Panel must compromise on deficit to serve U.S.

This editorial from the Kansas City Star does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Spokesman-Review editorial board.

A funding shortfall threatened to drain the Social Security trust fund, and the commission assigned to find a solution was foundering.

Then New York’s Daniel Patrick Moynihan approached Kansan Bob Dole on the U.S. Senate floor and asked if it was time to put pettiness aside and get something done. That spirit of compromise shown by Moynihan, a Democrat, and Dole, a Republican, had a lot to do with saving Social Security.

Sadly, the spirit that won out almost 30 years ago seems to be nearly dead today, as Congress grapples with the task of reducing the nation’s budget deficit. Twelve members – serving on the so-called supercommittee – have until Thanksgiving Eve to relearn how Congress is supposed to work. Yet no towering leaders or historical compromises are emerging.

And they should be by now. In the few remaining days, either the committee will have found a way to reduce the U.S. deficit by at least $1.2 trillion, or we could watch automatic cuts go into effect, hitting hardest on the Pentagon. Instead of figuring out a real compromise, which in today’s political climate is defined as being akin to surrender, the news dribbling out of the committee indicates members are now more concerned with wriggling out from under their sword of Damocles and stopping the automatic cuts.

This is shameful behavior. It’s a prime example of why the public approval rating of Congress is mired around 10 percent. President Barack Obama’s approval rating is more than three times higher, at a still-abysmal 43 percent.

Right now, Congress is playing politics with the American economy, and that simply goes against the best interests of the United States.

At the very least, supercommittee members should stick to the Nov. 23 deadline. More than that, they should get their acts together and find common ground.

These final days should not become the latest in a series of missed opportunities. Consider recent news bits from the supercommittee: When Republicans announced a plan calling for $750 billion in cuts and $500 billion in new revenue (taxes and fees), Democrats said it didn’t go far enough. When a Democrat plan came out calling for $1 trillion in cuts and $1 trillion in new revenue, Republicans dismissed it as going too far. There was no word, however, on any attempt to split the difference. How about $875 billion in cuts and $750 billion in new revenue?

When polled, Americans overwhelmingly favor increasing taxes on corporations and the rich, something the GOP refuses to consider. At the same time, they also think the deficit should be reduced primarily through cuts in government spending.

The reality is that whichever political party holds sway at any given moment, the opposing political party represents almost as many American citizens. In the 2008 presidential election, Obama received 66 million votes, GOP opponent Sen. John McCain 58 million. The people of this country are not monolithic. To accurately reflect their will, our politicians must compromise.