Deficit-Minded Republicans Eyeing Entitlements (rich keep tax cuts)

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-budget23jan23,1,7190844.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&ctrack=1&cset=true
Deficit-Minded Republicans Eyeing Entitlements
The Senate's new budget chairman plans to use a procedure that would avoid a filibuster of cuts.
By Joel Havemann and Maura Reynolds
Times Staff Writers

January 23, 2005

WASHINGTON — The battle to control the federal deficit is shifting ground, ever so slowly, to Social Security, Medicare and the other giant benefit programs that account for a growing share of spending.

President Bush, in the fiscal 2006 budget that he is to present to Congress on Feb. 7, is expected to resurrect a failed proposal from last year that calls for increases in benefit programs to be offset by decreases of equal size from other benefit programs.<snip>

Gregg said he planned to attach language to this year's budget resolution instructing the committees with jurisdiction over some of the entitlement programs to cut them. The committees' cutbacks would be packaged in a single "reconciliation" bill, so-called because it reconciles those spending plans with the budget resolution.<snip>

Senate Democrats can filibuster ordinary legislation, and the Senate's 55 Republicans are not enough to produce the 60 votes necessary to break a filibuster and force legislation to a vote. But congressional budget rules dictate that a reconciliation bill cannot be filibustered. <snip>

"There's no way to restrain entitlement programs without reconciliation," Gregg said.
<snip>

[ewagner]

1. DUH!!!

That's been the plan all along: According to the plan, by Grover Norquist and the gang, the deficit had to be driven up so high and revenues cut so low (tax cuts) that the only money left would be to pay for the military and cover the debt...all entitlements would be eliminated in the perfect GOP wet dream....

Norquist to Bush: It's working. Stay the Course"

[StClone]

3. Major Problem

Nordquist's little plan has a draw back. In order to destroy social programs for most Americans, he has to drive us deep into debt. Big debt will drive up interest rates, maybe inflation, slow Wall Street, and induce Economic down turns. Grover is not a lively little guy from Sesame Street but they have the same Economic savvy. They are at opposite ends of the spectrum in humanistics, though.

[kentuck]

2. Yes, those "needy" people to experience a little pain....

that's necessary. Otherwise, we may not get to make the wealthy tax cut permanent... The Repubs are showing their true colors. Greedy bastards.