New federal spending panel no solution

Amid our nation's ongoing financial and economic crisis, some have called for Washington to put together a commission to come up with solutions.

"Studying the problem" always sounds like a good idea, of course, but there is no reason to think another commission, "study group," "blue-ribbon panel" or whatever you may want to call it is going to find solutions that have thus far escaped everyone's notice.

If a federal commission were the answer to our fiscal troubles, the flood of commissions put together over the past few decades surely would have ended those troubles long ago.

Sen. Jim DeMint, a conservative Republican from South Carolina, put together an informative video pointing out both the massive rise in federal spending and debt over many years and some of the numerous commissions that have been formed to address spending and debt during that time period.

DeMint listed a total of 17 such panels, stretching from President Ronald Reagan to President Barack Obama.

Here are a few of them. You can decide for yourself whether they accomplished their goals:

• The President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control in the Federal Government, also known as the Grace Commission.

• The National Commission on Social Security Reform, or the Greenspan Commission.

• The National Partnership for Reinventing Government, or the Gore Commission.

• The National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare.

• The Commission to Study Capital Budgeting.

• The President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security.

• The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget -- subtitled "The Future Is Now: a Balanced Approach to Stabilize the Public Debt and Promote Economic Growth."

• The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

• The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission.

Three of the 17 total panels cited were convened under President Reagan, one was convened under President George H.W. Bush, three were formed under President Bill Clinton, five were formed under President George W. Bush, and five have been formed under President Barack Obama so far.

What is clear from this history of federal commissions designed to solve problems -- then not solving those problems -- is that yet another commission is unlikely to go very far toward improving our alarming financial condition.

Considering how serious our problems of debt, interest on the debt, high unemployment and a depressed housing market are, do you think the calls for a new commission of some sort are a realistic approach to dealing with those problems -- or a way to put off having to deal with them?

We're afraid it's the latter.

Upcoming Events