Democrats should propose balanced budgets for the far away future

[King]

An accounting trick to making everyone feel better and eliminate the issue without actually having to do anything.  Call it the Budget Surplus Act.  Everybody pats themselves on the back and those who vote against it look really, really bad.

A bill which--
Eliminates the sequestration cuts for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, providing no change to the short term deficits.
Enacts revenue increases set to kick in in the year 2017.
Caps medicare spending growth in 2017 onward.
Caps defense spending starting in 2017 onward.

Whatever it takes to get the CBO projections to show all surpluses from FY 2017-30 and sets a projected date for the national debt to be eliminated.   A bill that makes the future of debt in this country a complete non-issue.

Similar to the fiscal cliff, but more specified in where the cuts and revenue happen and instead of just slowing the deficit, radically shifting projections into the positive.

And it can all be reversed later.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Of course Democrats aren't going to vote to cap growth in medicare spending.  Then they wouldn't be able to show commercials of Republicans pushing people in wheelchairs off a cliff.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Anyone who cares about the deficit would see through such a sham, so this would be a net negative politically.

[bballrox4717]

If politicians wanted a balanced budget, then they create policies that grow the economy, not go on a crusade to cut as much spending as possible. So much talk on how passing legislation will help a politician's image, who gets the blame for sequestration, and what not. How about they do their goddamn job for once? The fact that we are even talking about a deadline for sequestration is pathetic.

[Sopranos Republican]

Of course Democrats aren't going to vote to cap growth in medicare spending.  Then they wouldn't be able to show commercials of Republicans pushing people in wheelchairs off a cliff.

That sums it up pretty well.

[Adam Griffin]

Of course Democrats aren't going to vote to cap growth in medicare spending.  Then they wouldn't be able to show commercials of Republicans pushing people in wheelchairs off a cliff.

I don't know why not. Any caps and cuts enacted by Democrats and Republicans now would almost certainly still be followed by Republicans wanting to cut it even more.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

And it can all be reversed later.

Ha!

[Torie]

Given the filibuster rules in the Senate, any changes to the tax code, and entitlement rules, tend to be forever as it were, where budgets have a half life not much longer than that of a fruit fly. If one understands just that bit, one understands much of the political foreplay going out there on the Fruited Plain.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Of course Democrats aren't going to vote to cap growth in medicare spending.  Then they wouldn't be able to show commercials of Republicans pushing people in wheelchairs off a cliff.

I don't know why not. Any caps and cuts enacted by Democrats and Republicans now would almost certainly still be followed by Republicans wanting to cut it even more.

not if it gets past the amount needed for a balanced budget (which would require pretty drastic change).  Repubs don't want to lose their votes from olds either.