Action Alert – Congressional “Super Committee”
We need everyone to contact the Super Committee with your demands. Their contact information is below but first, here is a little background information that you may or may not know.
The “Super Committee” was formed as a condition to the “Debt Ceiling” debate, this past late-summer’s effort to increase federal spending authority for the president without really saying so.
We believe it is an unconstitutional construct, but it is there and we have to deal with it.
This Super Committee, comprised of twelve Congressmen (six from each party; half from the House and half from the Senate) was tasked to reduce the deficit. If the Super Committee does not come to bi-partisan terms, and Congress fails to pass the recommendations they propose, automatic “cuts” kick in.
Democrats are looking to pass $1.3 trillion in tax increases, with a similar amount in cuts, over the next 10 years. As usual, especially with the likes of Sen. John Kerry and Sen. Patty Murray sitting on this Super Committee, the Democrats are pushing for more spending on top of the tax increases. The same game plan they have been preaching for the last 3 years.
For a good analysis on the Super Committee, see this from The Heritage Foundation:
http://heritageaction.com/2011/10/note-to-super-committee-don%e2%80%99t-raise-taxes/
It appears that those involved are NOT attempting to look for real cuts. And any cuts to Medicare/Medicaid will be overturned as soon as the next Congress convenes.
Republicans offer to cut deficits by about $2.2 trillion over a decade; about one-third of that coming from increases in items such as Medicare premiums, the sale of public lands and airport fees — measures that increase government revenue without raising taxes. The GOP plan also assumes that tax reform would generate economic growth that would also lift revenues.
The GOP plan would also cut about $500 billion from Medicare over the next decade and $185 billion from Medicaid, officials said.
Democrats say that elsewhere in the budget they plan to reduce deficits by more than $3 trillion over the coming decade, while financing a $450 billion jobs bill along the lines that President Barack Obama is recommending. The same worthless “jobs bill” that was defeated in the Senate.
If the Democrats were serious, they would cut Obamacare, which could save over $2 trillion during same time ten-year period. See this link for the detail:
http://www.kiowacountysignal.com/opinions/x703875050/Repeal-of-Obamacare-could-save-2-6-trillion
Tea Party Patriots has railed over the last 2 ½ years – Reduce the size of government; Slash spending and Repeal Obamacare – for trillions in savings!
Credit rating agencies, yet again, have stated emphatically that nothing less than $4 to $5 trillion in spending cuts will stem another downgrade in the U.S. credit rating… but, apparently, members of the Super Committee believe their half-baked ideas (that they know will be rejected) will lead to some sort of consensus (and maybe political gain) in 2012?
Write to the Super Committee – but don’t just stop there; e-mail, phone, fax, and tweet!
Here is a direct link to their website:
http://www.deficitreduction.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
Whatever you can do – create a presence, from the Palm Beach County Tea Party as well as for the Tea Party Patriots groups all across the country!
The lobbyists are all there, waiting to add more dollars to Super Committee members’ campaign coffers! We have millions of members, enthusiastic Patriots who stand for their Country, NOT Party! Put pressure on them for: NO increase in ANY taxes, and CUT spending, PERIOD!
Here are your “Super Committee” members:
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) Committee Co-Chair: @RepHensarling
Phone: 202-225-3484 Fax: 202-226-4888
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) Committee Co-Chair: @PattyMurray
Phone: 202-224-2621 Fax: 202-224-0238 Toll Free: 866-481-9186
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD): @ChrisVanHollen
Phone: 202-225-5341 Fax: 202-225-0375
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ): @SenJonKyl
Phone: 202-224-4521 Fax: 202-224-2207
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA): @JohnKerry
Phone: 202-224-2742
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA): @SenToomey
Phone: 202-224-4254 Fax: 202-228-0284
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT): No Known Twitter Account
Phone: 202-224-2651 Fax: 202-224-9412
Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH): @robportman
Phone: 202-224-3353
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA): @RepBecerra
Phone: 202-225-6235
Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI): No Known Twitter Account
Phone: 202-225-3561 Fax: 202-225-9679
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC): @Clyburn
Phone: 202-225-3315 Fax: 202-225-2313
Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI): @RepFredUpton
Phone: 202-225-3761 Fax: 202-225-4986
Tweeting to the Super Committee, should have a # setup… something like this:
@RepHensarling #SuperCommittee – NO tax inc., CUT spending #tpp
@RepHensarling #SuperCommittee – Repeal Obamacare, Save $2T #tpp
Unpublished Letter to the Editor of WSJ
This letter was not published by the Wall Street Journal so we are publishing it here on our we website. It is a very well-stated list of concerns about the Debt Ceiling legislation:
Dear Editor:
What is the reader to believe? Paul Ryan’s “Where’s Your Budget, Mr.President?” (Aug 3) fairly asks the president that question as the president and the Congress have pushed huge new costly programs like ObamaCare but they have not produced a budget to pay for them. This budget deal they passed doesn’t cut anything that can be measured and adds at least $7 trillion to the debt. Ryan says that Republicans passed a bill that “cuts more than a dollar for every dollar it increases the debt limit, without raising taxes.” And that Republicans “won the policy debate by securing the first of many spending restraints…” to avoid calamity. Excuse me, but if there is a $2.4 trillion increase in debt this year and much more in the next few years, how can Ryan make those claims? You can’t call many $trillions in new spending (debt) a tax cut! If Ryan can point to any cuts at all they are not from current spending but from cuts in projected increased spending. We are not being treated honestly by the professional politicians or the media.
And the “Super Committee” created in this bill will surely have as their focus ways to increase taxes without having to go through all the trouble of full debate as our Constitution provides and we, the people, are entitled to expect. Whatever they come up with will be offered on a take-it-or-leave-it basis on an up or down vote.
The WSJ and others call this a victory for the TEA parties? This bill being called a victory is the exact opposite of what the TEA parties have expressed in all of our actions all over the country for three years, at least. Cut, Cap and Balance has been our appeal to our elected officials, our representatives, and we got no cut, no cap and not anything near a balanced budget.
George Blumel, Atlantis FL 33462
