Stephen Dinan and Sean Lengell at The Washington Times:
Mr. Boehner’s bill would reduce future discretionary spending by $1.2 trillion, grant an immediate debt increase of $1 trillion, and set up a committee to work on trillions of dollars in future deficit reduction either through more spending cuts or tax increases, which would then earn another future debt increase.
I’ve been pretty happy with Boehner up to this point. Now I am disgusted. The way Boehner is pitching this plan is intellectually dishonest. There are not $1.2 trillion of discretionary spending in our budget to cut, which means this plan cuts spending over a period of many years (I believe I heard ten years somewhere, the exact number is irrelevant). The problem with this is that the debt increase happens immediately. Further yet, Congress can not hold a future Congress to a budget. You can’t force a future Congress to stick to these spending cuts.
On top of all this. It doesn’t fix anything. Our problem is not discretionary spending. It’s like your family makes $50,000 a year and has a $1 million mortgage, three Ferraris, and borrows on credit to give to charity. Then to get spending under control you stop eating out once a week. It just doesn’t cut it.
Props to the GOP members who are sticking to their guns on this. We have a rare opportunity here to effect change. Let’s not waste it.