HolyCoast: The "Super Congress"?
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Sunday, July 24, 2011

The "Super Congress"?

Since this story is coming from the Huffpo you can't count on it for accuracy, but there's probably enough truth here to make reference to it:
Debt ceiling negotiators think they've hit on a solution to address the debt ceiling impasse and the public's unwillingness to let go of benefits such as Medicare and Social Security that have been earned over a lifetime of work: Create a new Congress.

This "Super Congress," composed of members of both chambers and both parties, isn't mentioned anywhere in the Constitution, but would be granted extraordinary new powers. Under a plan put forth by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his counterpart Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), legislation to lift the debt ceiling would be accompanied by the creation of a 12-member panel made up of 12 lawmakers -- six from each chamber and six from each party.

Legislation approved by the Super Congress -- which some on Capitol Hill are calling the "super committee" -- would then be fast-tracked through both chambers, where it couldn't be amended by simple, regular lawmakers, who'd have the ability only to cast an up or down vote. With the weight of both leaderships behind it, a product originated by the Super Congress would have a strong chance of moving through the little Congress and quickly becoming law. A Super Congress would be less accountable than the system that exists today, and would find it easier to strip the public of popular benefits. Negotiators are currently considering cutting the mortgage deduction and tax credits for retirement savings, for instance, extremely popular policies that would be difficult to slice up using the traditional legislative process.
This is essentially yet another debt commission, of which there have been many and none of which have reduced the debt at all. However, this one would apparently have some teeth in it, but as described there's no way it's constitutional. I would fully expect a court challenge from lots of different plaintiffs if this was enacted...and they'll win.

Bad idea. Start over.

2 comments:

Nightingale said...

There goes representative government!

Larry said...

This is the establishment's response to the Tea Party as the SupCon will be made up of liberal Democrats and RINOs. Also, just like Obamacare, they'll do all kinds of damage before a court ends it. The ball will have been moved to the left.