# Obama Sets Up Commission To "Fight" The Deficit! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 27, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566 "2010-04-27T21:43:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/21 "2010-04-28T00:15:55Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > You can’t make this up-this guy has driven the deficit and national debt to record levels Apparently you **can** make it up. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/22 "2010-04-28T00:22:14Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Communists are like that, they are! Socialists and fascists, too, I hear. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/23 "2010-04-28T00:24:38Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > You know, we wouldn’t be in this financial mess we’re in if we hadn’t spent so much money on that war with Eurasia. How long is that thing going to go on for anyway? It seems like it’s been forever! I think next we should go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line. -Joe (mixing metaphors) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/24 "2010-04-28T00:39:27Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Creduility is Skepticism? > > -Joe Yes, as a matter of fact, it is. Don’t take my word for it, look up “credulity” in the dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/25 "2010-04-28T00:40:06Z")
Actually, now I’m curious what, if any, federal agency is currently responsible for debt management/tracking/reduction. Just the Federal Reserve itself? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/26 "2010-04-28T00:47:24Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Actually, now I’m curious what, if any, federal agency is currently responsible for debt management/tracking/reduction. Just the Federal Reserve itself? No, I don’t think that’s within the Fed’s writ at all. Possibly the [Congressional Budget Office.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Budget_Office) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/27 "2010-04-28T00:54:01Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Actually, now I’m curious what, if any, federal agency is currently responsible for debt management/tracking/reduction. Just the Federal Reserve itself? Debt tracking falls under the duties of the (nonpartisan) [Congressional Budget Office](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/05/AR2010030502974.html). Interestingly, a CBO report in March suggested a couple of simple steps would make Obama’s commission unnecessary: _“Obama is convening a special commission to bring deficits down to 3 percent of the economy, but the CBO report shows that Obama could accomplish that goal simply by letting the Bush tax cuts expire and paying for changes to the alternative minimum tax.”_ The report apparently predated the passage of the health care bill, which, um, purportedly will not raise the deficit. I don’t see why I should care about the deficit anyway. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect Republicans to obsess about, or at least they used to. And my generation won’t have to pay the bills anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/28 "2010-04-28T01:00:15Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > You can’t make this up-this guy has driven the deficit and national debt to record levels-and now he has decided that we need to reduce the deficit! > More Orwellian “Newspeak”-less is more, I am You, Truth is Ignorance.. > I wonder id obama will appoint a “debt czar”-that would seem to be appropriate! > 😕 I laugh at your dumbassery. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/29 "2010-04-28T01:15:10Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > :eek: No! NO! Republicans, I beg of you! **Please** don’t run Sarah Palin against Obama in 2012! **Please** don’t make Michelle Bachmann her running mate! **PLEASE!** That would be so HOT. Kind of like how you always knew catwoman was evil, but _[goddamn](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTgzMDI5ODcyOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMzU4MjM2._V1._SX320_SY400_.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.imdb.com/media/rm4016805888/ch0000184&usg=__gjmltFDn3VnDA9ZJ-bCezCu_mGo=&h=400&w=320&sz=26&hl=en&start=29&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=BFKn469V4CbtwM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djulie%2Bnewmar%26start%3D21%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2ACAW_enUS369%26ndsp%3D21%26tbs%3Disch:1)_! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/30 "2010-04-28T01:17:06Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > I laugh at your dumbassery. You’re going to have to work a lot harder to get through to ralphie boy. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/31 "2010-04-28T01:20:34Z")
You’re wasting your breath, folks. Ralphie is face down in his goulash by now. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/32 "2010-04-28T01:33:17Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Debt tracking falls under the duties of the (nonpartisan) [Congressional Budget Office](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/05/AR2010030502974.html). > > Interestingly, a CBO report in March suggested a couple of simple steps would make Obama’s commission unnecessary: > > _“Obama is convening a special commission to bring deficits down to 3 percent of the economy, but the CBO report shows that Obama could accomplish that goal simply by letting the Bush tax cuts expire and paying for changes to the alternative minimum tax.”_ Yea, its weird in all the hyperventilating about deficits, this doesn’t get more mention. Assuming the economy picks back up and revenues and spending adjust back to where they were pre-recession, Congress can begin to reduce the debt (relative to GDP, anyways) by basically doing nothing. Which makes sense, it’s not _that_ long ago that we were running surpluses. The country has gotten a little older increasing entitlement spending, but not so much that it should be _that_ hard to just reverse the changes of the last decade and go somewhere close to, if not zeroing out the defict, at least holding it below GDP growth. Granted in the longterm, rising healthcare costs swamp any changes you care to make to other areas of the federal budget and we end up in deficit spending again. But then the problem has more to with general problem of increasing healthcare costs, and less to do with the federal budget. OK, end of lecture, you may all return to your regularly scheduled edition of “who can find the funniest way to mock **ralph** ” ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/33 "2010-04-28T01:38:23Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > You’re wasting your breath, folks. Ralphie is face down in his goulash by now. Not familiar with that phrase. Anything like an ex-coworker used to say, “He’s ate up with the dumbass”? -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/34 "2010-04-28T01:49:52Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > You can’t make this up-this guy has driven the deficit and national debt to record levels-and now he has decided that we need to reduce the deficit! > More Orwellian “Newspeak”-less is more, I am You, Truth is Ignorance.. > I wonder id obama will appoint a “debt czar”-that would seem to be appropriate! > 😕 It’s conservatives like yourself that make it difficult to take conservatives seriously these days. You reduce the stature of others who share your political affiliation. When come back, bring facts, knowledge of the events of the past 10 years, and a clue. No pie, you don’t have time for pie with all the work you have ahead of you. The only challenge your post presents is the challenge to keep from face-palming all the way through it. When you’re at the supermarket, do you also blame the guy with the mop for the spill in the aisle? “Yeah, I know it looks wasteful to dump a box of salt on top of the existing oil spill, but the salt fixes the mess the last guy left, soaking up the last of the slippery oil residue. It’s necessary.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/35 "2010-04-28T02:44:40Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > You can’t make this up-this guy has driven the deficit and national debt to record levels-and now he has decided that we need to reduce the deficit! > More Orwellian “Newspeak”-less is more, I am You, Truth is Ignorance.. > I wonder id obama will appoint a “debt czar”-that would seem to be appropriate! > 😕 Geez, you are one stupid bag of feces. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/36 "2010-04-28T02:46:15Z")
So this is how a right-wing mind works these days? RW: Deficits are horrible! Generational theft! Yada, yada, yada… Obama: I plan on attacking the deficit. RW: Obama is an idiot! I bet he tries to appoint another czar. (This ends tonight’s version of rightwing idiot theater.) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/37 "2010-04-28T03:03:58Z")
You forgot the part where Obama bent space and time and created the mess the US is in now, **Frostillicus**. ---
**Author:** ![Cort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/77aa72/32.png) [@Cort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cort)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/38 "2010-04-28T03:09:44Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > You can’t make this up-this guy has driven the deficit and national debt to record levels-and now he has decided that we need to reduce the deficit! > More Orwellian “Newspeak”-less is more, I am You, Truth is Ignorance.. > I wonder id obama will appoint a “debt czar”-that would seem to be appropriate! You are such a fucking moron. Are you aware of this? ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/39 "2010-04-28T03:10:21Z")
Meh. All the idiots on the SDMB who don’t pay any taxes are somehow totally fine with an increase in taxes. Who’d a thunk it? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566/40 "2010-04-28T03:17:40Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Meh. All the idiots on the SDMB who don’t pay any taxes are somehow totally fine with an increase in taxes. Who’d a thunk it? I realize you’re burning in envy that someone on the SDMB might be receiving more collective scorn than yourself, but this effort is weak. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-sets-up-commission-to-fight-the-deficit/537566.md?page=3)