The declaration by the Congressional "Supercommittee" that it expects to fail in its manadate to arrive at a budget compromise by its deadline this week does not bode well for the state of the union. Under our constitution, no task is more fundamental than the passage of a federal budget, and while stalemate and conflict are built into the system, the current impasse arises mostly from the choice of the Republican Party to avoid the basic responsibilities of government.
The very existence of the Supercommittee stems from the intransigience of the GOP in debt ceiling negotiations this summer. Choosing rhetoric over rationality and experience, Republicans cowed by the TEA Party movement -- led by that corrupt hack, Mitch McConnell -- insisted that the recession demanded budget cuts. This declaration makes no sense, since the problem in the economy now is a lack of cash and investment, and the only entity capable of pushing enough of either into the system now is the federal government. But because the focus of the House is re-election rather than leadership, it was able to lead us into potential disaster and still feel good about itself. Now the Republicans on the Supercommitee demand that no be raised, even on the wealthiest Americans.
Never mind that this is the perfect time to pour money into a deteriorating infrastructure, or that Republicans themselves agreed as receently as a year ago that some tax increases would be necessary. The urgency of the next election cycle overrides all.
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