Compromise is not a word that a lot of people on Capitol Hill understand these days. That's particularly true when those who are entrenched in their own view of things can't climb out of those trenches without a 12-foot ladder.
The so-called "Super Committee" -- aka the United States Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction -- has been at work for the last three months, trying to"fix" our economic woes. Remember when we were staring into the economic abyss back in August, and Congress finally agreed to raise the debt ceiling so America wouldn't default on its financial obligations and tank the global economy? I know it was the end of summer vacation, but somehow a "Super Committee" was formed that was supposed to seriously, and in a bipartisan way, develop a plan to put the economy on a better road.
I'll stop for a minute while you finish laughing or cleaning up the Diet Coke you just spit all over your keyboard.
So here we are, after both sides cried "uncle" on this effort, with automatic spending cuts ready to go into effect that will begin the process of slashing $1.2 trillion dollars from the budget -- cuts that neither side wants.
Sometime in the last couple of decades of super-partisan politics, we've all lost the ability to compromise. But I know some women who understand what that word means. So for lack of any better suggestions coming from Capitol Hill, some of my friends weighed in on the question:
If I had been on the Super Committee, I would have ... And their answers?
-- Voted for Congress to work for minimum wage.
-- Probably had a screaming hissy fit wherein I told Republicans that supply-side economics is a myth and to stop pretending it's a policy that works.
-- Begun with a history book set alongside all that economic theory.
-- Challenged the validity of said Super Committee.
-- Worn a cape.
-- Lit the Bat Signal.
--Told the rest of the committee to stop acting like spoiled children having a sibling spat and start acting like adults who've been charged with the very serious job of planning an entire nation's financial future. Taken the rest of the committee on a field trip to visit some of the 1 in 5 Americans now on food stamps who are waiting on Congress to offer some solution. Locked the rest of the committee together in a small room with a few pens, some papers and an audiobook of A Christmas Carol on endless loop and told them they can't come out until they have a solution.
-- Looked more at Senator Toomey's plan. I think it was ridiculous to dismiss it out of hand. I think Grover Norquist has paralyzed the GOP with his silly pledge and I think the Dems need to get beyond just saying no to extending existing cuts. Bottom line: compromise. And I still would have angled for a cape.
-- Lined up prominent conservative leaders of faith to say, "It's OK to raise taxes on the wealthy if it fulfills our obligation to look out for the poor." Seriously, does anyone know what faith leaders' positions are on this? I haven't seen much about it.
-- Subpoenaed "Cookie Monster" from OccupySesameStreet to explain the economic crisis in simple terms, since clearly the more complex explanations are over their heads.
--Solved the F'ing problem.
-- Used more jazz hands.
-- Used more cowbell.
-- Wished that Sarah Palin had announced her presidential candidacy because I really believe she would have locked them in a room with only peanut butter sandwiches and cold cereal and said, "You solve the problem and figure out a way to compromise or you're not coming out for Thanksgiving or Christmas and then you can figure out how to answer to your wives, husbands, children and grandchildren. Now grow up boys and girls!!"
Those responses all came within just a few minutes of asking the question. Even with some humor, it doesn't take much to sense the level of frustration people on both sides of this debate are feeling.
On a slightly more serious note, Kelly Phillips Erb points out at her Tax Girl blog at Forbes that all this hand-wringing over the Super Committee deadline is just an act. Yes, Congress instituted a deadline, but they can change it. And I'm willing to bet my slice of Thanksgiving pumpkin pie that's exactly what's going to happen in the next 24 hours.
As for Grover Norquist, he'd better be looking for a secure, undisclosed location for his Thanksgiving celebration. He may think he's got everybody right where he wants them, but we're at the point where his Republican "allies" are going to turn on him. They may have signed his no new taxes "oath," but in the end, when that bit of political theatrics stops working with voters who can't even afford to buy a turkey this holiday season, those oath-takers will be blaming him and making him the fall guy for the GOP's role in this mess.
Joanne Bamberger is a political columnist, analyst and author of the Amazon best-seller, Mothers of Intention: How Women and Social Media are Revolutionizing Politics in America (Bright Sky Press, 2011). Joanne is the founder of the site PunditMom and editor-in-chief of the just-launched women's commentary site, The Broad Side: Real Women. Real Opinions. Real Politics.
Follow Joanne Bamberger on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PunditMom
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Nationalize the financial and oil industries.
Nationalize all Ivy League schools.
Exile outsourcers to third world countries.
Abolish the stock market.
Commence a media campaign to deprogram the country from irrational selfish consumerism.
Nationalize Goldman Sachs and all of its assets; liquidate them to pay the debt.
Declare any CEO with income over $50,000,000 in one year an enemy of the state and deport to Guantanamo Bay.
Many of us Democratic party supporters where stunned/shocked at the news that Dems put everything on the table. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc the safety net that liberals consider of utmost importance in our country, in return for raising taxes on rich Americans. The Republicans were unable or unwilling to break from their pledge to Grover Norquist.
So next time the urge hits to say both parties are equally to blame...we emphatically say NO!
To reach a bi-partisan deal the Democrats offered massive spending cuts even changes to Medicare & Social Security in exchange for modest tax increases on the most wealthy. The Republicans, on the other hand, who have said time and time and time again they will not raise taxes under any conditions, finally agreed to accept some new revenue but not without conditions: 1) no tax increases and 2) more massive tax breaks. No surprise there, but how do you find any sort of common ground when 1-side refuses to compromise!
Why journalists cannot simply report the facts is beyond me. If they are worried about appearing biased perhaps someone ought to remind them that facts are not biased. The reason the super committee failed is because the Republicans would not concede to raising taxes & even demanded they be cut further. It is time for the media to dispense with "both sides are to blame." There is no equivalency factor, period.
My solution?
Bump up the tax rate on wealthiest (income over 1 million/yr)to 40%. income 500,000 to 1 million at 38%. Income at 250,000 to 500,000 at 36%.
Cut defense spending on big ticket weapons by 15%.thereby forcing the generals to choose the most necessary ones. Also no soldier who was wounded in combat would NEVER pay income tax ever again as they have already bled for our country.
Cut Congressional salaries back to 100,000/yr for the house and senate. Cut their office budgets by 15%.
Find a way to force health insurance companies and hospitals to operate efficiently and cut their expenses (e.g. CEO bonuses) so as to get better services for our buck since they've got a monopoly anyway.
Find a way to keep Social Security solvent for the future.
Hey, People Who Think Taxes Are Too High, Check Out This Chart...
Most people in America understand that, to fix our massive debt-and-deficit problem, we're going to have to raise taxes and cut spending
But some people insist that the problem can be fixed by just raising taxes or just cutting spending.
Most folks in the latter group gripe about how taxes are already too high.
But they aren't.
At least not relative to other countries in the world that are considered first-world countries
We are just above Mexico in taxes.
Link to the chart on business insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/hey-people-who-think-taxes-are-too-high-check-out-this-chart-2011-11