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Originally Posted by maja
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Statement of Opposition to S. 365 "Budget Control Act of 2011" - Auburn Journal (http://my.auburnjournal.com/detail/184617.html - broken link)
Here is a little more thoroughly researched article and note this is not the first time these panels have been used and NOTHING is said about THIS panel being omnipotent. Remember there are a lot of average reporters out there who are too lazy to do their homework and just want to sensationalize everything to increase readership. I suggest people read the bill itself called
S 365 Budget control Act of 2011:
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Much of the Budget Control Act of 2011 depends on a bipartisan committee that is charged with the responsibility to cut the deficit, but not necessarily to cut spending, by $1.5 trillion. These are two very different things.
The 12-member committee is to be appointed by Congressional leaders, evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans and between the House and the Senate. Its recommendations on deficit reduction will be decided by majority vote and put to both houses for approval or rejection. Absent adoption of a balanced budget amendment, the second tranche of debt limit increase depends on enactment of its recommendations.
There is little reason to be optimistic of its success.
First, although the committee’s formal goal is $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction, the law only requires it to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion in order to avoid sequestration and trigger a $1.2 trillion debt limit increase.
Second, this is not a new concept. Since 1982, there have been 17 “bipartisan†commissions charged with reducing federal spending or borrowing. As evidenced by the current crisis, all 17 have failed. The Budget Control Act of 2011 heavily relies on the 18th such panel actually succeeding.
This particular panel is made up exclusively of a bipartisan group of current members of Congress. It invites the question, “If a bipartisan group of current members of Congress (which we often call, ‘the Congress’) can’t agree to reduce spending to sustainable levels at this critical moment in our history, why would we place far greater confidence in the proposed bipartisan panel of – wait for it – current members of Congress?â€
Third, the panel is not responsible for reducing spending, but rather for reducing the deficit. Tax increases may also reduce deficits (while doing significant economic damage). Since the committee is to be evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, it would take only one Republican to place a massive tax increase on the House and Senate floors. As the deadline approaches and yet another debt crisis looms, the pressure on that one Republican will be enormous, and if history is any indication, irresistible.
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Super Committee in Congress just used for Debt cuts and spending
