$6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
If you thought the House Republicans' $60 billion in proposed spending cuts was small potatoes, you'll be disappointed to hear that they've further downsized the proposal to a measly $6 billion in cuts.
House Republicans unveiled a three-week continuing resolution Friday that funds the government through April 8 and cuts $6 billion in spending.
Senate Democrats immediately signaled that they could accept the measure, which includes proposed spending cuts backed by the White House.
But three conservative groups said they opposed passage of another short-term spending measure, and warned they would negatively record votes in favor of it.
The House is set to vote on the measure on Tuesday. If it does not move forward, the government would shut down after March 18.
It's never a good sign when the party you're negotiating with immediately accepts your offer. It means you're a weak negotiator and that you most certainly got the worse end of the deal. To be fair, the proposed spending cuts are part of a package that will keep the government running just another three weeks, after which the House will have to piece together yet another proposal that will ostensibly include more cuts. But this early compromise does not instill confidence, and as the kids say, it's definitely "weak sauce."
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Aug '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
I don't know. The Republican's strategy in this exercise falls in line with my overarching solo strategy when playing Warhammer -- Dawn of War 2. I take small, but permanent, resources away from my opponents one step at a time. All the while building my support and taking out their stragglers as they come. Since troops, in that game, and our budget are finite resources, I think they are doing it right. War is about controlling the battlefield and the dialogue. They are slowly giving the Federal government the hemlock it needs, one small drop at a time.
It's kind of like that Super Friends episode with the Apples.
That right. A Warhammer 40k, Socrates, Clauswitz, and Super Friends reference in one post.
Dec '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
If the Republicans are able to get the Democrats to surrender successively to short term continuing resolutions that each cut spending at a rate of $2 billion per week, they will achieve their $60 billion goal -- and each successive CR undercuts the Democrats' argument that the Republicans want to force a government shutdown. Every time the Democrats say yes to another set of cuts, it makes it harder for them to say no to the next set.
Meanwhile, the Republicans need to plan for the actual budget for the next fiscal year, and need to propose cuts at least a full order of magnitude greater than $60 billion.
Oct '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
That's all well and good...except for the fact that in Warhammer neither you nor your opponents face re-election every 2 years, nor do you have to battle corrupt and adversarial Geneva Conventioneers (metaphorically the media) at the same time you're battling...whoever it is you battle in Warhammer.
Oct '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
The Stupid Party rides again.
Dec '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
Right. An actual real time $6 billion dollar expenditure cut over a period of 3 weeks is a $2 billion a week cut. Carrying this over week after week yields a cumulative $100 billion dollar cut over a year.
It's a start.
Edited on Mar 11, 2011 at 6:44pmRe: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
I'm glad to see everyone's optimism here. We'll see if this Plan B strategy pans out as well as some of you seem to think it will.
Aug '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
The House is the only part of this equation that we control, so really, what is the point ? Naive question for someone to please answer : How we get anything done until the next election ? Is this something better approached at a different level ?
May '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
Anyone know if Cowboy poetry is getting cut? Lives are at stake.
Oct '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
"If the Republicans are able to..." and "It's a start" are not the kinds of comments I consider to be encouraging just 4 months after a massive, almost-historic electoral repudiation of the party in power, and just 2 months after taking overwhelming control of the House.
Man, have we defined expectations downward or what? And more importantly, WHY??
Edited on Mar 11, 2011 at 10:04pmAug '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
dittoheadadt has obviously not played in the epic marathon electoral Warhammer games against the dread Gnomes of Zurich. During these games, your opponents get to vote for who plays the army you've spent thousands of dollars on, and every two years the staff of Games Workshop randomly changes the rules of Warhammer to match the whims of those who contributed the most money to their coffers.
It's ridiculous.
Back to topic. This isn't a negotiation. The future budget is a negotiation. The current budget is a battle of tolerances.
Oct '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
Ah come on! 6 billion over three weeks? That's great! Better then 60 billion over, what is it, eight months?
Aug '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
A $60 Billion cut from $1.65 Trillion annual budget deficit tells me one thing and one thing only - these people are not serious. How can a sober person conclude otherwise?
Perhaps if the goal were to only cover the interest payment on our debt those numbers being debated would mean something, but these numbers mean nothing in the big picture. They are a drop in the ocean. Yes, a drop is better than no drop at all for psychological reasons but an entirely different mindset will be required to save our ship from sinking. We're nowhere near there yet. Not. even. close .
Perhaps the words million, billion, and trillion need to be banished and all numbers written out in longhand, with six zeros for million, nine zeros for billions, and twelve zeros for trillions to help put things into their proper perspective.
Dec '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
This isn't the upcoming Budget, merely a CR that keeps the government going from last year, since there was no FY 2011 budget. You can't attack big, entrenched spending, like entitlements, in a CR, only peripheral discretionary spending.
Besides, as flownover noted, we only have the House, so we need to ally with the Senate or the Executive to get anything passed; by going after cuts previously identified by the Executive, this tactic served to isolate the Senate.
The House will prepare an actual Budget in April, along with further CRs to carry us through the existing year and that's when the fireworks will really begin. There won't be easy cuts already proposed by the Executive to put into the next CR and the Senate appears to be digging in for a shutdown over anything more than another few $B in cuts for FY 2011.
There's a vote coming early next week to amend the House rules so that they can excise $105B of spending for Obamacare that was snuck into "mandatory" spending by the previous congress. Probably a futile effort, as I can't see that getting through the Senate, or Obama.
Jun '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
the cuts aren't nearly enough. I don't know why they can't find easy no-brainer programs to cut in excess of $6 billion. If you don't want to take on the tough fights right now, take on the easy ones, and grit your teeth.
May '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
The GOP's current fiscal actions must only demonstrate to Tea Partiers that they are serious about stopping government growth entirely and capable of doing so.
Significant cuts will have to wait until 2012. But Republicans must now demonstrate bargaining prowess relative to their current leverage. $60 billion is just as relatively insignificant as $6 billion, but voter support in 2012 will be affected if Republicans seem incompetent at negotiating with Democrats. Diane is right:
Diane Ellis, Ed.:
It's never a good sign when the party you're negotiating with immediately accepts your offer. It means you're a weak negotiator and that you most certainly got the worse end of the deal.
Aug '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
Aaron Miller: The GOP's current fiscal actions must only demonstrate to Tea Partiers that they are serious about stopping government growth entirely and capable of doing so.
Significant cuts will have to wait until 2012. But Republicans must now demonstrate bargaining prowess relative to their current leverage. $60 billion is just as relatively insignificant as $6 billion, but voter support in 2012 will be affected if Republicans seem incompetent at negotiating with Democrats. Diane is right:
That's all fine and good except for the fact that the clock is ticking. There is a tipping point. We may be past that point already.
DeTocqueville was quite astute in his observation that America would last until the public discovered it could vote itself largesse from the public treasury.
Any return to fiscal sanity and fiscal health will be on the other side of catastrophe in the form of a phoenix. That's what it's going to take to correct the entitlement mentality that has infected and corrupted this nation.
I'd love to be wrong about that, but fear I am not.
Sep '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
Maybe instead of the Republicans in the House being bad negotiators when the Senate Democrats immediately accept their offer; maybe it's the Dems who are the bad negotiators. Ever think of that? After all, there are twice as many Democrats up for reelection in the Senate in 2012 as Republicans.
Jul '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
Dear Republican Party;
It has come to my attention that the Mathematically Challanged president has handed over his desease to many of you in the House of Representitives.
Let us establish for the moment that numbers are a constant. That means they are always the same, and unlike words in the presence of a lawyer they always mean the same thing.
Therefore it is important to understand what 100 is. 100 is 10 times ten, it is 5 times 20. 100 is a bigger number than 90, it is also bigger than 80. 100 it 40 more than 60.
100 is also 94 more than 6.
Now that you've blown it, and made 60 the baseline, when you promised 100 (I never heard one campaign promise which included a pro rata condition) and the democrats are countering with 6, is it not obvious that you will never come up with a number equaling 100?
Never Trust a Republican!
In a budgen of 3,600,000,000,000 100,000,000,000 ends up being a rounding error. What does that make 60? or 6? or the number between the two which will eventually show up?
Oct '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
Historically speaking, which Party is almost always Lucy with the football and which Party is almost always Charlie Brown? (And to be more precise, remove the two "almosts.")
May '10
Re: $6 Billion in Spending Cuts? What Happened to the Zero?
There are way to many flash points coming to avoid a govt. shutdown. The GOP leadership is simply picking their time and place in a way that minimizes the blame to them and maximizes their appearance of sober and responsible leadership & willingness to find common ground. I have no idea whether or not their strategy will work but the intent seems like common sense.
I too believe $60 - $100 Billion to be spitballs against a battleship versus the problem. I too think we are approaching the "to late to fix" time at light speed. However IF the Ryan budget is something truly worth fighting for and IF this strategy serves to help win the day, we will look back on this as having been smart strategy towards a vital goal.