Okay, I'm sick to death of the phrase "catfood commission."

[TheWraith]

It's literally no different from the "death panels" bullshit that the Republicans pushed, a blind attempt to terrify people--particularly seniors--with claims about what will happen if Obama gets his way, claims that are in NO way based on reality. It's fearmongering, and anyone who wants to engage in that sort of behavior should be ashamed of themselves.

[Greyhound]

1. Right, because Simpson & company are complete unknowns with no agenda whatsoever.

:eyes::puke:
:kick: & U

[NorthCarolina]

2. +1

[Mimosa]

24. Alan Simpson, Pete Peterson.. did Bush 41 appt them? n/t

[msongs]

3. how bout "the people who hate Social Security the most" commission? nt

[meow mix]

4. hey cmon

your gonna love the tastyness.

[JVS]

5. I'm sick of the catfood commission.

[20score]

8. +1

[katandmoon]

6. Why did Obama appoint two well known very harsh critics of SS to head the panel then?

Please enlighten us?

Until you do, I will continue to call it the catfood commission. I think it's the perfect name. Your attempt to identify it with the death panels bullshit is transparently obvious but you can't cover up for Obama on this one unless you explain why Obama appointed somebody like Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles to head the commission unless he were open to changing SS for the worse.

[bullwinkle428]

7. I want chicken, I want liver, Alan Simpson please deliver!

[JVS]

9. +1

Good one.

[alittlelark]

21. +2

;-)

[Hannah Bell]

15. lol.

[Fumesucker]

10. Maybe we ought to call it the ramen commission then..

Catfood is expensive, there's not much that's cheaper than ramen..

[Curmudgeoness]

12. I'll second that. You have christened it the "ramen commission".

I think my cat food costs more than my meals.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

19. For an extra few cents you can make it egg drop ramen aka a feast.

[ThoughtCriminal]

11. Why it's misleading

Soylent Green was never intended for cats.

[mikehiggins]

13. catfood commission

Here's some possible labels to replace "catfood commission" since that seems to offend you.

Instead, how about quizling commission?

sellout commission?

double-cross commission?

back-stabbing commission?

out-and-out theft of retirees funding commission?

GOPuke wet-dream commission?

The list goes on and on.

Are seniors who are aware of this abortion worried about it? You bet your butt, bunky.

Blue-dog democrats and other DINO's won't care that the Democratic Party will be crippled for decades, if not destroyed, by screwing around with Social Security. As to the rest of us...

[northernlights]

14. "Ramen Commission" works for me nt

Ramnen noodles are much cheaper and less stinkier than catfood.

[Better Believe It]

16. Catfood commission does seem a bit weak. We need something with more punch to drive the points home

on what this commission is all about .... cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Don't forget that it's also been set up to cut healthcare benefits .... now that's change we can believe in!

Should people be worried about what this commission will propose, a lameduck Congress might pass and President Obama will sign?

Better believe it!

[Marr]

17. Yeah, right. And when they come back with their recommendations for making cuts,

where the fuck will you be? Will you have excuses for why it's the 'pragmatic, adult thing to do', or will you just say, 'yes, it sucks, but Sarah Palin would be worse"?

I suspect the subject will simply go unaddressed by all the sycophants who urged everyone to ignore it when their anger might've actually mattered.

[Hannah Bell]

18. we don't care!!!!!

[alittlelark]

20. "Dumpster Diving Commission"

Is that better?:-)

[liberalhistorian]

27. That's a good one, but I prefer the "cake" commission, as in

Marie "let them eat cake" Antoinette's little pronouncement of just how much she cared about the starving poor multiplying under the watch of her and hubby Louis XVI, before said starving masses brought their asses down in a little shindig known as the French Revolution. I'm sure she and Alan Simpson would have made great friends, since they share the same sentiments and both got their perks, benefits and wealth from the very "riff-raff" they attempted, and are attempting, to destroy.

Actually, her statement was especially insulting because it didn't really refer to "cake" as we know it, but to the ashes left over from cooking in a fireplace, which were, at that time, known as "cake."

[alittlelark]

31. I didn't know the 'cake' definition....

...I USED to feel somewhat sorry for her.

Thanks for the lesson!

[Little Star]

22. catfood commission, catfood commission, catfood commission

[seattleblue]

23. Would you prefer the 'Work Until You Die' Commission?

[Mimosa]

25. We need a Wal-Mart on every block. More jobs for Greeters! n/t

[girl gone mad]

26. Commission of Pathological Liars Lacking a Basic Knowledge of Economics..

was a bit too long.

[NJmaverick]

28. K&R truth is power

[pa28]

29. Oh yeah. Me too.

'Catfood Commission' is far too kind. That particular tagline implies all the cutting and pain will be focused on SS.

In reality the commission is also looking at cuts to Medicare and Medicaid as well as studying the introduction of a highly regressive Value Added Tax.

I prefer "Simpson Commission" because it tells you all you really need to know about leadership and agenda. Too bad some rhetorical shortcuts have to be used to give the public a clue about the gravity of what's happening here in the very short time frame available but that's life in the real world.

[jaxx]

30. I'm with you on this.

I've said several times I hate that phrase. It's demeaning to the elderly and nothing but a scare tactic. The worst thing is that there is no reason, other than supposition for the users of the phrase, to even think it. More of the what if crew playing naysayer.

[katandmoon]

36. Then maybe YOU can tell me why Obama appointed the anti-SS likes of Simpson/Bowles to head it?

I've asked this simple question repeatedly of anti-CC-naysayers and have yet to receive any response.

So can you answer my question?

[ipaint]

32. LOL. Get used to it.

About 263,000 results

http://www.google.com/search?q=catfood+commission&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a


The original proposal for a commission came from bipartisan legislation that would have required Congress to vote on its recommendations as presented, without any amendment. In January of 2010, that bill failed in the Senate by a vote of 53-46, when six Republicans who had co-sponsored it nevertheless voted against it.<3> Thereafter, Obama established the Commission by executive order 13531.<4> Former Republican Senator Alan Simpson, after his appointment to co-chair the Commission, criticized the former supporters who had voted against the bill, saying that their purpose "was to stick it to the president."

...The commission has been criticized as deliberating in secret and as being "stacked with people who want to target entitlement spending rather than any balanced proposal."<11> Because it could lead to cuts in benefits for Social Security and Medicare, many progressives are calling this a 'cat food' commission,<12> on the grounds that it will allegedly eliminate key portions of the social safety net, forcing some people (particularly the elderly) into such extreme poverty that they will only be able to afford to eat cat food. An early user of the term was the liberal blogger Digby.<13>

Economist James K. Galbraith submitted a statement to the Commission on behalf of Americans for Democratic Action. He argued that the current deficits were caused by the financial crisis; that cuts in Social Security and Medicare would be harmful and would not reduce the deficit; and that the Commission would do best "by advancing no proposals at all."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Commission_on_Fiscal_Responsibility_and_Reform


The whole thing is insanely stupid. Stupid right wing idea with dumb and dumber as co-chairs of a secret committee. The keep my feet to the fire, I need you to get involved president sets up a secret right wing commission to cut the deficit. No worker representation.

Can't get much more undemocratic than that... well, that and assassination of Americans by executive order.

[kenny blankenship]

33. Yeah, let's just call it the Obama Commission.

I'm perfectly happy with that as long as others are too. But maybe you won't want to stick Obama's name on their work, even though he appointed them to it.

[mmonk]

34. Get rid of it and you won't hear it.

There of course is a big difference between trying to fix a broken most expensive in the world healthcare delivery system and looking for ways to cut our meager social security system or to make it a scapegoat for our deficit problems.

[blueworld]

35. How about "We can't afford the elderly AND the Pentagon Commission"? n/t

[county worker]

37. I disagree. You and I do not know what the recommendations will be that is true.

But from the talk of the past month from members of the commission and what I read in the news, the Dems and the repubs cannot agree on what to do about the deficit. The thinks that should be done per the economists that have spoken out is to end the wars or cut military spending and let the Bush tax cuts expire. The commission will not agree to do those things.

What the can agree on is to cut Social Security and Medicare because those programs had a surplus that has been spent on the tax cuts and wars. They would have to be paid back and that does not reduce the defect but if the surplus were not paid back it would help the deficit be reducing the amount of debt.

Now the commission's report is due in Dec 2010 and Congress has agreed to pass what ever they recommend before the next Congress.

So two things have a better than even chance of happening, the report only says to cut entitlements and the Congress passes legislation based on the report's findings.

If I were a smart person I would do what I can to head off such a scenario thus the name cat food commission which is part of that effort. It focuses the discussion on the plight of retirees if that scenario was to happen and in my opinion it is a good thing the name cat food commission is there.

Now if we were to sit on our hands and offer no input we could get screwed royally and not have done anything about it. That is the worse thing to do.