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WPCNR NEWS & COMMENT. By John F. Bailey. July 31, 2011 UPDATED 11:20 P.M. E.DT.:
This morning Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky had the audacity to tell Bob Schieffer on CBS that the U.S. Congress would come together for the good of the American people.
They could have done that three months ago and spent some energy paying attention to the Missouri River flood.
Just as predicted by White Plains Week on this week’s program, instead of voting down the house program last night,now McConnell says they’re coming together for the American people.
Where have we heard this one before?
How did we know this compromise was going to happen?
I bet the bill is already written and ready to go. In fact, it is McConnell as I file this scathing commentary just announced the details.
Perhaps Sheldon Silver drafted it for them.
And, now, get this, they have to pass it real fast — taking a leaf from the Joe Delfino playbook!
The media has been mesmerized with this debt ceiling story for a month .It was a mass distraction. You always knew they would raise the debt ceiling.
The media’s job is to articulate to the American people the story that their government is working for them instead ofworking for the Senators and Congresspersons themselves and the elite they protect and subsidize and subject to selective enforcement.
Why? Because default is a myth. It is a Bogeyman. It never really happens.
The government prints all the money it wants.
The congress, the administration are literally, with this “surprise” “come-together” compromise, extending foreclosure on America.
Foreclosure of a morally bankrupt government that is run by the connected for the rich, by the rich,
Forestalling foreclosure is something they would not do for the thousands of Americans who were and still are facing foreclosure.
No one in the government has come out and told the banks to stop Uriah Heep-ing their mortgage-holders. Lend out your assets or else. And, they still won’t.
Something they would not do to Wall Street for defrauding the public, creating the financial crisis.
The government made the Wall Street ganovim (how wonderful that word is to decribe them) whole with a couple of “show crucifixions” of companies selected to take the fall at the direction of one of the creators of the securities that collapsed.
However, this posturing of the McConnells, the Reids, the Boehners, and the Obamas has been incredible in that these folks are buying into cutting spending.
The scripted statements heard sickeningly every hour on the hour are a replay the TARP bailout approval process, hailed this week as one of the most financially successful government programs ever.
What a lie that is. It was successful for the firms that got the TARP funds. It was not successful for the unemployed who lost their homes.
It was not successful for the thousands of college grads (who other than business school graduates), are scrounging for jobs, and if they have jobs, those students can’t even begin to buy a house or condo because they have tremendous college loans outstanding. No relief for them.
Sorry, kids, we have to take care of our financiers who have wrecked the American economy before we help you. Maybe you can start a professional beer pong league.
Those immaculately dressed talking heads at the podiums at the capitol (The Dome of Iniquity) are all actors saying their lines, (perhaps just a little bit too smoothly). I mean who are their writers?
The talking heads of congress only want to be reelected to their positions of power and influence and free rides. They have to be laughing at you, and especially the middle Americans who believe that cutting spending will help the country recover.
I can see the 2012 campaigns now. “He came together to save the economy.”
You see the acting on the local level, too.
Our “leaders” abuse their power, tell you a lie often enough that it is easier for the self-centered American public to believe it rather than realize the truth.
Cut spending? Sure. I have some suggestions.
Now I have no animosity toward Kentucky, but I think Senator McConnell’s state since it is not a major contributor to the economy, should be a big part of any cuts in spending as a poster child state for cuts, and be cut substantially in government payments and aid to make Senator McConnell’s position credible.
No state has more highway construction going on I think than Kentucky. The traffic around Louisville was at a standstill when I drove around it tediously two years ago because of the construction from the Rebuilding America legislation. I venture to say the aid that Kentucky gets could easily help pay for our Tappan Zee Bridge.
The same should be done in Ohio, where House Speaker John Boehner is from.
I love Ohio. It has the best turnpike in the nation, the Ohio Turnpike. It has the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians, and a lot of farms. And of course Ohio State. It’s obviously a prosperous state. They should tighten their belt.
Boehner should lead by example, and make sure Ohio takes a major cut in government mandate, grants, transit and construction – just cut it in half since the Buckeye state is better off than most.. I am sure Representative Boehner is working on his Ohio cuts right now, aren’t you?
And how about Harry Reid, so eager now to cave.
Nevada with its gambling industry and vast amounts of desert, and its contribution to the deterioration of American morals and clean living, hardly needs any aid at all. Let’s slash their government spending allotments in half, too. They no longer do nuke testing there. Let’s close all those military bases.
What are the odds that is going to happen in the McConnell,Boehner and Reid states?
No, what any spending cuts will do is hurt those least able to cope and least likely to vote.
Already in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s cuts in New York State, the spending on the disabled has resulted in hurtful layoffs.
There’s a young social worker with a new child who had his last day with a major provider of housing for thee disabled. He is one person I know directly affected by Cuomo’s cost cutting edicts. What will he do? When I spoke to him last week on his last day his voice was hollow, the voice of a person facing doom. The state might as well have guiolotined him.
There’s going to thousands of cuts like my young friend if congress has their way on spending cuts. It is heartless.
And I predict when mandate relief cuts are recommended from Washington, as well as by Governor Cuomo’s commission, there will be more cuts to the disabled, the food stampers, unemployment benefits, ability to receive medical care, because they don’t vote. Cuts to illegal and undocumenteds in survival services. Cuts to social programs for the homeless. You watch.
As of 11 P.M. Sunday night this sudden compromise was announced by our President and it consists of the following gobble-de-gook:
The president will be authorized to increase the debt limit by at least $2.1 trillion, eliminating the need for another increase until 2013.
The first cuts will come in at nearly $1 trillion. That includes savings of $350 billion from the Base Defense Budget, which will be trimmed based off a review of overall U.S. national security policy.
A bipartisan committee with enhanced procedural authority will be responsible for pinpointing $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction from both entitlements and tax reform, as well as other spending programs.
The committee will have to report out legislation by November 23, 2011.
Congress will be required to vote on Committee recommendations by December 23, 2011.
The trigger mechanism — should the committee’s recommendations not be acted upon — will be mandatory spending cuts. Those cuts, which will begin in January 2013, will be split 50/50 between domestic and defense spending. Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries and “low-income programs” would be exempted from those cuts.
But there will be no increases in taxes on the rich there will be no mandates to banks to lend to get the economy going. There will be no increases in the capital gains taxes.
But you will bet there will be cuts in social security payments by extending the age you can first start social security and entitlements. Where are the cuts going to come?
Perhaps not cuts, but possibly raised social security taxes.
Your President will have us believe as would Mr. Boehner that all this suddenly got thrashed out in 12 hours yesterday.
Are you kidding me? Don’t you think maybe this was in the background all the time?
How little respect thay have for the American people.
You can bet there will be no cuts in military spending. (Well, according to the compromise they are throwing homeland security spending into the defense spending pool, thus enabling them to perhaps cut homeland security money, but not defense.)
But the way I read this plan: spending cuts are inevitable, but there are no tax increases at all.
How perfect.
There will be no incentives to companies to bring jobs back from overseas, where they make record profits because they pay dirt wages. Where are the changes to tax overseas profits of companies which has lead the decline of jobs in America.
There will be no immigration reform to legitimize the persons here illegally who do the jobs no one wants to touch. But they will make darn sure to deny these people medical care. Just guessing.
The people in Washington work for the rich and the powerful and are in their pocket. They do not care about you. They have to be laughing at you all now.
Could these hideous people at least look like they are working? They make far too many appearances on T.V. Their ties all neatly up snug. Their shirts clean and pressed.
And now someone is going to write this bill all up by tomorrow? And of course no one will be able to read it thoroughly but they have to pass it. Is Mayor Joseph Delfino consulting to Boehner, Reid and McConnell? Sure sounds like it?
They do not even use the anchorman’s trick of the loosened tie, the rolled up shirt sleeves, or the always sure-fire stress indicator the sandwich buffet.
And you are out there thinking they are doing such a good job.
They’re phonies.
Don’t be fooled.
The very notion that they would ever consider a default on the debt that has been seriously considered by the media is poppycock that the media have once again sold to the public.
They could not let default happen because their bosses on Wall Street would lose too much money.
But now, since we have to cut spending as part of any deal, by cutting services to those who need them, well that’s O.K.
In fact from what I read on CNN the new deal will be a “super congress” overseeing the cuts. I wonder who will be on that? Gee, and they expect us to believe they hammered that out in 12 hours overnight?
You know anyone on that gang of 12 will not have their states gored.
And still no raising taxes.
Pain ahead — explained away by the need to cut spending.
Tell that to my young friend who has worked for his firm for a year and a half, making a life in this country, only to have it taken away, when all he wanted was to do good.
It is viscious firing.
No one in congress is there to do good. They are vicious and irresponsible and weak. Easily influenced by thousands of dollars instead of pity.
They are there for themselves.
This is how revolutions are made.
