Bowles jokes that he and Alan Simpson may have to enter witness protection.

[madfloridian]

Oh, ha ha. He thinks that is clever? And don't you love Simpson's harpooning every whale and minnow? So cutesy.

From CBC:

U.S. commission pitches $3.8T debt cutting plan


U.S. President Barack Obama speaks with former Republican Senate Whip Alan Simpson, right, and Erskine Bowles outside the White House. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)

The commission's co-chairs, Democrat Erskine Bowles and Republican Alan Simpson, outlined a sampling of the proposal on Thursday.

It includes drastic austerity measures that combined would cut the deficit by $3.8 trillion US. The full details will be revealed later this month.

"We have harpooned every whale in the ocean and some of the minnows," Bloomberg quoted Simpson as saying. He added that the plan is merely a starting point for negotiations.

Bowles, the former chief of staff to U.S. President Bill Clinton, acknowledged the plan would be unpopular, and joked that the pair may have to enter the witness protection program.

Making light of plans that will hurt seniors and others irreparably.

Not what I expected when we worked so hard and donated so much in 2006 and 2008.

[AlabamaLibrul]

1. He's not a witness, he's the perpetrator. And he'd better damn well go into hiding

when shit hits the fan on this one.

[county worker]

2. Yeah, while we enter poverty and homelessness!

[benlurkin]

3. It thrills me that he can joke about this

[Autumn]

4. Fucking cute joke for those assholes

reality for the lesser people,that would be anyone but them. Fucking jerks. I find the whole thing sickening and disgraceful.

[marmar]

5. Mike Malloy last night said that Erskine Bowles.....

..... "looks like the prize that you found at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box in 1953."


I'm not even sure what he meant but I laughed anyway. :)

[fasttense]

6. Their joke is making it so that our American elderly will have to eat cat food from now on.

Grandmothers everywhere need to start getting their recipes for cat food ready.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. Paging Madame DeFarge.

[Hawkowl]

8. A photo of gangstas

The photo reminds me of nothing more than a photo of the Soprano's, with everyone dressed up in $2000 suits to cover up all the raping, pillaging, and murdering they are planning with gleeful little smiles and sadistic little jokes. Fuck'em.

[arbusto_baboso]

9. If this country is awake and paying attention... yes, he will.

But then again, what will it take to wake and rouse our country?

[dixiegrrrrl]

14. "what will it take to wake and rouse our country?"

More job losses, apparently. Until there are more people hurting in daily visible ways, instead of the invisible
out of the way hurting that still goes on.
Right now the media can easily ignore the homeless and hungry sleeping in cars and shelters and doorways.

Here's the thing.

During the Civil Rights Protest era, and during the Viet-Nam war protest era, people did not "march on Washington"
for ONE day, on a WEEKEND, when Congress was not in session, to protest.
They marched during the day, all over the country, over and over and over. Cities, college campuses, in front of politicians and mayors and governors. For weeks, for years, and DID NOT STOP.
They marched in front of the White House, they protested in front of the White House, over and over and over,
so the the politicians could not avoid seeing them.
And the media could resist filming it. Anything that moves, the media will film.

We have seen that writing letters and emails and faxes do nothing. Remember TARP?
800 to 1 letters against TARP, they did it anyway.
Is anyone protesting the Middle East wars of imperialism? Not so we would notice.

Ireland is collapsing. Anyone notice?

France had a series of strikes. THAT we noticed.

I think the question is: what will it take for people to SHOW they really give a damn.
Voting does not seem to have worked out so well of late.

[countrydad58]

10. Let them join their bud O

in Asia. Let all 3 stay their with the Walmart fucks,that tagged along!

[asdjrocky]

11. It's all a big joke to these people.

The decisions this commission makes will never effect anyone on the commission, any of their family members or anyone in Congress, the White house, or any of their family members.

Their club does not have to worry about SS, our club does.

Remember people, when the decision makers are not effected in any way by their decisions, then we are in a world of hurt.

[madfloridian]

18. It does seem to be a joke to them.

These two guys should never have been picked.

[Supersedeas]

12. Erskine obviously has plenty to retire on and has no problem requiring others to work longer to

receive any benefit.

How he can be smiling and jovial about it is beyond me!

[librechik]

13. At least the thugs are semi-aware of how they are hurting people

and acknowledginbg there will be anger--I hop they find out how much and it actually makes them change their minds.
Ha

[glitch]

15. Laugh while you can monkey boy. nt

[Mike Nelson]

16. Asking Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles...

...to look at this matter speaks volumes.

[Vinnie From Indy]

17. What a colossal asshole

It seems obvious that Erskine has acquired the "I've got mine so fuck everybody else" mentality.

[Overseas]

19. I found that comment really jarring too. And how dare they

talk about cutting SS when there is so much waste in other places like war profiteering in our privatized military and subsidies to big oil with giant loopholes and tax dodges for giant corporations.

I hate Democrats letting themselves be pushed into being the ones to cut our most successful programs.

Don't Do It Democrats! Let the Republicans try to do it! They are the party of abject cruelty.

We should be EXPANDING social security, not cutting it.

[madfloridian]

21. It truly hit me that way as well. How dare they.

I never thought a Democratic administration would ever even let this come up for discussion.

[Overseas]

23. I just hope we make the best of rebutting it. We have a strong case.

So the bright side for me would be the opportunity to debate these subsections in more depth.

Yes please, let us discuss these elements and evaluate the actual practical effects of each.

Let's discuss our priorities vs the GOP's. Thus shining a brighter light on their moral bankruptcy. Their vigilantly shunning any goal of good government.

SSI is a very successful program.

Subsidies to big oil-- not so effective. BP didn't do much R&D on safety, and clean up technologies. Much as they may have spent on dominating future energy markets.

Military projects in particular districts. How will they be evaluated? Get the guys on record.

So it could be interesting. Let's talk details, you Greedy Obstructionist Plutocrats. Deficit Hawk or Top Tax Cut? Do declare.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

Because multi millionaires don't give a fuck. The worst possible punishment for Simpson

aka "Mr Burns" is for him to lose all his money at his old ass age. he'll be the first one trying to suck on that "tit". And fuck Bowles too while I'm at it.

[madfloridian]

25. Your sig pic...

now that's just about how I feel today.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

26. I've pretended for months that there was a chance we could make things better. Now I realize that we

are so fucked that we don't even know we're fucked (Please excuse my language. You always seem like a very polite person but I've had it.)

[Johonny]

20. Who'd miss them

given an opportunity to chair and come up with needed response to a real problem, they take the time to produce a fantasy document that can't be taken seriously as even a starting point for reducing the debt. They are worthless and should go away.

[Octafish]

22. Worked for Kenny Boy Lay.

What timing. And a closed-casket service and his young "widow" got to keep the cash.

[Starry Messenger]

24. And people wonder why the guillotine got popular. n/t

[Catherina]

27. He who laughs last. Rec'd n/t