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April 28, 2010 in Nation/World
Obama: All options on table as deficit panel starts work
President Barack Obama reaches out to National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform co-chairmen, former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, left, and former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson, as they leave the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday.
(Full-size photo)
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said Tuesday that every politically painful choice must be considered – including spending cuts, tax increases, even changing the new health care law – as he launched what he hopes will be a bipartisan effort to reduce the government’s soaring budget deficits.
“Everything has to be on the table,” Obama said after meeting with the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform at its first session.
Despite his own campaign promise not to raise taxes on anyone who makes less than $200,000 annually, Obama said that it was a political game to try to get a president to rule things in or out when facing a debt crisis.
“It’s an old Washington game, and one that has made it all but impossible in the past for people to sit down and have an honest discussion about putting our country on a more secure fiscal footing,” he said in the White House Rose Garden.
“So my message is simple: We’re not playing the game.”
Underscoring his commitment to consider any recommendations, Obama agreed in private with a Republican demand that the health care law be open to possible changes, according to commission co-Chairman Alan Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyoming.
Several Republican commission members asked during its session whether the president’s charge to put everything on the table meant they could revisit the recently enacted health care law, spurring Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., to react.
“This really shouldn’t be a forum for revisiting the greatest hits of the latest health care reform debate,” Durbin said. “Parts of the decisions made there have to be reconsidered here, I’m sure, but I think we need to get beyond that.”
To assure bipartisanship, it can make only recommendations to Congress that 14 of its 18 members support.
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., suggested that the panel first try to cut waste and fraud in spending and to collect more in taxes already owed. He said that the Internal Revenue Service had estimated that it failed to collect $345 billion a year in income taxes owed, either because people reported too little income or took too many deductions.
“If we can put a man on the moon, if we can think about landing an astronaut on Mars, we can collect more of the taxes owed,” he said. “We should not cut one dime of federal benefits or raise one dime of federal taxes until we have done everything we can to collect the taxes that are already owed.”
Ancient Roman wrecks found in deep water 
Ninch on April 28 at 6:16 a.m.
Whereas Clinton/Gore were very much involved AND successful in “Reinventing Government” to make government smaller and more efficient, Obama wimps out to appoint a commission that will not report until after the fall 2010 elections. If they recommend tax hikes, Obama will put the blame on the commission… and he will not remind people that he was the one who appointed such commission. Obama has also been totally ignoring the Mexican border and still being distracted from his promise to focus on jobs. This community organizer keeps proving that he is lacking authentic leadership. He serves only his own ideology and quest for power and not American citizens.
SugarShane on April 28 at 8:32 a.m.
“Everything has to be on the table,” Obama said.
“Legalization of Marijuana is not in my vocabulary.” - Obama
Someone send that idiot a dictionary.
horse_feathers on April 28 at 1:58 p.m.
Obama is constantly telling the most beautiful lies. He always makes them sound so thought out and man is he smooth but here is the ugly truth, “YOU LIE”, again.
bdr on April 28 at 2:14 p.m.
Obama would probably tell ninch well excuse me……I had to pass health care (which 7 presidents couldn’t do) take care of the worst financial disaster since the 1930s (which was ALL Roosevelt did in his time in office). Now Obama is tasked with resorting something like the glass stegall act (which probably took up another presidents whole time in orifice) .
heck Obama is tasked with rebuilding America from Haiti level after Bush! And with a twist of fate dating to Lincoln days (hes black).
Now after Bush and dill wads dropped billions on Mexican virtual fences Ninch and Arizona governor has the gall to Blame Obama
and Ninch has gall to blame Obama after 3 rounds of financial reform rebuffs from republicans ((which is at the heart of rebuilding jobs for America))
my gosh are you deaf blind and racist??? haha
Oh heck lets bring Bush back…….he’ll fix everything.
yuck yuck hohohohohohoho NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
misjustice on April 29 at 7:39 p.m.
bdr; you rock!
Imagine where this nation would be if we had Grouchy Grandpa “McSame” and the “Quitter on Twitter” at the helm!!!
Heck, the “Quitter on Twitter” would have resigned by now… wink, wink, wink: yeah, you betcha’!!!
misjustice on April 29 at 7:46 p.m.
Re: whom the President serves; he serves me just fine. I have some arguments with him over the renewal of the Patriot Act, the 2 wars, and the fact that we did not get ‘Universal’ health care. Other than that, he’s my guy!
I worked diligently to get him elected (and donated $$$$), and I’ll do the same to get him re-elected! He’s not liberal ENOUGH for me, but who is?????