Wednesday: the super committee’s super failure
23 November 2011
How much time are you going to spend today blaming a political party or the president on the Super Committee’s failure to come up with a solution to the deficit? I have about five minutes before I start peeling potatoes.
Superman is a comic book hero. “Super Fly” is that Curtis Mayfield song from the movie of the same name. I’ll watch the Super Bowl in February this year, even if my Jets don’t play. I’ve never won Super Lotto, and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” is a charming song, mostly because Julie Andrews sang it. In August, when Congress came up with the idea of a Super Committee, I furrowed my brow the way I’ve been doing since I was ten when I’m confused and cynical. I have two lines in the middle of my forehead to prove it. A ‘Super Committee’? Seriously? These days, government is not heroic or sexy, charming or grand. It sounded stupid. Since Republicans took control of the House in 2010 and Democrats in the Senate lost their filibuster-proof majority at the same time, our government has been in one giant holding pattern regarding the deficit and ways to fund programs that would create jobs. What the hell difference would a ‘Super Committee’ make? You could hear the can being kicked down the road when they suggested it after nearly failing to raise the debt ceiling at the end of summer. Monday, upon learning that this woefully UN-super group had failed completely, Americans simply shook their heads and rolled their eyes. It wasn’t just Democrats. Working class Republicans scoffed, too. Washington truly doesn’t get it.
The Occupy Wall Street movement happening around the country was a good start and continues, but unless we make demands like the Tea Party did and require that our elected officials serve their constituency and not their benefactors, the status quo in Congress will remain. And while I won’t blame the average Republican, I will blame Republican leaders. I am not afraid.
The six GOP members of the Super Committee went into budget talks knowing absolutely that they were immovable on the issue of raising taxes on the wealthy. The Democratic six arrived with their feet dug in regarding cuts in social programs. They would allow none. Nearly 14 million people in the United States are unemployed while the top .01% of American “workers” are getting richer than ever at tax rates on capital gains that are lower than ever. With whom are you siding? Even the very rich aren’t siding with Republican leaders! This. Is. Bull. Shit.
Have you called your congressional representative? Have you visited an Occupy encampment? When you do, might you suggest they start making demands and stop being pantywaists?
The super-duper committee was a waste of time and money and, once again, we watched it happen. To a certain degree, I do blame President Obama for a lack of leadership. I never got the sense he thought this dirty dozen was capable of anything and when there are no expectations, there is little success.
Our government needs to get their act together and find ways to help the small business owner. If that means taking money from the very rich and using it to pay for projects that can be accomplished in the private sector (and PLEASE let it be the private sector – public works are a joke), then that is how it must be. Taking money from the poor, from social programs – as badly managed as they may be – is the ultimate cynical act. (Allow Senator Bernie Sanders to have a few words.) The vast majority of the lower and middle classes and those living in poverty or barely scraping by, are not shiftless. We are teachers, craftsmen, service workers, support staff, farmers, artists, cooks, electricians, and daycare workers who look after the children.
Washington, what part of “We are the 99%” do you not understand?
(Check out “Small Business Saturday” and do your part THIS weekend.)
How much time are you going to spend today blaming a political party or the president on the Super Committee’s failure to come up with a solution to the deficit? I have about five minutes before I start peeling potatoes.
Superman is a comic book hero. “Super Fly” is that Curtis Mayfield song from the movie of the same name. I’ll watch the Super Bowl in February this year, even if my Jets don’t play. I’ve never won Super Lotto, and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” is a charming song, mostly because Julie Andrews sang it. In August, when Congress came up with the idea of a Super Committee, I furrowed my brow the way I’ve been doing since I was ten when I’m confused and cynical. I have two lines in the middle of my forehead to prove it. A ‘Super Committee’? Seriously? These days, government is not heroic or sexy, charming or grand. It sounded stupid. Since Republicans took control of the House in 2010 and Democrats in the Senate lost their filibuster-proof majority at the same time, our government has been in one giant holding pattern regarding the deficit and ways to fund programs that would create jobs. What the hell difference would a ‘Super Committee’ make? You could hear the can being kicked down the road when they suggested it after nearly failing to raise the debt ceiling at the end of summer. Monday, upon learning that this woefully UN-super group had failed completely, Americans simply shook their heads and rolled their eyes. It wasn’t just Democrats. Working class Republicans scoffed, too. Washington truly doesn’t get it.
The Occupy Wall Street movement happening around the country was a good start and continues, but unless we make demands like the Tea Party did and require that our elected officials serve their constituency and not their benefactors, the status quo in Congress will remain. And while I won’t blame the average Republican, I will blame Republican leaders. I am not afraid.
The six GOP members of the Super Committee went into budget talks knowing absolutely that they were immovable on the issue of raising taxes on the wealthy. The Democratic six arrived with their feet dug in regarding cuts in social programs. They would allow none. Nearly 14 million people in the United States are unemployed while the top .01% of American “workers” are getting richer than ever at tax rates on capital gains that are lower than ever. With whom are you siding? Even the very rich aren’t siding with Republican leaders! This. Is. Bull. Shit.
Have you called your congressional representative? Have you visited an Occupy encampment? When you do, might you suggest they start making demands and stop being pantywaists?
The super-duper committee was a waste of time and money and, once again, we watched it happen. To a certain degree, I do blame President Obama for a lack of leadership. I never got the sense he thought this dirty dozen was capable of anything and when there are no expectations, there is little success.
Our government needs to get their act together and find ways to help the small business owner. If that means taking money from the very rich and using it to pay for projects that can be accomplished in the private sector (and PLEASE let it be the private sector – public works are a joke), then that is how it must be. Taking money from the poor, from social programs – as badly managed as they may be – is the ultimate cynical act. (Allow Senator Bernie Sanders to have a few words.) The vast majority of the lower and middle classes and those living in poverty or barely scraping by, are not shiftless. We are teachers, craftsmen, service workers, support staff, farmers, artists, cooks, electricians, and daycare workers who look after the children.
Washington, what part of “We are the 99%” do you not understand?
(Check out “Small Business Saturday” and do your part THIS weekend.)
Amen.
Well stated!