Bipartisan deal

~ susie

I think Obama just wet himself, he’s so excited. Even when you know it’s coming, it’s still maddening when it does:

President Obama on Tuesday hailed an ambitious new deficit-reduction plan that is gaining momentum in the Senate, saying it could provide the vehicle to break an impasse over raising the federal borrowing limit while cutting the nation’s debt.

Appearing at the regular White House news briefing, Obama said the bipartisan proposal is “broadly consistent” with the approach he has advocated in that it reduces discretionary spending and tackles health-care spending and entitlements while also raising additional revenue.

But in the event that an agreement capable of passing Congress is not reached before a looming deadline to raise the federal debt ceiling, Obama said, lawmakers should finishing hammering out a backup plan now being negotiated by the Senate’s Democratic and Republican leaders.

Published by susie

5 thoughts on “Bipartisan deal”

  1. The first reports only said that there would be savings from the repeal of a section of the Affordable Care Act (aka “health care reform”)

    It took a little looking but found it on Page Three of the summary (http://www.scribd.com/doc/60355190/Conrad-Budget-Executive-Summary) : “Repeal the CLASS Act.” What?

    Aside from the obvious joke about these thugs getting rid of a class act, I wondered what that was exactly. It was long term care insurance to help people maintain themselves in the community outside of an institution eating up Medicaid dollars.

    Title VIII. Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS Act)

    Establishing a Voluntary, Self-Funding Long-Term Insurance Choice for American Families

    The Act provides Americans with a new option to finance long-term services and care in the event of a disability.

    It is a self-funded and voluntary long-term care insurance choice. Workers will pay in premiums in order to receive a daily cash benefit if they develop a disability. Need will be based on difficulty in performing basic activities such as bathing or dressing. The benefit is flexible: it could be used for a range of community support services, from respite care to home care.

    No taxpayer funds will be used to pay benefits under this provision. The program will actually reduce Medicaid spending, as people are able to continue working and living in their homes and not enter nursing homes. Safeguards will be put in place to ensure its premiums are enough to cover its costs.

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/health-care-meeting/proposal/titleviii

  2. NPR did mention this lovely cut to one of the Gang of Six (I remember when this locution, Gang of…X was used almost solely for the Gang of Four in China and was supposed to represent undemocratic wielding of power), with one of the gangsters explaining that the plan would not cost anything in the early years, but would cost a lot in the out years.

    The question was posed as did it bother Dems to cut something which was something Ted Kennedy had worked for almost his entire career….

    There must be sacrifice, said the senator.

    Indeed, we are the ones to be sacrificed.

    Time for those Obama Self-Select Intake Centers so we can be made into Soylent Green and at least have our sacrifice feed some hungry people.

  3. Jonathan Karl is on my teebee talking about this plan being the first glimmer of hope.

    No, dude. It’s a glint off the dreaded sword swinging down toward our necks.

  4. NPR did mention this lovely cut to one of the Gang of Six (I remember when this locution, Gang of…X was used almost solely for the Gang of Four in China and was supposed to represent undemocratic wielding of power), with one of the gangsters explaining that the plan would not cost anything in the early years, but would cost a lot in the out years.

    The question was posed as did it bother Dems to cut something which was something Ted Kennedy had worked for almost his entire career….

    There must be sacrifice, said the senator.

    Indeed, we are the ones to be sacrificed.

    Time for those Obama Self-Select Intake Centers so we can be made into Soylent Green and at least have our sacrifice feed some hungry people.

  5. Its especially nice that they took the opportunity to repudiate the memory of Ted Kennedy along with the rest of this blasphemy.

    I also noticed a provision of selling “unused Federal property”. I imagine that could be oil and gas and Yellowstone Park once it is closed.

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