Joint Committee: GOP = No Negotiation, 60 Plus = No Reality

No New Taxes

"About a week ago, Republicans on the Super Committee offered Democrats a plan they themselves claimed would raise new tax revenues.  Setting aside specifics, Democrats treated it as a crack in the dam -- the first indication the GOP’s alliance with anti-tax activists was starting to crumble.  Democrats ultimately rejected it.  But so too did Grover Norquist, which suggests it really did violate his pledge (which most Republicans have taken) never to raise effective tax rates."

"Fast forward to Monday, Norquist told The Hill, 'I’ve talked to the House leadership and the Senate leadership.  They’re not going to be passing any tax increases ….  If Republicans raise taxes now, they don’t win the Senate, and if Republicans raise taxes now they might not keep the House.'"

Simply put, there is no room for any negotiation.  As has been clear from the start (way back before the Joint Committee), Conservative Republicans are not interested in any compromise.  Like spoiled children, they only want what they want.

Upton and Joint (Private) Committee

"A lot of people want a lot of things from U.S. Rep. Fred Upton.  Unions want the rich taxed more and jobs created.  Tea Party members want spending cuts and federal programs eliminated.  A group of local ministers want programs that help the poor continued."  "But nobody knows how Upton or the committee plans to eliminate the deficit because nearly all of the group’s work has been out of the public eye.  For the past 93 days, 12 Republicans and Democrats from the House and Senate have met in private to discuss possible cuts and ways to raise additional revenue."

A local viewpoint on their Representative in the national arena.  Interesting reading, but don't look for any insight about Rep. Upton's position.  Instead, you'll learn more about what happens at the local level.

The 60+ Reality-Free Zone

Here's a special edition of the "Reality-Free Zone" -- one just for seniors: According to 60 Plus Association Chairman Jim Martin, leader of the largest conservative seniors advocacy group in the nation, "Since the moment ObamaCare was passed, there has been a black cloud looming over the lives of every senior in America.  The politicians -- including their friends at the AARP -- who made us swallow this poison pill not only cut $500 billion from the Medicare safety net that seniors have paid into for decades of their working lives, but the legislation itself guarantees cuts in service, lower quality, slower delivery, and rationing.   In every measurable way, this is just bad medicine, plain and simple."

Sorry, Jim.  In every measurable way, your statement is simply a pack of lies and misrepresentations.  But wait, there's more.  The 60 Plus Association has ties to Conservative Republicans and the pharmaceutical industry.  It probably has ties to health care providers and big oil, based on their questionable positions.

MORE:  The 60 Plus Association: A Corporate Assault in "Good-for-Seniors" Clothing -- "The 60 Plus Association, a pharmaceutical industry front group, claims it is a 'nonpartisan senior advocacy group,' but it really operates counter to elderly citizens' best interests.  60 Plus advocates positions on issues that benefit big corporations but that stand to harm seniors."

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