Yesterday, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, co-chairs of President Obama's bipartisan debt commission, issued their initial draft proposals for reducing the deficit and "saving" Social Security. (Bear in mind that their draft does not present the final, formal recommendations of the commission.) Their proposals include three options for simplifying the tax system (but raising taxes), general proposals for cutting defense and domestic spending (with examples of such cuts, including freezing military and civilian salaries for three years), and common sense contribution, eligibility and benefit changes designed to maintain the continued viability of the Social Security system.
Predictably, Speaker Pelosi and other righteously indignant Democratic spokespersons deemed the proposed spending cuts "unacceptable." Meanwhile, Republicans swollen with their recent victories at the polls have been blithely assuring CNN anchors all day long that they absolutely will not vote for any tax increases under any circumstances.
Come on, people, get real! Are you serious about attacking this deficit problem? If so, then: Democrats, you will have to cut spending; and Republicans, you will have to raise taxes. It's going to suck for you, because you will be perceived as responsible for the resulting financial pain. But it will be far worse for us, because we're the ones who will be experiencing the pain. So please, put your big girl or boy pants on and accept the responsibility you were elected to handle. Start by being honest with yourselves and with us. (Most of us already know what has to happen, even though many of us keep hoping that there's an easier answer.) And then start making the hard, practical decisions that this situation demands.
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