. Military Space News .




.
POLITICAL ECONOMY
'Gang of Six' warns of problems
by Katherine Shepherd, Medill News Service
Washington (UPI) Jun 8, 2011

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

A group of U.S. senators is crafting a bipartisan plan to cut $4.7 trillion from the budget deficit over 10 years, two of the group's leaders said Wednesday.

The leaders of the U.S. Senate's "Gang of Six" deficit negotiators, Sens. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and Mark Warner, D-Va., said a bipartisan plan is necessary to put the United States on the right fiscal path.

"There needs to be a sense of urgency around this issue," Warner said. "We add $4 billion [to the debt] a day. So every day we don't act … this problem just gets exponentially worse."

All other domestic issues pale in comparison to putting the United States on the path to fiscal solvency, said Warner, who spoke with Chambliss at the Economic Club of Washington.

The group has been meeting since the beginning of the year to create a plan that both sides of the political aisle could accept. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who was one of the group's most-outspoken members, dramatically left the negotiations in May saying that the talks were at "an impasse." Chambliss said he hopes to draw Coburn back to the table.

The remaining lawmakers are still working and have no set date to release a proposal, Chambliss said. It is imperative that the senators spend enough time crafting a solution that they can convince colleagues in both political parties to vote for, he said.

"If this plan doesn't make everyone at least a little bit mad, we probably haven't done our job," Warner said.

The U.S. debt is 63 percent of gross domestic product, Chambliss said citing a Congressional Budget Office chart. In 2001, the debt-GDP ratio was 33 percent. Economists have told Chambliss that 90 percent is the tipping point after it is impossible to turn the situation around, he said.

Signing a deficit reduction plan into law would be the greatest thing the United States could do to insert certainty into the marketplace and stimulate job growth, Warner said.

The business community has to be encouraged by the policies going on in Washington for the economy to improve in the long term, Chambliss said. Lawmakers have been failing to do this, he said.

"There is not a lot happening from a policy standpoint to provide certainty in the marketplace," Chambliss said.

The U.S. House of Representatives has been focusing on cutting discretionary spending to get the country out of debt but more action has to be taken, Chambliss said.

Addressing Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security is necessary but Chambliss isn't sure if the plan from Rep. Paul Ryan., R-Wis., is the right answer, he said. Ryan is the Republican point man on the budget.

The U.S. Congress is debating raising the nation's debt ceiling, which is capped at $14.3 trillion. Without raising the limit, the U.S. government could default by August, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said.

There is a "high probability" of a double-dip recession if the debt ceiling isn't raised and the U.S. defaults on its obligations, Warner said.

There is still time for the United States to resolve the debt crisis but it will take time, Warner cautioned.

"We didn't get into this problem overnight," he said. "We're not going to get out of it overnight."

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden brings congressional leaders together again Thursday in an attempt to craft a compromise that will solve the impasse on Capitol Hill. Republicans want budget reductions equal to any amount above the current debt ceiling. Democrats argue that drastic cuts could harm growth in the sputtering U.S. economy.




Related Links
The Economy

.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries






. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



POLITICAL ECONOMY
Lagarde 'very positive' with talks in China: AFP interview
Beijing (AFP) June 9, 2011
France's Christine Lagarde, the frontrunner to lead the IMF, told AFP Thursday that she felt "very positive" about her talks in Beijing and backed China's right to fill a top job at the global lender. The French finance minister, seeking to be the International Monetary Fund's first female managing-director, undertook a marathon day of talks on Wednesday in Beijing, after spending the day be ... read more


POLITICAL ECONOMY
NATO chief rejects Russia's missile defence proposal

Russia softens stance on missile defence: report

Army Receives First THAAD Missiles

Medvedev says Russia, US 'losing time' on missile defense

POLITICAL ECONOMY
Raytheon-Boeing Team Responds to Warfighter's Call for Joint Air-To-Ground Missile

West to have 80,000 cruise missiles by 2020

Boeing Awarded PAC-3 Seeker Production Contract

Israel to switch Hawks for David's Sling

POLITICAL ECONOMY
Elbit to Supply a Latin-American Country with Hermes 900 UAS

AeroVironment Receives New Orders for Digital Raven Systems

NMSU stages successful UAV test over Hatch

RAF Announces New Reaper Squadron

POLITICAL ECONOMY
Indra To Supply Satellite Communications Systems To Brazil's MoD

Lockheed system proves its worth

Intelsat General To Support Armed Forces Radio And Television Service

Northrop Grumman Awarded Continuing Operation of Battlefield Airborne Communications Node Contract

POLITICAL ECONOMY
L-3 WESCAM Launches the MX-10GS EO/IR Imaging Turret

Northrop Grumman Showcases Firebird and Other Emerging ISR Solutions

USAF's Largest Airlifter Still Making a 'Big' Difference

World Wars camouflage technique could have benefits in modern warfare

POLITICAL ECONOMY
Boeing Delivers Two F-15K Slam Eagles to the Republic of Korea

Russia delivers another batch of naval fighters to India

Arms sales to Arabs states under fire

GD to Deliver Through Life Support for ASLAV, M1A1 and M88A2 Fleets

POLITICAL ECONOMY
NATO, Russian jets hold first ever joint exercise

Ban Ki-moon reelection campaign gathers pace

Gates: U.S. Asia-Pacific presence to grow

China backs Ban for second term as UN chief

POLITICAL ECONOMY
MLD Test Moves Navy A Step Closer To Lasers For Ship Self-Defense

US Navy And Northrop Grumman Accomplish Goals For At-Sea Demonstration Of Maritime Laser


Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily Express :: SpaceWar Express :: TerraDaily Express :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News
.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2011 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement