(ThyBlackMan.com) Remember back in August when Congress refused to raise the debt ceiling upon President Obama’s request without first putting in steps to reduce the deficit and balance the budget. Remember when Congress finally did agree to raise the debt ceiling the deal that was made? Don’t remember the deal. Here’s a refresher. The deal was that as part of the debt ceiling agreement a bipartisan group of Congressmen would form a super committee charged with finding $1.2 trillion in spending cuts. The group had a finite deadline to find these cuts. That deadline is in 7 days. As in a week from today. As in next Wednesday, November 23, 2011. Now if the super committee does not find these savings and spending cuts then $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts worked out as part of the debt ceiling agreement will kick in come 2013. 
Those automatic cuts would be to defense spending as well as domestic programs.
Now that we know where we are let’s talk about where we may or may not be going, doing in the next 7 days and why President Obama has yet to go before a podium and beg Congress to do its job. Matter of fact we’re going to talk about how that dude, President Obama doesn’t even care, seeing as how he’s in Australia right now.
The bipartisan 12 member super committee is made up of 11 men and one woman; 10 Whites, 1 Black, 1 Hispanic, and of these 12 of course 6 of them subscribe to the Republican party. Six of them subscribe to the Democratic party. They are:
- Rep. Dave Camp (R)-Michigan
- Rep. Fred Upton (R)-Michigan
- Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R)-Texas
- Sen. Jon Kyl (R)-Arizona
- Sen. Rob Portman (R)-Ohio
- Sen. Pat Toomey (R)-Pennsylvania
- Sen. Patty Murray, (D)-Washington
- Sen. Max Baucus, (D)-Montana.
- Sen. John Kerry, (D)-Massachusetts
- Rep. James E. Clyburn (D)-South Carolina
- Rep. Xavier Becerra (D)-California
- Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D)-Maryland
Now that we all know who’s who, let’s get back to the story. So these 12 people, Congress-persons, had three and a half months, about 115 days to find $1.2 trillion dollars in cuts. That means they had to find about $120,773 in cuts a day to be on schedule to come up with the $1.2 trillion by the deadline. But did they do that. Nope. What did they do. The same thing they’ve been doing since the budget became a big issue; arguing over raising taxes (Republicans) and reforming entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security (Democrats).
Two weeks ago at a Congressional hearing, Erskine Bowles, the co-chair of President Obama’s fiscal commission said he was worried the committee would fail. Two weeks later that possibility is more real and more plausible. Republicans never, ever want to raise taxes. Democrats never, ever want to reform entitlement programs. While tax increases won’t automatically kick in come 2013, cuts to entitlement programs, those stalwarts Democrats protect with a valiant sword will. And even though it is Democrats who may lose more in this fight if failure is achieved (oxymoron I know) both parties will show and prove not only are they incapable of compromise, they are also incapable of leadership without pandering and hand-holding, and what’s most important they are indeed an inept Congress more concerned with protecting their political interests than they are concerned with protecting the interests of the people they represent.
President Obama can’t actually be blamed for this failure because he had nothing to do with it. He wanted Congress to raise the debt-ceiling sans deal on the budget. He wanted the agreement quick and dirty. No strings attached. A one night stand, if you will. Congressional Republicans wanted more deficit reduction. They got it and now they don’t know what to do with it.
I agree the country’s spending is out of control. I also agree our tax code needs to be reformed to reflect the disparaging wealth gap in this country accurately. Our entitlement programs will bankrupt us surely before my possibly future child can ever draw a retirement living from it. And the constant hoarding of money at the top tier of the country will turn us into India; a country with a great deal of wealth but twice as much poverty.
Do I expect the Super Committee to come up with a deal by next Wednesday. Not really. Will I be surprised if they reach an agreement. Not really. Too often our politicians are more concerned with deal-making rather than they making sure said deal is actually a good one. I’m sorry this is not an episode of Let’s Make A Deal with Wayne Brady and a studio audience dressed up like who done it and why. This is a country where every deal made has a direct effect on the fabulously fashionable people living here. Every deal not made will either exacerbate or alleviate the pain of the current problem. The deal made that got us into this deal-watching mess was a bad one; not only that, it was unnecessary.
At this time I’m kind of hoping for the Super-Committee to fail so that the entire country can see that the current political meme of pure partisanship only is jejune, but moreover a sign that nothing will ever get done simply because it can’t. Every agreement doesn’t have to have bi-partisan support; but it should. Every GOOD — emphasis on good — deal made doesn’t have to include compromise but it can so that both sides are able to return to their respective aisle, home districts and constituents feeling good about the decisions made on behalf and for the American people instead of coming back to U.S. with a “What had happened was” speech and expecting us to believe that their hands were tied when all they did was bind themselves to ideology instead of people.
But take your time and make that deal Super Committee, we the People of the United States, have all the time in the world for you to fail make a GOOD deal. Go ahead. We’ll wait… we’ve been waiting all this time…
Do you think the Super Committee will find the cuts or leave it up to the automatic ones in 2013?
Staff Writer; Nikesha Leeper
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