Only 29% of Americans thought the super committee would get their job done. I was one of the hopefuls.

Original Commentary by J Smithson

I was wrong but not disappointed. Understand that the assigned task of this 12 member panel, was little more than busy work; 1.2 trillion in savings against an 18 trillion dollar debt increase during the same period of time. And these cuts will not go into effect until 2013, if at all. Also, the super committee's work does not effect "baseline" budgeting, which will increase our annual expenditure by 6.2%, on average, each year . . . . . . an automatic increase that works without the need for additional legislation. Understand that I am talking about a 62% increase to our budget over the course of the coming decade, without growing the size of government by a single person or adding another regulation or creating another federal agency.

In effect, our politicians have a bowl of rotting fruit sitting on the table before them, and they have busied themselves with picking out that which is most rotten and leaving the remainder for another time. Bon appetit!

Paul Ryan's 6.6 trillion dollar plan offered cuts and a legislative agenda that would begin to alter the systemic issues that force increased debt. The bill passed in the House but was completely ignored by Harry Reid, in the Senate. Boyles/Simpson, Obama's own appointed committee, did much the same with 4.4 trillion in initial cuts. Obama and the Democrats chose to ignore that result, as well. You know you are in big trouble when folks ignore their own solutions!

More than this, while Obama threatens and whines, he offers no solutions of his own. That is highly problematic, because it gives the legislators no guidelines on what he will accept and what he will reject. Congress passes legislation; Obama says "no," and then tries to make political hay out of the impasse he has created. Amazing.

In the end, the more critical issue in all this is the fact that, after 40 years of compromise on the part of the GOP, conservatives have finally said, "Enough is enough !!" Our democracy works on the basis of compromise. During my life-time (and I am 66), this "compromise" has moved the Leftist agenda along while destroying conservative values and commonsense financial practices. Government has gotten bigger and bigger. Our welfare roles have increased to the point of national ruination. Our socialist unions continue to rape the economy. Our schools have become bastions of secular philosophy and educational incompetence. And, the Right is done with all that crap. Understand that

When "compromise" is not reciprocal, it is not compromise.

It is time for the Left to learn that lesson. It is time to have that battle. And if conservatives lose? Well, nothing will change. Our schools will become more of a joke. Our place in the world will continue to diminish. Our armies will become weaker and weaker. And, in the end, we will run out of money.

Conservatives say, let's have this battle now or run out of money, later. What many of you do not understand is this: there are no other choices.