One of the best components of the Bowles-Simpson Deficit Commission proposal was the plan to reduce/eliminate tax exemptions (aka “tax expenditures”). It looks like they’re going the wrong way and piling on more.

That’s the understatement of the year, Ted. As for your thought that the Republicans need to get a commitment to sane governance, I don’t see how we can avert the crisis unless they do. Oh for a conservative leader who will put their foot down and say enough is enough.

Unless Republicans get the White House and a filibuster-proof Senate majority in 2012 – not to mention a serious dose of commitment to sane governance – I see no chance that we’ll avert a serious debt crisis soon. Dems seem to only agree to more spending and higher taxes and scream bloody murder when they don’t get 100% of what they ask for. I guess that’s what happens when you’ve had your way for the better part of a century.

The Republicans were too quick to cut a bad deal and now in order to keep that bad deal the Senate is adding all these earmarks to keep it afloat. Did they not learn anything from this past election? Mike Church; a conservative talk show radio host, stated that changing the deck chairs out on the Titanic was not going to stop it from sinking. He said the only way to fix this is that the states are going to need to unplug from it and take matters into their own hands. I very much agree with him. The Founders knew that the current runaway government we have was a real possibility, this is why they crafted the constitution so that the states had indefinite powers while the federal government had limited powers. They knew that eventually the states would have to be the grownups in the room and remind the federal government just who was in charge. I’m still waiting for the states to start speaking up.

And when you really think about it, how good can this deal be if a far left President is in support of it? I personally hope the Democrats sink this. I also encourage everyone to write the new incoming Speaker of the House and let them know that this looks like the same old game being played in Washington and this is exactly what the American people voted against. Great post Larry.