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Super Committee? I feel like we're living in an Aldous Huxley novel.

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gauguin57 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 10:55 PM
Original message
Super Committee? I feel like we're living in an Aldous Huxley novel.
Or a totalitarian state. Or the Politburo.

"Ze Supah Committee vill tell you vat to think. Zen, ve vill "pull da triggah."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/60373.html
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alcibiades_mystery Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 10:59 PM
Response to Original message
1. Oh for God's sake...it's a joint congressional committee
Y'all act like they've been empowered to pass the stone down from on high.

6 Dems, 6 GOPers - 3 of each from House and Senate - chosen by Pelosi, Reid, Boehner, and McConnell. They make recommendations as a bill, the bill goes before committees who either recommend without amendments or don't, then the House and Senate vote on those recommendations without amendments. The President can veto.

Oh fucking horror of horrors! It's like we're living in the fucking GULAG!

Gimme a break.

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Name removed Donating Member (0 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:03 PM
Response to Reply #1
4. Deleted message
Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.
 
readmoreoften Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:07 PM
Response to Reply #4
11. +1
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alcibiades_mystery Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:08 PM
Response to Reply #4
13. That's how it's supposed to work
That way, if the Republican members come up with massive cuts to Social Security, the Dems on the committee balk, and the automatic cuts go into effect. The automatic cuts are 50% to defense, 50% to non-defense, 3% cuts across the board - except for the Medicare on the provider side, which has a 2% cut (of course, the providers have the 20% cut hanging over their heads from the Sustainable Growth Rate that keeps getting put off through the Doc Fix, but never mind that).
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Luciferous Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:26 PM
Response to Reply #4
22. +2
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gauguin57 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:03 PM
Response to Reply #1
5. We don't know how it will function until we see it in action.
In any case ... I want one extra member on that committee. I want Bernie Sanders to be the head of it. An independent. With neither a D nor an R after his name.
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Hosnon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:05 PM
Response to Reply #5
9. I'm _fairly_ certain that an Act of Congress cannot amend the Constitution.
We don't know how it will function in practice, but we do know that it will not change anything in the Constitution.
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arendt Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:05 PM
Response to Reply #5
10. Its a weapon. We all have an idea what its function is.
But Bernie would be a good idea. Not a snowball's chance in Obama's world. But a good idea.
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pscot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:08 PM
Response to Reply #5
14. We've seen it 3 times already
How often do you have to be mouse-trapped before you realize the cheese is never goona be yours. That's why it's called bait.
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Hosnon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:04 PM
Response to Reply #1
6. +1. nt.
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emulatorloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:04 PM
Response to Reply #1
7. Remember when everybody was obsessed with "czars?" & thought it proved Obama was Marxist?
Edited on Mon Aug-01-11 11:07 PM by emulatorloo
This is starting to seem like our version of that.

AFAIK, the term " supercommitee" originated with a reporter. You are correct, it is a joint congressional committee. Not the first, not the last.
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SugarShack Donating Member (979 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:02 PM
Response to Original message
2. The only senate committee I want to see is a "gang of a majority" called DEMS - Is this legal?
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arendt Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:04 PM
Response to Reply #2
8. Its as legal as all the "fast track" trade legislation...and as foul...
they don't want this to see the light of day. Rotten sellouts.
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alcibiades_mystery Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:25 PM
Response to Reply #8
21. The Joint Committee may hold hearings, and its report is to be made public
Any hearing the committee may hold must be announced the the public 7 days in advance (Section 401(b)(5)(f)(ii)(I)). Written statements and testimony are also publicly available.

Whether the Committee approves or disapproves of their report and bill (if any), they must make the report and bill (i.e., the legislative language) available to the public, along with the Committee votes (Section 401(b)(3)(B)(v))
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jtown1123 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-02-11 07:49 AM
Response to Reply #21
30. Wow we got a whole 7 days to try to stop this...I feel SO confident//sarcasm
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alcibiades_mystery Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-02-11 07:53 AM
Response to Reply #30
31. Um, that would be 7 days in adavance of each hearing held by the Joint Committee
No doubt, the actual publication of the report and legislative language, which must happen immediately upon a vote for the report, will also be insufficient, appearing by December 2 (the Congress must vote by December 23).

Of course, you'll have the Committee member names by two weeks from today.

Ultimately, it is a representative government, however. Even in regular law-making practice, the public rarely has even three weeks notice to inspect a bill, as is the case here.
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emulatorloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:02 PM
Response to Original message
3. The super committee doesn't pull the trigger. The trigger is a theat held over the commitee
The trigger gets pulled if the committe can't agree on a plan.

The trigger is an incentive to get the Dems and Republicans on the committee to come up with a plan. If they deadlock, the trigger happens.

Goodbarticle, loved reading the wing nut view.
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arendt Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:07 PM
Response to Reply #3
12. I repeat. 6 to 6 is deadlock (or a corporate Dem sellout. just one asshole...
would sink us.

And Obama has a track record of appointing assholes: Geitner, Summers, Alan Fucking Simpson.

I have ZERO confidence in this Politburo.
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emulatorloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:09 PM
Response to Reply #12
16. Obama isn't appointing anybody. Pelosi, Reid, Boehner, McConnell
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alcibiades_mystery Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:11 PM
Response to Reply #12
18. Obama doesn't appoint the members of a joint congressional committee
The members are appointed by the Leaders in each chamber, to wit, Reid, Pelosi, McConnell, and Boehner. They are appointed from sitting members of Congress, who are obviously beholden to their constituents. The members will be selected within 14 days of final passage of the Act, so you'll see who is selected to the committee within two weeks.
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grahamhgreen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:11 PM
Response to Reply #3
17. The trigger is ALL CUTS, ALL CUTS. We lose either way
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alcibiades_mystery Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:13 PM
Response to Reply #17
19. Really? Because I heard a blot of people here screaming for Defense cuts
And the trigger is half defense cuts, no cuts to SS, no cuts to Medicaid, no cuts to a series of programs for the poor, as laid out in the Democratic Congresses PAYGO act of 2010.

The cuts proposed in the trigger are actually more coercive to the GOP than to the Dems, since there are no negative consequences for rejecting any proposed cuts to Social Security or medicare benefits.
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SpartanDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:17 PM
Response to Reply #17
20. You ok with 850 billion cuts to DoD over 10 years
because that the amount on the trigger?
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grahamhgreen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-02-11 07:14 AM
Response to Reply #20
25. On a 1.2 trillion per year budget? No. Besides, it will be all cuts to vet benefits, I'm sure.
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Capitalocracy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-02-11 07:18 AM
Response to Reply #25
27. That's what I'm guessing too, but I'm wondering why I don't know.
Seems like important information, right?
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alcibiades_mystery Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-02-11 07:42 AM
Response to Reply #25
28. The vast majority of veteran's benefits are exempted from sequestration
So, you may be "sure," but you're wrong. The current deal amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (see Sec 302(a)), so it complies with all the exemptions of that Act specified under 38 USC Sec 113.

http://uscode.house.gov/uscode-cgi/fastweb.exe?getdoc+uscview+t37t40+242+0++%28%29%20%20AND
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grahamhgreen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-02-11 09:02 AM
Response to Reply #28
32. Look for loopholes that will allow them to cut Vet benefits without calling it that, as well
as military cuts that are not really cuts, like reducing troop pay while increasing contractor pay, reducing nurses pay, instructors pay, etc..

A team of lawyers can make mincemeat of a thousand pages of legislation.
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alcibiades_mystery Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-02-11 09:58 AM
Response to Reply #32
33. That's quite fanciful
I'll leave you to your imaginary loopholes, and villainous "team of lawyers," since you obviously can't argue on the basis of the actual law.
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Pigheaded Donating Member (150 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-02-11 07:47 AM
Response to Reply #3
29. The commitee will deadlock
That is it's purpose.

PH
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grahamhgreen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:09 PM
Response to Original message
15. Super-size. Super-committee. Super duper commitee extreme. Marketing and Kabuki
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jberryhill Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:30 PM
Response to Original message
23. And Death Panels
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scarletwoman Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-01-11 11:41 PM
Response to Original message
24. I'm thinking more Marvel Comics. Will they have capes?
Will they wear their underpants outside their tights?
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Capitalocracy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-02-11 07:17 AM
Response to Original message
26. Or the Bible or an epic poem...
Choose the greatest warrior from your army to fight ours! Winner take all!

Let's hope our side sends in a good David, because we know they're sending in Goliath.
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