There are still 14 million people unemployed in America and today we find that John Carney is still working on stuff that creates no jobs:
- Introducing a Balanced Budget Amendment — one that is different than the one that is being voted on later in the week by the House:
because Rep. Carney’s legislation protects Social Security and allows for public investments by separating the federal capital and operating budgets. It also provides for extenuating circumstances by allowing outlays to exceed receipts in a time of economic recession, declared war, or imminent national security threat as voted on by Congress.
Great. In addition to creating no jobs, this Balanced Budget Amendment does exactly what the other one does. It lets people burnish their budget cred in public. This — much like Coons’ exercise in bipartisanship — is meant to be theater. Because you know something interesting? Budgets originate in the House. If the House cared about producing a balanced budget, they’d get their staff to churn out one. This amendment fetish is just a way to keep one upping people on this budget without having to do the hard work of producing a balanced budget OR in having to do the hard work of selling the amendment to a bunch of states. The federal government is meant to be a different animal than state governments and while I’m killing metaphors here, the federal government budget isn’t like a household budget. So while I’m still astonished that *this* is the Congressman’s priority while 14 million of his fellow citizens are unemployed, I’m starting to be insulted by these guys trying to sell me this balanced budget snake oil for something they could do with a little leadership and discipline.
- Shows Up at a Bipartisan Press Conference to Urge the Super Committee to Go Big — as in cutting the deficit more than $1.2 trillion.
OK. Except that isn’t about job creation, EITHER. And it doesn’t look to me like Representative Carney is following the travails of this committee. They look like they are heading for failure — the latest deal floated is that the GOP might consider tax hikes if Dems agree to privatize Medicare. Carney boasted of this event on his Facebook page (where you should go to tell him what you think his priorities should be):
I just got back to my office after participating in a bipartisan press conference urging the Super Committee to “go big.” Great turnout from Democrats and Republicans from House and Senate who want the Super Committee to agree on a large deal that is balanced, responsible, and fair.
Notwithstanding the fact that this has nothing to do with employment — and I’m reminding everyone that fuller employment goes someway towards genuine deficit reduction — I want Carney to explain how he thinks there is going to be balanced, responsible or fair from people who refuse to consider raising revenue and who think that privatizing Medicare is a responsible thing to do?
So c’mon, Representative Carney — what we don’t need is more theater. We need serious leadership and governing to get the jobs back. And it doesn’t help that you are actually proud of spending time and energy on symbolic stuff that has not one thing to do with bringing jobs or the economy back.