Obama Pick for Budget Commission Is a Very Ominous Sign; A Social Security-Medicare Slasher

[eridani]

http://www.alternet.org/story/145725/obama_pick_for_budget_commission_is_a_very_ominous_sign%3B_a_social_security-medicare_slasher

President Obama pushed to get the Senate to pass the Conrad-Gregg commission, which would have required the Congress to vote on its budget-cutting recommendations in a “fast-track,” undemocratic up-or-down vote with no amendments and little opportunity for debate. Senate Republicans, some of whom sponsored the legislation, refused to vote for it – so Obama is doing something similar by executive order.

So what should the 60 organizations and many concerned citizens who opposed the Conrad-Gregg version of this commission (because they heeded Sen. Baucus’s warnings) think about the Obama version?

One very bad sign: The President announced that the Republican co-chair of this bipartisan commission would be former Senator Alan Simpson, who hated defenders of Social Security and Medicare so much that he tried as Senator to attack and intimidate AARP, holding hearings that could have affected the senior groups tax status. A May 4, 1995 AP story reported then-Representative (now Senator) Ron Wyden called Simpson’s behavior “'classic scapegoating' and said Simpson is trying to cover up Republican efforts to cut Medicare by discrediting AARP.”

Bill Scher's post yesterday about the Simpson pick refreshes our memories about the aggressive role that then-Senator Simpson played in pushing for cuts to Social Security -- and attacking AARP. All over Washington today organizations that care about the elderly are warning that this commission could easily turn into a "runaway train" that could do great damage to Social Security and Medicare. The appointment of Alan Simpson gives no relief to those concerns.

[AllentownJake]

1. Here is how this is going to work out

The "discretionary" portion of the budget is so small you could cut the entire thing and it would be meaningless. You have two places you can cut if you want to reduce the budget. Military or Senior citizen retirement benefits. The commission will realize this befor meeting, have pretty graphs to show how it is dire if we don't and the ardent defenders of anything this administration does, will defend it. Only a democrat can make cuts to Medicare and social security.

[Cetacea]

2. K&R