Mr. Obama - the biggest spender in presidential history - created the commission by executive order (after the Senate failed to do so), ostensibly to give him recommendations on deficit and debt reduction and spending control. It's supposed to offer ways to bring down the federal deficit to 3 percent of gross domestic product by 2015, compared with 10 percent currently, and to constrain the surging costs of huge entitlements like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Mr. Obama has also asked the commission to look at the tax code in order to consider tax increases. And therein lies its real reason for being. Any sentient human being knows this is simply a cover to raise taxes on everyone, particularly the middle class, for whom Mr. Obama promised no tax increases. "If you make less than $250,000 a year, your taxes will not go up - not by one penny," he said incessantly during the campaign. So much for that.
The commission is supposed to be "bipartisan," but its makeup is decidedly tilted toward liberals thoroughly invested in Mr. Obama's big-government agenda. Mr. Obama gave himself the privilege of picking six of the 18 commission positions. Democrats in Congress get to choose another six, so ultimately, the Democrats get 12 seats, the Republicans get six. Viva "bipartisanship!"
Mr. Obama has announced that former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles and former Sen. Alan Simpson will lead the commission. Neither Mr. Bowles nor Mr. Simpson have a record of fondness for tax cuts. That's to be expected of Democrat Mr. Bowles, but Mr. Simpson's role is more problematic. He has criticized pro-growth tax cuts and supported tax increases when what's needed now is a mix of deep spending cuts, elimination of unneeded programs and tax cuts. Of course, that's precisely why Mr. Obama selected him.
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