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   Dan Savage, the brilliant and foul-mouthed sex columnist, has become one of the most important ethicists in America. Are we screwed?
 The federal government is supposed to issue new rules about debt levels for students in for-profit colleges. In the meantime, the states are working on their own regulations.
 Washingtons budget hawks want to decimate the federal workforce to shrink the deficit. It will have the opposite effect.
 There arent nearly enough counterterrorism experts to instruct all of Americas police. So we got these guys instead.
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December 10, 2009
A COMMISSION WHOSE TIME HASN'T COME.... After weeks of chatter, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) unveiled legislation to create a bipartisan "commission" on deficit reduction. Their plan is to create a task force with 18 members -- eight congressional Democrats, eight congressional Republicans, the Treasury secretary, and another administration official. After the midterms, the commission would make recommendations to Congress -- a combination of raising revenue and curtailing spending -- which would need the support of 14 of the 18 members. From there, Congress would have to vote on the package, up or down, without amendments, and be approved by 60% majorities in both chambers. In other words, Conrad and Gregg have created a plan that's almost certain to fail. Jonathan Chait explained:
A variety of national progressive groups, including major labor unions, the NAACP, and the National Organization for Women, spoke out against the Conrad/Gregg idea, calling it "undemocratic," and likely to create "a hidden process aimed at eviscerating vital programs and productive investment." I'm quite certain these groups are right, but I'm nearly as confident that it won't matter -- the result of the commission's work stands almost no chance of clearing its own hurdles. To be sure, I understand where the proponents are coming from here. By mandating supermajorities at every stage of the process, Conrad and Gregg hope to create some kind of consensus. It's one big "grand bargain" -- some Republicans would be forced to accept tax increases they don't want, in exchange for the spending cuts they do want. For Dems, it would be vice versa. By requiring a bipartisan result, the intention is to create a credible result that would be subjected to less demagoguery. For the record, I'd find the commission idea misguided whether it was based on feasible framework or not, but as it stands, Conrad/Gregg is largely pointless. Ezra concluded, "It's like trying to cure the flu by competing in a triathlon. You can respond to the breakdown of bipartisanship by making bipartisanship less necessary (say, by ending the supermajority requirement) or by trying to attack the roots of polarization. But this doesn't make any sense. If you're a deficit hawk, it's arguably worse than nothing, as it will make people think something is being done when nothing is actually happening." —Steve Benen 11:30 AM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (20)
Comments
Maybe the intent is to make it look like something is happening when nothing actually is. Posted by: Rob on December 10, 2009 at 11:33 AM | PERMALINKLabor unions, the NAACP, and the National Organization for Women are against it. So of course democrat representatives and senators will be against it too. Posted by: Al on December 10, 2009 at 11:38 AM | PERMALINKit is an odious camel's nose, nonetheless. Mock it if we want...just like the odious Repugnant's "alternate weather," but keep watch. Noting is safe in Washington DC...did you see Stupak in the NY Times yesterday? Like Palin in the WaPo? Nothing is safe. Posted by: neill on December 10, 2009 at 11:52 AM | PERMALINKGreat. The recipe that f*cked up California now even more exacerbated at the national level. Posted by: Eserwe on December 10, 2009 at 11:59 AM | PERMALINKIf you're a deficit hawk, it's arguably worse than nothing, as it will make people think something is being done when nothing is actually happening Ah, but they're not deficit hawks, they're deficit fearmongers. If the deficit went away, they couldn't campaign on it anymore. Posted by: j.e.b. on December 10, 2009 at 12:06 PM | PERMALINK"It's like trying to cure the flu by competing in a triathlon." No, it's like trying to cure a broken leg by jumping into a shark tank. High Broderism at its finest. Morans. Posted by: Racer X on December 10, 2009 at 12:20 PM | PERMALINKMore important---would someone please point out to me where any of this procedure is contained in the Constitution? Posted by: Stuart Shiffman on December 10, 2009 at 12:23 PM | PERMALINKWith Democrats like Kent Conrad, who needs Republicans? Jesus. I wish the Democrats had been this creative at obstructing the majority party when they weren't the majority party. Posted by: kc on December 10, 2009 at 12:32 PM | PERMALINKIn other words, Conrad and Gregg have created a plan that's almost certain to fail. If that's their intent, maybe they should start the cost-cutting by disbanding Congress altogether (since it doesn't do anything anyway) and go home. Posted by: qwerty on December 10, 2009 at 12:33 PM | PERMALINKall of the above plus -don't you just love the 50/50 split that so perfectly represents our majorities in both houses??? Posted by: sue on December 10, 2009 at 1:09 PM | PERMALINKLabor unions, the NAACP, and the National Organization for Women are against it. So of course democrat representatives and senators will be against it too. Hallucinating more than usual? One thing the Villagers, including most Democrats, always agree on is the importance of spitting on feminists and Unions. Even the Union members on the networks do it, right in front of their Union brothers working the cameras and microphones. And when was the last time the NAACP was brought into any national discussion for more than a token statement? Posted by: Midland on December 10, 2009 at 1:10 PM | PERMALINK"don't you just love the 50/50 split that so perfectly represents our majorities in both houses???" Obviously they're thinking ahead. Posted by: Dave H on December 10, 2009 at 1:18 PM | PERMALINKYou want to reduce the deficit? It's easy: STOP THE FUCKING WARS AND CUT THE DEFENSE BUDGET IN HALF (OR MORE). Reinstall the progressive tax rate structure we had in the 1960's. Eliminate the gross wage disparity and concentration of wealth in our society. There, fixed it. Posted by: bdop4 on December 10, 2009 at 1:23 PM | PERMALINKBut deficits don't matter! That fine upstanding 'murrican patriot Dick Cheney told me so. Are you telling me that Dick Cheney was wrong and/or lying? Nooooooo! Posted by: bikelib on December 10, 2009 at 1:35 PM | PERMALINK"This doesn't make any sense". Well, it makes perfact sense from the point of view of Conrad and Gregg and the other"centrists" i.e. center-rightists who will appoint themselves to the commission. As well, every special interest with an ox to gore will be pouring campaign contributions into their pockets. What's not to like? Posted by: MikeN on December 10, 2009 at 5:46 PM | PERMALINKThey got the name wrong: Bipartisan "Depression Era II House of Pain" Committee to Fuck the Middle Class brought to you by Peter G Peterson Foundation for the Preservation of the Leech Class, Goldman Sachs and the rest of the Wall St banksters. Posted by: Glen on December 11, 2009 at 3:44 AM | PERMALINKGive please. I really enjoyed it. You have done a great job. Help me! There is an urgent need for sites: Uk car insurance brokers. I found only this - car insurance rating. Finalize to know where to know the best complaints with the best sports? Mathew cooper very means vehicles on net history retiree car and mandatory rates trade variance, insurance car. With best wishes :-), Lula from Benin. Posted by: Lula on March 6, 2010 at 4:43 AM | PERMALINKCould you help me. Very nice site. Well laid out. Help me! Looking for sites on: College golf scholarship. I found only this - college university scholarship. Qualified organizations need one or more of the com invites each benefit: the quest for train parents are raised to die free and lot pitcher for competing previous expenses with a tenure of institutions and hospitals, college scholarships. College scholarships, patton avenue and gleam street at the babylon junior round in wyandanch. Waiting for a reply :mad:, Elata from Jamaica. Posted by: Elata on March 6, 2010 at 11:18 AM | PERMALINK
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