A Washington Post feature story on Kent Conrad refers to the retiring U.S. Senator as “the Democrats’ balanced-budget guy for more than a decade.”
Of course, no budget has been balanced for “more than a decade.” Being the Democrats’ “balanced-budget guy” is sorta like being the Taliban’s diversity outreach guy or AARP’s youth activities director or the bartender for the Temperance League.
I won’t dispute Sen. Conrad’s claim that he’s “done [his] level best,” but, in the time he’s been in Congress, the federal debt has climbed more than 700 percent, from $2.1 trillion in 1986 to $15.4 trillion today.
Nonetheless, Conrad continues to work his colleagues in the dark corridors of the capitol, and The Post reports his goal is to “draft far-reaching legislation to tame the debt and present it for a vote after Election Day, when lawmakers will be under intense pressure to reach an agreement to avert huge tax increases and deep spending cuts set to hit Jan. 1.”
But how will the desire to avoid tax increases and spending cuts “pressure” Congress to pass Conrad’s preferred package of tax increases and spending cuts? Especially in a lame duck session that sidesteps public pressure?
House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan offers a different view: “We shouldn’t be insulating this from the American public, trying to cut back room deals on commissions or whatever. I think the process is moved forward if we put plans out for the public to see and defend our ideas.”
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
6 replies on “Very Lame Duck”
tried,or trying are cop out words, lets just say he (senator Conrad) accomplished nothing regarding this issue. the democrats have no desire to balance the budget,rather they would spend as much tax payers money to advance their political agendas that ultimately leading to total government control (socialism) Rep Paul Ryan has proposed great ideas for 2013 budget plan. But he“s fighting a almost losing battle. That is why we need so desperately to have a majority in the house and senate
I keep hearing that Gingrich balanced the budget, comrade clintax balanced the budget or pick the self congratulatory back slapper de jour. There never was a balanced budget — got very close at an eighteen billion dollar deficit — but was never balanced. Source: The US Treasury
If they did this BEFORE election day we would have a whole Chinese deli buffet of lame ducks.
The reason, in my view- Conrad (by the way, this “sophisiticated real estate investor- in the DC area as well as home state) was a “FRIEND OF ANGELO” ( Countrywide) ASND DID NOT KNOW THAT RATES ON COMEMRCIAL PROPERTIES (DEFINED AS 5 OR MORE UNITS-IN HOUSING) WERE HIGHER THEN ON RESIDENTIAL ( 1TO 4 UNITS), and that Angelo/Countrywide ( read US taxpayers footing the bill) were giving him bargain rates.
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And after the eelction- so that the memebrs of Congress ( who are re-elected- from both parties) can continue to spend and spend, and hope ( and probably be right) that the people are stupid and will froget, when they run again, (and again, and again).
With the, thru the roof, demand for smoke and mirrors in D.C., there’s hardly any left for the folks in the hinterlands. The hypocritical facades these thugs manufacture never cease to amaze me.
Where to cut? What’s the budget for Homeland Security? You could fire the whole Department send them all home to pound sand, then if you wanted to hand out the money anyway, just give it to everyone having a problem with his mortgage. Or buy all the street people in America a trophy home. 🙂