Quote:
Originally Posted by Calgaryborn
The Tea party wanted a balanced budget. They argue that if you just shrink government to the 2004 levels of spending there is enough tax dollars to pay the bills. They also wanted Obama care trashed and an amendment to the Constitution that forces the government to have a balanced budget. Instead Obama care is alive and well and there is just going to be an up or down vote on the constutional amendment in the Senate.
What the Democrats got was the largest debt ceiling in US history. They still have the Bush tax cuts coming off the table next year which is a tax increase. The Democrats also got enough money to not have to revisit the debt ceiling before the next election. They got a deal which has no real spending cuts because none of them start right away and they really have no say in future budgets. Whoever is in Congress in 2 years will decide what they are going to spend and going to cut. Probably they won't even consider this Congress' spending plan.
This is what Ron Paul had to say about the deal:
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-bl...t-is-not-a-cut |
Since you want to deal in superlatives: the Republicans get the largest spending cut in US history.
What else did the Tea Party want and didn't get in this debate? You didn't mention the repeal of Social Security and Medicare. Heck, I'm sure they are still miserable about the 16th amendment and the income tax act from 1913.
Sounds absurd to me but so does a having a constitutional amendment debate which ultimately involves going through so many hoops for a simple raising of a ceiling for money Congress has already authorized.
It is akin to passing a federal parliamentary budget that was contingent on a provision that needed to include an elected senate (or throw in the entire Charlottetown accord for that matter) which requires a constitutional amendment: a non sequitur if there was ever one, politically speaking.
All of which doesn't change the trajectory of where this debate went which was essentially spending cuts versus tax increases--the Tea Party won.
Enjoy all the savings and the double dip recession that will result.