Rejoice Hobbits; the Wall Street Journal has proclaimed "Tea Party Triumph". To quote from their August 1 Editorial, "The big picture is that the deal is a victory for the cause of smaller government, arguably the biggest since welfare reform in 1996". By the way, how is that welfare reform working out for you since we have more Americans collecting food stamps than at any time in our history?
But, back to the "Big Picture" and smaller government. The Uruk-Hai, aided by the not so conservative Conservatives, have been given roughly 2.5 trillion more dollars to spend. I could be wrong here, but in order to make things smaller do you subtract, not add? I spent hours bleary eyed reading through the bill (yes, we Hobbits read them) and breakdowns on it from Senators Mike Lee and Rand Paul (could one of them be our Aragon?). The following is a summary:
The deal purports to cut $2.1 trillion. However, this is from a baseline that would have added $10 trillion in debt over the next ten years. Now we are only adding roughly $7 trillion. Such a deal!
The $2.1 trillion in supposed cuts equates to $250 billion per year, yet in the first two years the cuts are $20 and $50 billion respectively, but the President gets $900 billion immediately. We Hobbits are being played for fools yet again.
Our elected representative have abdicated their responsibilities and taken away the voice of the people of the Shire, by creating a "Super Congress" of 12 members to be appointed by the very people that gave us this bill. How many actual true conservatives do you think will me members of the Super 12? I'm not expecting to see Jim DeMint, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Jim Jordan, Jason Chaffetz, Michele Bachmann or Ron Paul anywhere near that committee. The rumor, and I repeat, rumor, coming from insiders on Capitol Hill is that members were warned if they voted against the bill, they would not be appointed to the Super 12. Draw your own conclusions, but I expect Democrats demanding tax increases and Republicans of the "go along, to get along" mindset to compromise the Super Congress. Anyone else seeing a VAT in our future?
The gang of twelve, guess six wasn't a big enough gang, have been given power that is nowhere to be found in the Constitution. Hobbit Helton, you say, since when does Washington follow the Constitution? Point conceded, but to paraphrase the slogan of the Uruk-Hai in Chief, "Hope and Change" dear Hobbits!
This Super Congress will devise legislation for deficit reduction that can neither be amended, nor filibustered by the Representatives we elected to Congress. I seem to recall a little thing called the "Boston Tea Party" in December, 1773 that arose over, among other things, Taxation without Representation. This new Debt Limit Act is our Tea Act.
The second installment of the debt ceiling increase is initiated by the President (thank you so much, Mitch McConnell) automatically and can only be stopped by a two-thirds vote of Congress, Thus, Congress has shifted yet more to the Executive Branch. Visions of Stalin, Hitler and Castro dance in my head. To the people of Kentucky, "Have you had enough yet?"
If the committee recommendations fail to become law. spending cuts are automatically triggered with Defense and Medicare taking the biggest hits. Now who is pushing grandma off the cliff? Obamacare cuts $500 billion from Medicare and this legislation could cut $600 billion more. Death panels anyone? While I agree we could probably trim the Defense budget, the cuts this bill would trigger will put us in a very vulnerable position. I'm sure terrorists around the world are the ones rejoicing, but hey, our Uruk-Hai in Chief released a White House statement on Ramadan. Guess he just forgot We People of the Shire celebrated Easter back in April.
So, someone please tell me just why this bill is a triumph for we Hobbits. We are constantly being told "we drove the conversation". Talk is cheap. Just what did we win? Oh, I forgot, we won the new title of "Terrorists". I wish they would make up their minds, "Hobbits" or "Terrorists" because I'm now suffering from severe "multiple personality disorder".
Hobbits, it's time to band together as never before because the only thing scarier to the ruling Huruk-Hai than angry Hobbits will be angry Hobbits with pitchforks.
