TPM: Fiscal Commission Co-Chairs Simpson And Bowles Release Eye-Popping Recommendations

[flpoljunkie]

Fiscal Commission Co-Chairs Simpson And Bowles Release Eye-Popping Recommendations
Megan Carpentier | November 10, 2010, 1:30PM

The White House's fiscal commission's co-chairs, Erskine Bowles and former-Sen. Alan Simpson today released their draft recommendations on how to reduce the country's budget deficit. But while the deficit, writ large, proved a potent political issue during the election season, the tough medicine recommended by Bowles and Simpson is likely to be met with more than a few raised eyebrows.

Their recommendations are more or less a list of the third-rail issues of American politics, including cuts in the number of federal workers; increasing the costs of participating in veterans and military health care systems; increasing the age of Social Security eligibility; and major cuts in defense and foreign policy spending. They also encompass a range of tax system reforms that have been floated by many in Washington for years to little effect, including reducing tax rates by eliminating many beloved credits and deductions.

Some of the recommendations:

Index the retirement age to longevity -- i.e., increase the retirement age to qualify for Social Security -- to age 69 by 2075.
Index Social Security yearly increases to inflation rather than wages.
Freeze federal worker wage increases through 2014; eliminate 200,000 federal jobs by 2020; and eliminate 250,000 federal non-defense contractor jobs by 2015.
Establish co-pays in the VA medical system and change the co-pays and deductibles for military retirees that remain in that system.
Eliminate NASA funding for commercial space flight.
Require the Smithsonian museums to start charging entrance fees and raise fees at the national parks.
Eliminate funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting -- which many conservatives suggested in the wake of the firing of former NPR contributor Juan Williams.
Reduce farm subsidies by $3 billion per year.

The Plan CAUTION: Loads very slowly!

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/11/deficit-commission-co-chairs-simpson-and-bowles-release-eye-popping-recommendations.php

[vi5]

1. Wow, what a surprise....

Did I miss the part about tax increases as well? Or is it pretty much just nothing but cuts to programs Democrats (and the country) favor and support?

[Mass]

4. Delete

[Kdillard]

7. This is not the final report and I don't understand why they felt they had to

release anything especially when it was due in December and the members have not reached agreement for the full report. Also it sucks that they did this with the President out of the country.

[dgibby]

13. He's the one who appointed those two.

Whatever happens is of his own making.

[David__77]

2. Austerity measures endorsed by Democrats.

This is the rancid "bipartisanship" that the people emphatically reject. The "cooperation" will wreck the country's infrastructure and destroy its technological progress. I will go so far as to say that the ONLY potent political force right now challenging this bipartisan collaboration is the "Tea Party" movement. That may sound paradoxical, but it is true. The left must reject these recommendations 100%, must condemn them and all those who author them, accept them, or conciliate with them.

[David__77]

3. Where is the White House statement condemning this report?

It should take no time at all? Why was this commission started and why is it not disbanded? If ever a congressional hearing were required, it is for this. This is a conspiracy to enforce extreme neoliberal austerity, and a political party that signs on to it will doom itself.

[ProSense]

5. Schakowsky: no one outside of panel co-chairmen...endorsed today’s proposal

Schakowsky said no one outside of panel co-chairmen Erskine Bowles, former President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff, and Alan Simpson, a Republican former Wyoming senator, has endorsed today’s proposal.

link

Looks like Bowles and Simpson are trying to pull a fast one.

[Kdillard]

8. Exactly.

[displacedvermoter]

9. But the White House appointed these two

so where is the White House response to this attempted "fast one"?

And why were these two appointed in the first place? You have never cleared that up for us!

[ProSense]

10. Hmmm?

"And why were these two appointed in the first place. You have never cleared that up for us!"

It'll take me a few minutes to climb out of the President's head.

There are 18 people on the commission.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Uncle Joe]

18. How many co-chairmen are there on this 18 member commission? n/t

[Recursion]

6. The CPB and NASA? Seriously?

Yeah, ok, a few hundred million dollars is going to make such a huge impact on the deficit...

[n2doc]

15. And the Smithsonian

I always point out to people that going to the Smithsonian for free is one of the perks of being in America, and it always seems like it makes people like DC more. This is just mean spirited crap by people who want to get rid of any positive experiences by people who visit DC. Eliminate 1 fighter jet a year and you have made up the difference.

I'm also steamed at how they propose wage freezes and job cuts for non-defense workers. But the Generals who exist in their vast nubers don't have to worry about a thing. Nor do the vast numbers of defense contractors and homeland security contractors.

[Recursion]

16. Well, Gates wants to cut like 100 general and admiral billets

Which would both be a savings and de-clutter some of the chains of command we currently have.

[queenjane]

11. PBS? Crap!

That's the only thing I watch on TV anymore (other than "House"). We get 3 PBS channels, and the fundraisers now are constant. The 3 channels alternate fundraising weeks; they never reach their goals anymore. This would likely be the death knell of PBS, since the state is going to slash their contributions.

These suggestions look like Teabagger Nirvana.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TheKentuckian]

17. Wingnut wish list.

Conservatives regardless of party have the same aims. I have no idea what is so hard to process about that.

Pop em in the mouth and send em back where they came from.

[blm]

19. But don't DARE tax all the HUGE WALL STREET BONUSES!!!

.

[PA Democrat]

20. Eliminate subsidized student loans?

Wonderful idea. Let's make college even MORE un-affordable for everyone but the wealthy.

:mad:

[tishaLA]

21. Isn't that crazy? I was reading it thinking, "oh this is nuts" and then

I got to the student loan part and I just couldn't go further.