Monday, December 3, 2012

Fantasies From the Dems

Today's news has the GOP and the Administration leaking their contingency plans, should it looks as if we were bound for the fiscal cliff. And we better get used to the idea that the cliff is a-coming, because legislators look to be determined to stay in their own little fantasy worlds. A lengthy example of the Marvel Comics universe preferred by our Progressive representatives can be found in Friday's congressional speechifying by Bobby Scott, who explains how whatever is wrong is the GOP's fault.

Like any good comic book alternate universe, we have an orgin story:
The projections were that, by 2008, the entire national debt held by the public would be paid off with no money owed to China, Japan, or Saudi Arabia. We would have paid off all of those debts. All the money would have been back in the trust funds by 2013.
 
That's where we were beginning in 2001, but the Republicans talked people into thinking that you could pass tax cuts without paying for them, massive tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. There were two wars not paid for and a prescription drug benefit not paid for. All of that surplus evaporated, and now we find ourselves deeply in debt. Rather than paying off the debt, we have more than doubled the debt.
 (Love the use of passive voice here. We manage to omit that a whole lot of the doubling occurred in the current administration)

Continuing along,  Mr. Scott throws in the deviations from reality that allows a good comic book alternate universe to function:
Social Security should be completely off the negotiating table since it does not contribute to the deficit. Additionally, the Congressional Black Caucus will specifically oppose any plan that changes eligibility for Medicare...

The Affordable Care Act should not be on the negotiating table. The program does not add to the debt and must be protected and fully implemented as planned
 And, in comic book world, you need a good villain. The GOP is so made to order for that:
The last time Republicans had a budget that reduced the size of the government, they cut almost $300 million out of Embassy security. That's what they mean by reducing the size of government. Usually what they mean is Social Security and Medicare..."
And those villains must have mad, mad dreams:
If you look at the budget and if you take out Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and defense and if you just look at what's called the nondefense discretionary budget, that's about--I'd say in round figures--$400 billion. If you're trying to get $4 trillion in cuts in 10 years, that's $400 billion a year. You would have to eliminate government. There would be no Embassy security, no FBI agents, no food inspection, no Federal prisons, no Head Start, no education, no FEMA, no transportation. I mean, nothing, nothing.
  Ms. MOORE. Except for tax cuts.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. You would have to eliminate everything in order to fund a total extension of the tax cuts.
And they want to force good salt of the earth people to give up things to finance their overwhelming greed:
So when you start talking about the different ways of cutting Social Security, we need to make sure that it's in the context, that we're talking about cutting Social Security in order to preserve the tax cuts.
I mean, seriously, reading all this, one can only conclude that the way to spell "evil" is "GOP". And what good person negotiates with evil? I mean, saying the GOP is evil might be a little strong, but as Sheila Jackson Lee puts it: 
Who wants to make a fuss about Medicare when it's solvent until 2024? . Who wants to make a fuss about Social Security when it's solvent and you earned it?
Get ready for the fiscal cliff....
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3 comments:

  1. I guess Bobby Scott takes Al Gore at his word that the money to pay Social Security benefits is there in that SS Trust Fund!

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