Posted on 08/03/2011 6:45:54 AM PDT by blam
The Debt Ceiling Deal From Hell
August 3, 2011
Is the debt ceiling deal supposed to be some sort of a cruel joke? Is this what the American people have been waiting months and months for? The "debt ceiling deal from hell" is a complete and total fraud. Barack Obama will not need to worry about the debt ceiling again until after the 2012 election, and no "real" spending cuts will happen until after the 2012 election. The way the political game in Washington D.C. is played today, if you don't get something right now, you probably will never end up getting it.
The Republicans have traded a massive debt ceiling increase right now for the possibility of very skimpy budget cuts in the future. Meanwhile, this deal establishes a new "Super Congress" that threatens to fundamentally alter our political system (and not in a good way). The funny thing is that everyone is running around proclaiming that the Tea Party won this battle. That is a complete and total lie.
So what about the $917 billion in "immediate" spending cuts that the Republicans are getting as part of this deal?
Well, they aren't really spending cuts at all. Rather, they are spending caps. Basically what is happening is that future spending increases are being cancelled and our politicians are selling that to us as "spending cuts".
What is even sadder is that the $917 billion is spread over ten years and the vast majority of the "cuts" are in the latter years.
For example, even if you consider these to be "spending cuts" (which they are not), the deal calls for only about $25 billion in "cuts" in 2012 and only about $47 billion in "cuts" in 2013.
25 billion dollars is far less than one percent of the federal budget, so needless to say these "cuts" are not very impressive at all.
Okay, so how about the second stage of the deal which will produce "spending cuts" of between 1.2 and 1.5 trillion dollars?
Well, yes, these would actually be spending cuts and they would be spread over 10 years.
Near the end of the year, the new "Super Congress" (more on that in a minute) will submit a proposal to Congress which could cut spending over the next 10 years by a total of up to 1.5 trillion dollars.
If the recommendations of the "Super Congress" are not implemented, than "automatic" spending cuts of $1.2 trillion will go into effect over the next 10 years.
However, there are some very important things to remember about these "spending cuts".
First of all, none of these "automatic" spending cuts would even go into effect until 2013. The face of American politics will be dramatically different by then, and there is absolutely nothing that makes these cuts binding on Congress.
As Gregg Easterbrook recently noted, Congress can cancel spending cuts at any time and for any reason....
By projecting the only tangible savings — which aren’t even specified, but are merely caps — into the future, the plan allows Congress to cancel them. In 2012 or any future year, Congress will say, “We can’t have caps this year because of the [INSERT ANY WORD CHOSEN AT RANDOM] crisis. We are postponing action till next year.” Rinse and repeat. As I have written about so many times before, the U.S. national debt is completely and totally out of control. This was supposed to be the moment when at least some members of Congress were finally going to get serious about our exploding debt. Unfortunately, our politicians have sold us down the river once again.
Even if the best case scenario happens (which it never does) and Congress sticks to this deal for the full ten years (which is about as likely as hell freezing over), the "savings" that this deal would produce are quite pathetic as Peter Schiff recently explained....
The Congressional Budget Office currently projects that $9.5 trillion in new debt will have to be issued over the next 10 years. Even if all of the reductions proposed in the deal were to come to pass, which is highly unlikely, that would still leave $7.1 trillion in new debt accumulation by 2021. Our problems have not been solved by a long shot. Keep in mind that Congress can change this deal whenever it wants.
So nobody should get excited about these "spending cuts". After all, when was the last time that "future spending cuts" actually materialized in Washington?
The reality is that neither political party seems to want to do much to cut government spending.
So the band will play on and the can will get kicked even farther down the road.
When Obama was inaugurated, the U.S. national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08.
Today, it is $14,342,358,440,969.10.
But what this "debt ceiling deal" will do is it will give the congressional leadership of both parties much more power.
The new "Super Congress" that this deal establishes will be granted "extraordinary new powers" that regular members of Congress do not possess.
For example, The Huffington Post says that any new legislation produced by the "Super Congress" will not be able to be filibustered or amended....
Under the reported framework, legislation the new congressional committee writes would be fast-tracked through Congress and could not be filibustered or amended. So who will be a part of the "Super Congress"?
The members will be chosen by the leadership of both parties.
So anyone that is not part of the "establishment" is not likely to be included.
The following is what U.S. Representative Ron Paul had to say about this new "Super Congress"....
"Nothing more than a way to disenfranchise the majority of Congress by denying them the chance for meaningful participation in the crucial areas of entitlement and tax reform. It cedes power to draft legislation to a special commission, hand-picked by the House and Senate leadership." It is this new "Super Congress" that will decide what will be in the package of "spending cuts" that will be voted on by the end of the year.
Regular members of Congress will be frozen out of the process.
On December 23rd, Congress will be required to vote up or down on the spending cuts proposed by the "Super Congress". Regular members of Congress will not be allowed to amend the legislation in any way, and no filibusters will be permitted.
Does that sound very "American" to you?
The more that one examines this "debt ceiling deal", the worse it looks.
Meanwhile, many Democrats are running around and acting as if their lunch money was just stolen.
For example, the following is what Politico is reporting that U.S. Representative Mike Doyle said about this deal....
“We have negotiated with terrorists,” an angry Doyle said, according to sources in the room. “This small group of terrorists have made it impossible to spend any money.” Democratic congressman Emanuel Cleaver was even more dramatic when he proclaimed that this deal "looks like a Satan sandwich".
Well, this deal is a total nightmare, but not for the reasons that Cleaver is suggesting.
This deal opens the door for more rampant deficit spending, and nearly all of the "spending cuts" are put off until after the 2012 election.
Basically, the Republicans got taken out behind the woodshed and beaten to a pulp on this one. Any Republican that is trying to proclaim that the debt ceiling deal is a "great victory" is a complete moron.
But in the end, it really does not matter which political party gets a "victory" out of all this. What matters is that our federal government is still steamrolling toward a date with financial oblivion.
If this is the best that our politicians can come up with, we are absolutely doomed.
I don’t know about “doomed.” But life as we’ve known it is going to change. The world is going to become destabilized, and heaven knows how that will play out.
ditto.
If anybody is still interested, here's how just our Republican congressmen voted
on the *Boner*/Reid/McConnell/Pelosi/OBummer debt bill.
All names in blue (RINOS in my opinion when it counted) voted for the bill.
All names not in blue voted against it.
They are listed by states and congressional districts.
ALABAMA
01........Bonner, Jo ......Mobile
02........Roby, Martha ......Montgomery
03........Rogers, Mike ......Anniston
04........Aderholt, Robert B. ......Haleyville
05........Brooks, Mo ......Huntsville
06........Bachus, Spencer ......Vestavia Hills
ALASKA
At Large........Young, Don ......Fort Yukon
ARIZONA
01.......Gosar, Paul A. ......Flagstaff
02........Franks, Trent ......Glendale
03........Quayle, Benjamin ......Phoenix
05........Schweikert, David ......Fountain Hills
06........Flake, Jeff ......Mesa
ARKANSAS
01........Crawford, Eric A. "Rick" ......Jonesboro
02........Griffin, Tim ......Little Rock
03........Womack, Steve ......Rogers
CALIFORNIA
02........Herger, Wally ......Chico
03........Lungren, Daniel E. ......Gold River
04........McClintock, Tom ......Roseville
19........Denham, Jeff ......Atwater
21........Nunes, Devin ......Tulare
22........McCarthy, Kevin ......Bakersfield
24........Gallegly, Elton ......Simi Valley
25........McKeon, Howard P. "Buck" ......Santa Clarita
26........Dreier, David ......San Dimas
40........Royce, Edward R. ......Fullerton
41........Lewis, Jerry ......Redlands
42........Miller, Gary G. ......Diamond Bar
44........Calvert, Ken ......Corona
45........Bono Mack, Mary ......Palm Springs
46........Rohrabacher, Dana ......Huntington Beach
48........Campbell, John ......Irvine
49........Issa, Darrell E. ......Vista
50........Bilbray, Brian P. ......Carlsbad
52........Hunter, Duncan ......Lakeside
COLORADO
03........Tipton, Scott R. ......Cortez
04........Gardner, Cory ......Yuma
05........Lamborn, Doug ......Colorado Springs
06........Coffman, Mike ......Aurora
CONNECTICUT
DELAWARE
FLORIDA
01........Miller, Jeff ......Chumuckla
02........Southerland, Steve, II ......Panama City
04........Crenshaw, Ander ......Jacksonville
05........Nugent, Richard B. ......Spring Hill
06........Stearns, Cliff ......Ocala
07........Mica, John L. ......Winter Park
08........Webster, Daniel ......Orlando
09........Bilirakis, Gus M. ......Palm Harbor
10........Young, C. W. Bill ......Indian Shores
12........Ross, Dennis A. ......Lakeland
13........Buchanan, Vern ......Sarasota
14........Mack, Connie ......Fort Myers
15........Posey, Bill ......Rockledge
16........Rooney, Thomas J. ......Tequesta
18........Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana ......Miami
21........Diaz-Balart, Mario ......Miami
22........West, Allen B. ......Plantation
24........Adams, Sandy ......Orlando
25........Rivera, David ......Miami
GEORGIA
01........Kingston, Jack ......Savannah
03........Westmoreland, Lynn A. ......Grantville
06........Price, Tom ......Roswell
07........Woodall, Rob ......Lawrenceville
08........Scott, Austin ......Ashburn
09........Graves, Tom ......Ranger
10........Broun, Paul C. ......Athens
11........Gingrey, Phil ......Marietta
HAWAII
IDAHO
01........Labrador, Raúl R. ......Eagle
02........Simpson, Michael K. ......Idaho Fals
ILLINOIS
06........Roskam, Peter J. ......Wheaton
08........Walsh, Joe ......Winnetka
10........Dold, Robert J. ......Kenilworth
11........Kinzinger, Adam ......Manteno
13........Biggert, Judy ......Hinsdale
14........Hultgren, Randy ......Winfield
15........Johnson, Timothy V. ......Urbana
16........Manzullo, Donald A. ......Egan
17........Schilling, Robert T. ......Colona
18........Schock, Aaron ......Peoria
19........Shimkus, John ......Collinsville
INDIANA
03........Stutzman, Marlin A. ......Howe
04........Rokita, Todd ......Clermont
05........Burton, Dan ......Indianapolis
06........Pence, Mike ......Columbus
08........Bucshon, Larry ......Newburgh
09........Young, Todd C. ......Bloomington
IOWA
04........Latham, Tom ......Ames
05........King, Steve ......Kiron
KANSAS
01........Huelskamp, Tim ......Fowler
02........Jenkins, Lynn ......Topeka
03........Yoder, Kevin ......Overland Park
04........Pompeo, Mike ......Wichita
KENTUCKY
01........Whitfield, Ed ......Hopkinsville
02........Guthrie, Brett ......Bowling Green
04........Davis, Geoff ......Hebron
05........Rogers, Harold ......Somerset
LOUISIANA
01........Scalise, Steve ......Jefferson
03........Landry, Jeffrey M. ......New Iberia
04........Fleming, John ......Minden
05........Alexander, Rodney ......Quitman
06........Cassidy, Bill ......Baton Rouge
07........Boustany, Charles W., Jr. ......Lafayette
MAINE
MARYLAND
01........Harris, Andy ......Cockeysville
06........Bartlett, Roscoe G. ......Frederick
MASSACHUSETTS
MICHIGAN
01........Benishek, Dan ......Crystal Falls
02........Huizenga, Bill ......Zeeland
03........Amash, Justin ......Cascade Township
04........Camp, Dave ......Midland
06........Upton, Fred ......St. Joseph
07........Walberg, Tim ......Tipton
08........Rogers, Mike ......Brighton
10........Miller, Candice S. ......Harrison Township
11........McCotter, Thaddeus G. ......Livonia
MINNESOTA
02........Kline, John ......Lakeville
03........Paulsen, Erik ......Eden Prairie
06........Bachmann, Michele ......Stillwater
08........Cravaack, Chip ......Lindstrom
MISSISSIPPI
01........Nunnelee, Alan ......Tupelo
03........Harper, Gregg ......Pearl
04........Palazzo, Steven M. ......Biloxi
MISSOURI
02........Akin, W. Todd ......St. Louis
04........Hartzler, Vicky ......Harrisonville
06........Graves, Sam ......Tarkio
07........Long, Billy ......Springfield
08........Emerson, Jo Ann ......Cape Girardeau
09........Luetkemeyer, Blaine ......St. Elizabeth
MONTANA
At Large........Rehberg, Denny ......Billings
NEBRASKA
01........Fortenberry, Jeff ......Lincoln
02........Terry, Lee ......Omaha
03........Smith, Adrian ......Gering
NEVADA
03........Heck, Joseph J. ......Henderson
NEW HAMPSHIRE
01........Guinta, Frank C. ......Manchester
02........Bass, Charles F. ......Peterborough
NEW JERSEY
02........LoBiondo, Frank A. ......Ventnor
03........Runyan, Jon ......Mount Laurel
04........Smith, Christopher H. ......Hamilton
05........Garrett, Scott ......Wantage
07........Lance, Leonard ......Clinton Township
11........Frelinghuysen, Rodney P. ......Morristown
NEW MEXICO
02........Pearce, Stevan ......Hobbs
NEW YORK
03........King, Peter T. ......Seaford
13........Grimm, Michael G. ......Staten Island
19........Hayworth, Nan A. S. ......Bedford Corners
20........Gibson, Christopher P. ......Kinderhook
24........Hanna, Richard L. ......Barneveld
25........Buerkle, Ann Marie ......Syracuse
29........Reed, Tom ......Corning
NORTH CAROLINA
02........Ellmers, Renee L. ......Dunn
03........Jones, Walter B. ......Farmville
05........Foxx, Virginia ......Grandfather Community
06........Coble, Howard ......Greensboro
09........Myrick, Sue Wilkins ......Charlotte
10........McHenry, Patrick T. ......Cherryville
NORTH DAKOTA
At Large........Berg, Rick ......Fargo
OHIO
01........Chabot, Steve ......Cincinnati
02........Schmidt, Jean ......Miami Township
03........Turner, Michael R. ......Dayton
04........Jordan, Jim ......Urbana
05........Latta, Robert E. ......Bowling Green
06........Johnson, Bill ......Poland
07........Austria, Steve ......Beavercreek
08........Boehner, John A. ......West Chester
12........Tiberi, Patrick J. ......Galena
14........LaTourette, Steven C. ......Bainbridge Township
15........Stivers, Steve ......Columbus
16........Renacci, James B. ......Wadsworth
18........Gibbs, Bob ......Lakeville
OKLAHOMA
01........Sullivan, John ......Tulsa
03........Lucas, Frank D. ......Cheyenne
04........Cole, Tom ......Moore
05........Lankford, James ......Oklahoma City
OREGON
02........Walden, Greg ......Hood River
PENNSYLVANIA
03........Kelly, Mike ......Butler
05........Thompson, Glenn ......Howard
06........Gerlach, Jim ......Chester Springs
07........Meehan, Patrick ......Drexel Hill
08........Fitzpatrick, Michael G. ......Levittown
09........Shuster, Bill ......Hollidaysburg
10........Marino, Tom ......Williamsport
11........Barletta, Lou ......Hazleton
15........Dent, Charles W. ......Allentown
16........Pitts, Joseph R. ......Kennett Square
18........Murphy, Tim ......Pittsburgh
19........Platts, Todd Russell ......York
RHODE ISLAND
SOUTH CAROLINA
01........Scott, Tim ......Charleston
02........Wilson, Joe ......Springdale
03........Duncan, Jeff ......Laurens
04........Gowdy, Trey ......Spartanburg
05........Mulvaney, Mick ......Lancaster
SOUTH DAKOTA
At Large........Noem, Kristi L. ......Castlewood
TENNESSEE
01........Roe, David P. ......Johnson City
02........Duncan, John J., Jr. ......Knoxville
03........Fleischmann, Charles J. "Chuck" ......Chattanooga
04........DesJarlais, Scott ......South Pittsburg
06........Black, Diane ......Gallatin
07........Blackburn, Marsha ......Brentwood
08........Fincher, Stephen Lee ......Frog Jump
TEXAS
01........Gohmert, Louie ......Tyler
02........Poe, Ted ......Humble
03........Johnson, Sam ......Plano
04........Hall, Ralph M. ......Rockwall
05........Hensarling, Jeb ......Dallas
06........Barton, Joe ......Ennis
07........Culberson, John Abney ......Houston
08........Brady, Kevin ......The Woodlands
10........McCaul, Michael T. ......Austin
11........Conaway, K. Michael ......Midland
12........Granger, Kay ......Fort Worth
13........Thornberry, Mac ......Clarendon
14........Paul, Ron ......Lake Jackson
17........Flores, Bill ......Bryan
19........Neugebauer, Randy ......Lubbock
21........Smith, Lamar ......San Antonio
22........Olson, Pete ......Sugar Land
23........Canseco, Francisco "Quico" ......San Antonio
24........Marchant, Kenny ......Coppell
26........Burgess, Michael C. ......Lewisville
27........Farenthold, Blake ......Corpus Christi
31........Carter, John R. ......Round Rock
32........Sessions, Pete ......Dallas
UTAH
01........Bishop, Rob ......Brigham City
03........Chaffetz, Jason ......Alpine
VERMONT
VIRGINIA 01........Wittman, Robert J. ......Montross
02........Rigell, E. Scott ......Virginia Beach
04........Forbes, J. Randy ......Chesapeake
05........Hurt, Robert ......Chatham
06........Goodlatte, Bob ......Roanoke
07........Cantor, Eric ......Richmond
09........Griffith, H. Morgan ......Salem
10........Wolf, Frank R. ......Vienna
WASHINGTON
03........Herrera Beutler, Jaime ......Camas
04........Hastings, Doc ......Pasco
05........McMorris Rodgers, Cathy ......Spokane
08........Reichert, David G. ......Auburn
WEST VIRGINIA
01........McKinley, David B. ......Wheeling
02........Capito, Shelley Moore ......Charleston
WISCONSIN
01........Ryan, Paul ......Janesville
05........Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. ......Menomonee Falls
06........Petri, Thomas E. ......Fond du Lac
07........Duffy, Sean P. ......Ashland
08........Ribble, Reid J. ......DePere
WYOMING
At Large........Lummis, Cynthia M. ......Cheyenne
Remember the people in blue come 2012
That is how I see it.
The only recourse Conservatives and Tea Party groups have is to REMIND voters on a perpetual, consistently repeated basis that the deal is a win in principle... and means nothing unless it is pursued with equally principled action!! Nothing can be expected overnight. Frankly, we are lucky we made the headway we did.
And MUST be gone by January 2013!!!!
“Super Congress”
Sounds like tyranny to me.
Okay, fine. The arguement is that the Republicans didn’t want to take the blame if they said NO to raising the debt ceiling, which could impede chances of winning Senate and Presidency in 2012.
Now, suppose that Republicans do win big in 2012. Then what? Do they make massive cuts in entitlements and end EPA, DoEnergy, DoEducation, etc.? The deficit?...NOT LIKELY, for the same reason - they want Republicans to be re-elected in 2014, expecially the freshmen will be sophomores by then! THEY WILL NEVER HOLD THE LINE!!! and we as a nation are going down like Greece.
The Debt Ceiling Deal From............SOCIALISTS.
DEFUND socialist collectives, foreign and domestic.
From “The Law” - Frederic Bastiat 1801-1850...
...Men naturally rebel against the injustice of which they are victims. Thus, when plunder is organized by law for the profit of those who make the law, all the plundered classes try somehow to enter — by peaceful or revolutionary means — into the making of laws. According to their degree of enlightenment, these plundered classes may propose one of two entirely different purposes when they attempt to attain political power: Either they may wish to stop lawful plunder, or they may wish to share in it.
Woe to the nation when this latter purpose prevails among the mass victims of lawful plunder when they, in turn, seize the power to make laws! Until that happens, the few practice lawful plunder upon the many, a common practice where the right to participate in the making of law is limited to a few persons. But then, participation in the making of law becomes universal. And then, men seek to balance their conflicting interests by universal plunder. Instead of rooting out the injustices found in society, they make these injustices general. As soon as the plundered classes gain political power, they establish a system of reprisals against other classes. They do not abolish legal plunder. (This objective would demand more enlightenment than they possess.) Instead, they emulate their evil predecessors by participating in this legal plunder, even though it is against their own interests.
It is as if it were necessary, before a reign of justice appears, for everyone to suffer a cruel retribution — some for their evilness, and some for their lack of understanding.
“Super Congress”
If the Super Congress gets in a stalemate, they will then form a Super Duper Congress....when that doesn’t work they will form a Super Uber Duper Congress. After that it won’t matter.
“Frankly, we are lucky we made the headway we did.”
This is what we are being told to think. I say BS, conservative came out the big losers here. Even the brain dead public understood this arguement.
‘If you take ten dollars into a store you can’t buy a twenty dollar item’.
If you have a credit card bill for $5,000.00 dollars and you can only pay $1,000.00 you are going to have to make payments with interest’
We conservatives had 75% of the public behind a balanced budget and lowering the deficit. It is VERY rare that there is such a consensus on any major issues. The beltway Republican establishment caved when they could have pressed the issue for a win. Instead they supported a deal which increases the debt ceiling by almost 10 trillion dollars over the next decade. The Democrats scored big here, not only did they get to continue out of control spending but they managed to divide the Republicans even more.
I dropped out of the Republican Party during GW’s second run knowing full well what this Party has become. Every Republican that voted for this bill must be defeated. I will never give up the fight. I will always vote conservative.
“We conservatives had 75% of the public behind a balanced budget and lowering the deficit.”
You’re right.
But there is a strong, long-standing and perpetually cultivated entitlement mentality in America that will take decades to de-program..... some of them even call themselves Conservatives. I have met them.
They ADORE ‘fitting in’ with MSM culture in America and being accepted by Liberals. They love what they can get from the government BUT they HATE what is costing them. They vote Liberal more often than not… and they make me sick.
Anyway… the entitlement mentality (however it is constituted from one election to another) is almost an insurmountable obstacle to the idea of fiscal accountability. But a first step was made... that’s what I meant
Could this protected legislation from the super committee cover matters not directly related to debt reduction? Could other legislative matters be taken up and fast tracked?
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