SAY NO to the Reid plan that includes a Super Congress.

They are announcing that the Reid plan does not affect Social Security and Medicare.

Maybe it doesn't right now. However, if a Super Congress is part of the plan, SS and Medicare cuts will be more easily passed in the near future, along with god knows what other legislation to transfer wealth from the poor and working class to the rich.

Once you give extra powers to the twelve most powerful and corporate-connected members of Congress, you have eliminated representative government. The Congress must represent all the states and all the people, not pick and choose the members who will pass legislation favorable to the banks and corporations...which will be the result if the Super Congress is permitted to take hold.

This sounds to me like holding back on the theft for now, in favor of implementing a STRUCTURE that will make the theft much easier in the near future.

I don't like the sound of this at all.

They will reap accolades for protecting Medicare and SS now, while removing our ability to protect ourselves in the future.

Lets hope its not included

in order to get that, you need a super majority in the house and senate, Prez's signature, and 3/4 of the states have to ratify it. Any constitutional amendment will never pass in this century (just like the last one)

Has someone said it does or do you have a link to what the Reid plan includes?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/25/super-congress-debt_n_909018.html


"Nevertheless, separate proposals put forward by Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Monday each included versions of a Super Congress -- referred to on the Hill as a Super Committee -- that would write laws that could not be amended by the regular Congress, only voted up or down. In Boehner's version, the debt ceiling would be raised a second time if Congress approved the cuts decided on by the Super Congress."

http://twitpic.com/5vrb4u

And part 2, which I believe includes to verbiage being talked about: http://twitpic.com/5vrbn3

Hope that helps, Reid's plan is 2 pages.

Reid's plan does NOT include any "super congress" (the reaction to which is overblown in any case, IMHO).

Apologies. It does contain the famous and reviled commission. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/reids-plan/2011/07/11/gIQAHOl8YI_blog.html

It's twelve people who come out with some deficit reduction recommendations that then get voted on by the full Congress without any additional amendments. And people make it sound like these twelve would have the power to make law all on their own. It's horseshit.

not that much different from what happens all the time with committees and rules.

Recycled outrage.

Apparently it's not okay for the Republicans to try to groundlessly fearmonger to seniors about "death panels," but "cat food commission" isn't at ALL dishonest or inflammatory. :eyes:

Enough with "gangs", commissions with a bunch of unelected members, etc. Congress just needs to do its job. They have committees to explore issues like the deficit and produce legislation to be debated and voted on by the full Congress. Solutions can be found if everybody in Congress is willing to take their jobs and commitment to the American people seriously. The current dysfunction seems to be the Republicans- the Tea Party in particular.

It absolutely increases the ability to shove legislation through while bypassing the people. It restricts crafting of the legislation to a selected group, and it makes the legislation easier to push through. If it didn't they would not resort to this.

When we have already had Medicare and SS cuts on the table, creating a Super Congress for this particular purpose is extremely dangerous. These issues affect ALL the people, and the input of any state or group of people should not be watered down by any means, nor extraordinary powers given to a selected few. Sometimes it is just a few principled representatives who stand between us and the moneyed interests, and the moneyed interests know that.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=4933385

Read upthread, two places.

— Establishes Joint Congressional Committee to Find Future Savings. In addition to $2.7 trillion in concrete savings, the Senate package will establish a joint, bipartisan committee, made up of 12 members, to present options for future deficit reduction. The committee’s recommendations will be guaranteed an up-or-down Senate vote, without amendments, by the end of 2011.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/reids-plan/2011/07/11/gIQAHOl8YI_blog.html

And make the House GOPs actually cast a vote for or against particular cuts.