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Subscribe to RSSThe Hill handicaps who could be on the “Supercommittee”: “Speculation about who will be selected to serve on the debt ‘supercommittee’ is rampant on Capitol Hill, K Street and Wall Street. The four congressional leaders of the House and Senate have until Aug. 16 to make their appointments. While it is unclear which members will be tapped, Capitol Hill leaders are widely expected to pick party loyalists.”
Five former directors of the Congressional Budget Office tell Bloomberg the trigger fallback is “a flawed device with a history of failure.”
“Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced Monday that the House will do away with its page program, a storied tradition that has brought young people to work in the Capitol for nearly as long as Congress itself has been an institution,” Roll Call reports. “Citing high costs and advances in technology that have reduced the need for the program, the Ohio Republican and the California Democrat said in a joint statement that the program — which costs the House more than $5 million, or about $69,000 to $80,000 per page — is outdated.”
Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) urges the GOP to hold the line on any tax increases despite the downgrade. “Over the next several months, there will be tremendous pressure on Congress to prove that S&P’s analysis of the inability of the political parties to bridge our differences is wrong,” Cantor wrote Monday in a memo to House Republicans, per The Hill. “In short, there will be pressure to compromise on tax increases. We will be told that there is no other way forward. I respectfully disagree.”
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Will the leaders pick their most partisan members, or powerful committee chairs or those who can work across party line?
The dysfunctional thing to do is pick their most partisan members and those with the thickest skin.
I am sure it will be Senators who are not up for reelection and House members from safe seats!!
The Supercommittee provides Republicans with one more opportunity to:
1. Destroy Government.
2. Slash programs for children, seniors, working people and the vulnerable.
3. Push their privatization agenda.
4. Secure financial breaks for the super-rich.
Meciare will eventually be resturctured according to both Reps and Dems, it is not financially viable and sustainable in its' current design. There are no financial breaks" for the super rich or any other individuals. The items in the tax code for individuals apply to everyone.
U.S. tax laws are filled with a total of $1.1 trillion in deductions, credits and exemptions, an average of about $8,000 per taxpayer, according an analysis of tax data from 2009. Last year's federal deficit was $1.3 trillion. Among the biggest tax breaks according to the Joint Committee on Taxation:
34.6 million taxpayers reduced their federal income taxes by a total of nearly $77 billion by
deducting the interest they paid on their home mortgages. 36 million families saved more than $54 billion from the $1,000 per-child tax credit. 40.7 million taxpayers cut their federal income taxes by $40 billion by deducting state and local income, sales and personal property taxes. 3.5 million households cut their taxes by $21 billion by deducting state and local real estate taxes. 36 million families cut their taxes by nearly $35 billion by deducting charitable donations. 28 million taxpayers saved a total of $24 billion because their income from Social Security and railroad pensions was untaxed. 25.7 million low-income families collected a total of $55 billion from the earned income tax
credit. At least according to the experts, it is not the wealthy who are benefitting most from deductions in the tax code.
Time to step up and tell everyone just which of these would you like to eliminate?? Perhaps I should have included Personal Exemptions. Just why should a family getto take deductions for children?? That
isn’t “fair” to those with no dependents.
Now if that's not a sure thing then I don't know what is. From the land of we don't wipe our a$$ without a poll that supports it.
BackHouse:
The "Super Committee" or what ever title they gave themselves is a joke and it should be called the "Impotent Committee".
McConnell has already gone on record saying he is going to stack it with people that will not agree to one dime of new revenues. That means those republicans that have renounced their oath to this Country in favor of a Doctrine authored by Norquist.
This ideology will stall step 2 in its tracks and the GOP/TP will play the hostage card again and S&P will get involved and downgrade us even lower.
THe GOP/TP is NOT concerned with the Debt/Deficit at all. It is about destroying the Federal Governement and all the middle class programs period.
Peter 17:
Here are real facts:
The Fate of Medicare and Medicaid according to Ryan
Ryan all last week keeps touting his Spending cuts bills as the only plan that will save Medicare and Medicaid for the future. This is an outright lie and misleading. It does not save either of these programs; in fact it is a systematic destruction of Medicare and Medicaid as we know it today.
Rep. Paul Ryan’s proposal calls for the massive upward redistribution of wealth and power from the nation's workers to the rich. This is clear to anyone who reads the 70 plus pages of this document. There is a reason why 80% of the people do not like this plan. This budget plan would get about two-thirds of its more than $4 trillion in budget cuts over 10 years from programs that serve people in the Middle Class and those of limited means. It will add $5.5 trillions of dollars to the deficit over the next decade as well as repealing Medicare and Medicaid. This is supposed to reduce the deficit and the debt not increase it. This Bill is being sold to the American People as a Bill that saves Medicare and Medicaid and reduces the deficit and debt. It does neither, more SMOKE & MIRRORS People. These programs as we know them will cease to exist under the Ryan Bill one being replaced by a “Voucher Program” that will “Privatize” it and the other being replaced by a “Block Grant” program respectively.
1. $2.17 trillion in reductions from Medicare/Medicaid and related health care
2. $400 billion in cuts in low-income discretionary programs
3. $350 billion in cuts in mandatory programs serving low-income Americans (other than Medicaid)
Medicare and Medicaid will take by far the biggest hits and hence the middle class, elderly, disabled, low income and the poor will suffer the most while the richest 2% and corporations benefit the most.
What Ryan and the other GOP/TP people are not saying is that this proposal also has Trillions (4.2 Trillion) of Dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy which in effect lowers the overall deficit reduction that they claim. In fact the cuts in Medicare and Medicaid are be used to help offset the tax cuts to the rich. Only about $ 300 Billion of the total $4.5 Trillion really goes to deficit reduction when you take into consideration the $4.2 Trillion in tax cuts.
Medicare will be replaced by private insurance, thereby “Privatizing” Medicare. I guess Rep. Ryan does not know how poorly the Insurance Companies have performed for people to date. Currently Medicare has an administration cost of 6%, private Insurance Companies are several times that and either benefits will be less or premiums will have to go up, maybe both.
This is a bad idea as the administration costs will increase dramatically under “Privatization”. There are no limits attached to what the Insurance Companies can charge nor are there any guarantees for those with “pre-existing conditions” to even be able to get coverage. It is projected that 50 Million or more people on fixed income and/or high risk (elderly, low income, disabled) will loose coverage.
To make it worse, Ryan wants to increase the age for Medicare to 67. That means people 65 and 66 will be left to fend for themselves and many will not find affordable coverage, especially those with medical problems since the Insurance Companies are not forced to cover them.
When you compare this to the current Medicare program, this voucher would purchase less coverage, or the premiums paid by the beneficiaries would be higher, or both. All the GOP/TP is doing is shifting the costs to the beneficiaries who in most cases will not be able to afford the premiums. They are using this cost shifting technique to claim true deficit reduction which is smokes and mirrors. They are only robbing Peter to pay Paul here.
This voucher proposal will increase the burden by both lowering the federal contribution and increasing the administrative waste characteristic of private plans (and also increasing the policyholders share). For Example: Currently a 65 year old get $8,600 from the Government’s Share and $6,150 their share. In 2022 these cost will increase by 50% to $8,000 from the Government Share and $12,500 now the policyholders share (was $6,150 currently) and it keeps going up after that. This will put Medicare out of the reach of many seniors. In other words this proposal is designed with the goal for the totally destruction of Medicare as we know it today. Only the wealthy will be able to afford the premiums.
Medicaid will be replaced by a “Block Grant” method starting in 2013. The federal government eliminates its exposure to the risk of ever-increasing costs by giving the States only a fixed benefit (amount of money) that can only increase by the COLA. The states will have to bear all of the risk for any and all increases in health care costs. The big problem is that the COLA increase will never keep up with the current increases and the difference is going to get bigger and bigger as time passes until the States will no longer offer Medicaid because they cannot afford it. Millions and Millions of people left with NO coverage.
The states are then put into a position of trying to balance reductions in health services with the greater deficit holes punched into the state budgets. Passing this problem from the federal taxpayer to the state taxpayer does absolutely nothing at all. More smoke and mirrors. Why am I not surprised, more robbing Peter to pay Paul.
These cuts to Medicare and Medicaid are designed to do two things.
1) Help offset the costs of the tax cuts to the wealthy by using the savings from repealing Medicare and Medicaid as we know it and
2) To make sure that Medicare and Medicaid are no longer viable programs for the Middle Class and the Poor which has been a GOP goal for over 45 years, ever since it was on the drawing board.
Neither of these cuts (repeal) to Medicare and Medicaid addresses the real problem(s), which are the rising costs of Health Care. The GOP/TP blames the beneficiaries of these programs which are wrong and a continuation of their agenda for the creation of a “Class Based” Society. The GOP/TP seems to be very good at blaming the victims instead of addressing the culprits. We all should be looking at;
1. Health Insurance Companies
2. Drug Companies
3. Medical Product Manufacturers
This is what is driven up Health Care Costs NOT the beneficiaries. The GOP/TP is blaming the wrong people; they should be blaming the ones that are paying for their elections.
[Sources to read]
http://pnhp.org/blog/2010/11/22/cbo-analysis-of-the-rivlinryan-medicare-voucher-and-medicaid-block-grant-proposals/
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/119xx/doc11966/11-17-Rivlin-Ryan_Preliminary_Analysis.pdf
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3453&emailView=1
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/10/cantor-sees-current-medicare-and-medicaid-programs-as-a-safety-net-for-people-who-frankly-dont-need-one/
I think all these committees should exclude the congress/ senate ..they only do what best for their reelection ..not the people ! Private citizens should chair every committee...and have the vote NOT congress or the senate !Then America will become great once again !
The Simpson/Bowles (sp) Committee was a mixture of politicians and retired public servants. How did that end up you asked? All of its suggestions were quickly dismissed by all parties and the president. Why we think it will be any different this time, I really don't know. The only result of this commission will be is deadlock, resulting in across the board cuts to defense, not a bad thing, and reductions in payments to medicare providers, which is a bad thing, because the providers will simply quit accepting medicare patients.
The Supercommittee provides Republicans with one more opportunity to:
1. Destroy Government.
2. Slash programs for children, seniors, working people and the vulnerable.
3. Push their privatization agenda.
4. Secure financial breaks for the super-rich.
Oath-signers need not apply.
That should be rule number 1.
Unless the oath was the one of office.
Oath signers need not apply?
No Democrat, all of whom who swear an oath to protect crooked unions, would be on the Committee!
Bob, we're trying to have a reasonable conversation here. If you cannot participate in that, please leave.
Or at least produce a copy of the oath to protect 'crooked' unions to which you refer....
really just what we need another committee, we dont,,,,,,we need a functional Washington....Tired of listening to the blame issue, some of you should look at yourselves,,,,,,,but when running for office its always the opponet whose at fault......lets get rid of all the fault in washington and start from square one......Hate to be negative but fed up...it hurts the most when i see our troops giving there lives to a failing country when polticians put themselves first....also fed up with politicians getting away from the issue and appearing at functions to make themselves look good while driving this country into the ground....Ask them what they gave up nothing....there spending continues.
Oh yes, just what America needs another super committee! Can't make decisions without forming more committees, digusting. Starting with square one as russell fox recommended sounds good to this citizen. We as Americans are so fed up with the politicians and their business as usual.
how could any thing get accomplished when a 82% majority of the citizens knows there has to be a tax increase on the wealthy, while all the pubs have signed a pledge not to raise taxes?
one thing for sure, the president needs a new treasury sec, one who is concerned about jobs and not cuts?
He is concerned about a run on the banks However jobs would prevent that from being on or near the table for sure.. build it an they will come.. Gore (yea I know) is an economist an the republican oil (n demo too) interests are in every state an provide that mother milk in return for. stall the transitions till they have pumped dry of the easy oil they hoped to profit greatly on in the next century..
Just saying it is strange layers upon layers woven with profit n humans.. gas on fire unfolding as planned
As Washington is polarized to the point of stupid now...This super committee will simply be super polarized to the point of super stupid. The Koch bros. and their sponsorship of THEIR tea-stain party are the sole reason for all this crap.
Both side will designate their most stalwart representatives and nothing will get done - again! I can't wait for November 2012 to see how this quagmire will end.
Seems we have seen the future . WI. it is called recall elections , why wait to waste more money on those who fail in the line duty. They pledged to do there best for all the citizens when they took the oath. Just as you did when you enlisted. (me too but hey college was much longer than that tour of southeast asia)