Congress can get rid of them as easily as pay out on them. Nothing prohibits the sovereign power in that realm.

As it is they appear to want a scaffolding, not a framework.

And they keep on getting more rope.

I can do the math on that.

The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.
Will Rogers

Social Security and MEDICARE are NOT Entitlements.
They are VESTED Programs where those who PAID into these Programs with a “reasonable expectation of a RETURN on THEIR INVESTMENT” are hence VESTED.

Military Retirements are “Conditions of Employment/Service” the same as Senate, Congressional or Presidential Pensions.
Cut ONE, Cut them ALL!

How about them apples?

I’m all for getting after federal employee pensions, too, but let’s make sure we are clear on how Soc Sec and Medicare work.

Soc Sec benefits are determined by a benefit formula, not by any calculation of a “reasonable return” on one’s investment. In fact, that’s pretty well impossible to provide at this point. Earlier generations got benefits that they didn’t fund; today’s workers are paying for today’s retirees; and the system is promising to tax the next generation of workers to smithereens to pay benefits promised to the baby boomers.

If every generation adopts the “I want what’s mine” mentality and interprets that as meaning the current benefit formula, there is only one possible end result of that thinking: massive tax burdens on your kids and mine.

Let’s not play the left’s game here and adopt a mindset that can only lead to much larger government.

The same is true for Medicare, except more so.

BTW, I believe the pollsters should ask the public if it’s OK if everything gets a cut. I for one am amenable to the raising of my taxes AS LONG AS everyone shares in the pain. And it pains me to say go ahead & raise my taxes to deal with this – not because I have a problem with paying more (I do). I understand that sacrifices need to be made, but I don’t trust our govt to take the extra taxes to pay down the debt – they will likely squander it on more spending programs instead.

Congress is like the spender that gets a new credit card to transfer their balance to lower their rate and rather than paying off that debt, instead charges up that zero balance again, doubling their debt.

How about them apples?

Just because Congress spent all of the Funds how about Congress doing without their Pensions? Or the President(s) that signed off on the irresponsible spending?

It makes no sense to place trust in the Senators who have screwed us at every opportunity in the past. One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, always expecting a different result.

I think that tells you all you need to know.

Letting Congress cook up triggers for its own inaction is like letting your child think up his own punishment.
Chuck Schick on February 17, 2011 at 4:27 PM

Even worse, I think you mean “potential punishment”.

Exit question: If Congress is now all about passing frameworks that force it to deal responsibly with spending, how about adding a Balanced Budget Amendment to the mix?

Answer – It was be just as impotent as this proposal. They have no intention of actually following the intent of such laws. Power corrupts – too many of them are more interested in staying in power.

Remember, given a choice between boldly confronting the domestic challenge of our time and hiding under his desk to make next year’s campaign easier, The One’s preference couldn’t be clearer.

AP, this should be rephrased to the following:

Given the choice between putting out a detailed plan perfectly in line with the Debt Commission’s proposal ripe for Republicans and Democrats to demagogue (see Republicans’ abuse of the reasonable Medicare cuts in the ACA, and Democrats’ general proclivity to whine about any cuts in entitlements whatsoever), resulting in the effort fizzling out leaving the country with the status quo, or putting out a budget with modest cuts as a starting point for negotiations, then working behind the scenes to achieve a real outcome that reflects much of the debt commission’s recommendations, Obama’s preference couldn’t be clearer.

But of course, you’re not here to provide honest analysis and insight. You have to pander to your readers’ rabid desire to see anything Obama does as evil/incompetent/cowardly/tyrannical/dishonest/America-hating.

$1.7 TRILLION in deficit THIS YEAR!!! /caps lock

That crappy $180 billion will not even pay the Gd interest for the $1.7 trillion we rack up just this year over that period, let alone the interest on the debt.

Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!

There is absolutely nothing to be happy or proud about with this news. All I can see is that these damn politicians need to be dragged out into the street, take the pens out of their hands and lock them out of the Capitol so they can’t write another single piece of legislation. Don’t let them pass another CR, just let the government close down and come to a grinding halt….jeez! I can’t believe not a single piece of crap got the message through their thick skulls this past November…

/steaming_pissed

(Supposedly, more than 40 senators in all have “shown some interest.”)

Meaning that the uninterested Senators have a majority in the Senate. Pffffft!

The tax-writing committees would be given two years to overhaul both the individual and corporate tax codes, with general instructions to close tax breaks and minimize or eliminate tax deductions while lowering tax rates.

This has to go faster to succeed. Everybody knows that nothing will get done within 6 months of a Presidential (and Congressional) election, and even after the tax code is overhauled, it would take time to tackle Medicare and Medicaid to align their spending with the new tax code.

This is one more case of Congress trying to pass a “comprehensive” all-or-nothing hodgepodge that nobody really likes, that eventually breaks down. We’re better off attacking these problems piecemeal, gaining a consensus around smaller proposals that have wide support, and leave the most contentious issues for last, or for another Congress with a new President.

Letting Congress cook up triggers for its own inaction is like letting your child think up his own punishment.

Chuck Schick on February 17, 2011 at 4:27 PM

this

rob verdi on February 17, 2011 at 4:17 PM

agree

This trigger will set off a debate about wether or not to start a committee to study this particular aspect of the deficit, the resulting statement of which will be debated in no more than three committees and sub-committees before finally having a round of anonymous amendments added to it. Following all that, the various trigger statements will allocated into a single legislative package to go for a full vote, after several late night earmarking sessions.

I can feel the solvency already!!!!