THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ONCE MORE GET THE SHAFT…

Ok, it’s now become common knowledge that the “bipartisan” congressional super-committee tasked with finding at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction has failed. It was announced on Monday that this group cannot reach agreement by the Wednesday deadline, and far from being an unexpected admission that it has failed in its efforts. Accusations are now flying in every direction in an effort to place blame and to win what is sure to be a ongoing propaganda war in the court of public opinion. That dolt John Kerry Heinz, who I believe spent a very brief, yet very personally rewarding, time in Vietnam, was one of the first to make the rounds busily shaking his bony old finger at the Republicans. But while old John was busy accusing the Republicans, there was considerable evidence being presented by others that what had actually occurred was nothing more than yet another blatant act of Democrat sabotage.



The news that this group of supposed adults weren’t able to put the differences aside and have the courage to do what we all know is necessary, came late Monday afternoon in a written statement from the 12-member Joint Committee, despite last-second discussions in closed-door meetings. The committee, in the end, could not resolve the fact that Republicans would not go as far as Democrats wanted on allowing more revenue raisers, and Democrats were completely unwilling to move on entitlement reforms. Intense messaging by both political parties on who was more to blame is surely to go on for days, if not months. The super panel was created with extraordinary, fast-track powers this summer under the law agreed to by Republicans and Democrats during the debt ceiling crisis. That same law now says its failure will trigger $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts over 10 years, starting in 2013.


There is a chance, however remote, that Congress will somehow try to alter these cuts, or even sidestep them entirely. While some lawmakers were already saying they will immediately begin work on legislation to block those automatic cuts to the defense budget, there looms over the horizon the threat of a presidential veto. Meanwhile, the nation’s debt crisis will continue, unabated, with the deficit now standing at about $15 trillion. And I very much doubt that it was a coincidence that the committee chose to wait until the financial markets closed for the day before making its announcement. The Dow Jones industrial average had already tumbled by more than 300 points earlier in the day partly in anticipation of the acknowledgement of failure. The lack of a super committee agreement also shifts concern to several important temporary tax breaks and other items set to expire at the end of December.


So in the end here, I think it very safe to say that both sides chose politics above the American people. Having said that, I am much more inclined to agree with those whose philosophy it is that what we have here is a spending problem not a revenue problem. Therefore, at least from my perspective, the main emphasis for getting ourselves out of this Democrat inspired fiscal and economic mess, should be placed on the reduction of spending.   But the Democrats, demonstrating what can only be described as a reckless disregard for the consequences of their actions, were willing to make only token reductions in entitlements, when serious reductions are what’s necessary. They were never serious about taking the steps needed, and then they have the gall to now be going around and accusing the Republicans of being the primary reason for the failure of the committee to come to any sort of an agreement.