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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Commissions & Task Forces & Working Groups, Oh My!
Yesterday afternoon, Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) announced plans to force Congress to consider changes to entitlement programs through the establishment of yet another commission. The Feinstein-Domenici plan would require a 15-member commission to deliver recommendations one year from the date it was established and would force, through specific deadlines, action by committees, debate on the floor or each chamber, and conference committee negotiations. Everything is scripted just so in the Feinstein/Domenici plan. It's almost as if we don't even need a Congress at all.
The Feinstein/Domenici announcement comes of the heels of two other proposals to establish entitlement commissions (or an entitlement task force), first by Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), and more recently by Sens. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Judd Gregg (R-NH). Proposing commissions, task forces, and working groups is all fine and good, but until someone actually starts to propose some vital solutions - solutions that will only work if they increase revenues and decrease benefits over time - these proposals are mostly smoke, and little fire.
The most interesting thing about the Feinstein/Domenici commission is that it would be permanent - making fast-tracked recommendations to Congress every five years about adjustments and changes to keep solutions to fiscal problems on track. Feinstein and Domenici are apparently so confident in the commission model and potential recommendations it would submit, they think it should stick around, just in case it needs to fix its mistakes. While it is true it is a great challenge to tackle fiscal issues involving projections and estimation over many years and decades, and nobody can predict the future, a permanent commission would seem to take over the role of Congress, permanently. Only time will tell, but something tells me I'm not the only person who thinks that is just a little bit weird.
Posted by Adam Hughes
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