I’m pleased to see Jan Schakowsky, a member of the Catfood Commission, release her own deficit reduction plan, and in a way I’m also not pleased by it. It’s certainly better than useful idiots like Mark Warner saying “do the math” in order to cut Social Security. And it’s better than the greybeard panels that are stalking horses for entitlements and defenders of the rich. In the main, I like Schakowsky’s plan, though obviously everyone could add and subtract their own bits. But the problem is that a “deficit reduction plan” doesn’t address what actually causes deficits: namely, recessions.

Since we have started a public debate about whether or not to extend Bush’s massive, deficit-ballooning tax cuts to millionaires, the same deficit hawks who sent up trial balloons about cutting Social Security and other benefits have been very quiet. Very interesting, yes?

Presidential Deficit Commission member Erskine Bowles is as bad as Alan Simpson.

Because there is a giant military contractor CEO on the military budget working group who won’t let them cut waste and fraud from the Pentagon budget, that’s why.

Alan Simpson and the Catfood Commission want to default on the Treasury Bonds held by the Trust Fund. Sovereign default is dirty words; so they come up with stupid to hide their intentions.

The Urban Institute rapturously supports the economic policies of the elites, including gutting Social Security. Details may matter, but statutes can be changed at the expense of the workers of America.

If someone like Corker won’t play along with the plan to cut social security, then it’s unlikely to get the mix of Republicans and deficit hawk Democrats they’ll need to pass the Commission recommendations.

Sadly, it appears the Obama Administration now falls firmly in the same camp of having “deficit reduction” just mean stealing from the poor to give to the rich. While the president talks about how we need to reduce the deficit, he has his staff and surrogates fighting diligently to increase the deficit by making sure hedge-fund managers and wealthy Wall Street investors pay a lower tax rate than teachers and police officers.

Republicans are not happy with a mere 60-vote filibuster threshold and think their ability to obstruct legislation needs to be enhanced even more. Apparently, a year and a half of near-total gridlock has convinced Sen. Gregg that what our government really needs is even more ways for a minority party to bring legislating to a complete standstill. Republicans hate public programs so much they are prepared to subvert the clear Constitutional principle of majority rule in Congress to stop them.

Alice Rivlin and Alan Simpson are willing to exploit workers to protect their friends.