love how the fallout from this is taking shape. The market doesn’t seem to care anymore……folks are thinking that maybe they oversold the market. Maybe what happened is what was supposed to happen. It’s not the end of the world. We will hear a bunch of crap from both sides and the media now, but in the end, I’m not sure most folks really care.
I agree with Slowpoke.
The failure is on Congress not on the President. The President IMHO is doing well for himself to stay away from this pig. Let Congress take the beating on this one – as they should.
His promise to veto is something I support. Good on our President to demand from Congress what we all should – for them to do their jobs and pass a budget.
@marinm
They already did.
The debt ceiling deal allowed Congress to abrogate their responsibilities. It allows the Senate to have “deemed” to have passed a budget for this and next year.
Also…take a look at what the President said he would veto. Anything with cuts to entitlement programs…..not baseline cuts. He doesn’t want any cuts either.