My (flawed) proposal for fixing the 2011 federal budget impasse #fb

The federal government will have no funding after 11:59 PM today (Friday, April 8th) because Tea Party conservatives in the House want an additional $27 billion in spending cuts. This will result in furloughs of 800,000 government employees. These are people with mortgages and bills to pay, and they support businesses that surround federal workplaces, especially in DC. So all these people staying home and not being paid will have a huge effect on the economy, especially in the DC-MD-VA area.

Here’s how I propose they get past this:

1. Both sides have to agree that no matter what gets cut, the budget at the end of this process must be passed.
2. Democrats propose an additional $30 billion in spending cuts from the budget proposal that they negotiated with Boehner.
3. Republicans propose an additional $30 billion in spending cuts from the budget proposal that Obama negotiated with Boehner.
4. Democrats go through the Republican’s proposals and can remove up to $15 billion of spending cuts.
5. Republicans go through the Democrat’s proposals and can remove up to $15 billion of spending cuts.

Basically, $30 billion gets cut. The Democrats would cut things that the Republicans care about, and the Republicans would cut things that the Democrats care about. Then both sides get to save things they care most about.

This plan is pretty simple, but I think this plan would favor the Republican agenda. Democrats would like to raise taxes on the rich or at least close tax loopholes, which are attempts to increase revenue. Republicans like to cut spending. Since this plan only cuts spending, it’s really more of a Republican thing.

Maybe a revised plan can give the Democrats up to $30 billion of tax increases or spending cuts and the Republicans can only get some combination of cutting $15 billion of tax increases or removing up to $15 billion of spending cuts.

I’m not sure. Either way, this whole situation is fucked.