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Dave Ross knows it's kind of cold, but he says if you're planning on visiting a National Park, you might want to go sooner rather than later. (AP Photo/File/Ted S. Warren)

Will it shut down?

BY Dave Ross  on January 7, 2013 @ 6:11 am (Updated: 1:38 pm - 1/7/13 )

On March 27 the U.S., like a lot of its citizens, will reach its credit limit - which is fine, since everyone wants smaller government. Unless, you were planning on using a government service or getting a government check.

But since we know when it will happen, Congress has time to act as it did last week when it compromised in a higher tax on the wealthy so that tax revenue is now a done deal.

"Is it done now?"

"No. It is not," responded Rep. Nancy Pelosi on "Face the Nation."

See, and that's the problem. On "Face The Nation" you had the top Democrat in the House, Nancy Pelosi, talking about reforming the tax code, but reforming it in a particular way.

"Looking at the tax code, putting everything on the table from the stand point of closing loopholes," she described.

What kinds of loopholes would she be putting on the table?

"Let's put it on the table: what it is that we can to increase revenue."

The kinds of loopholes that if you close them, they would bring in more money.

But when the top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, talks about tax reform, he defines it differently.

"I think tax reform is a good idea, but now that we have resolved the revenue issue, tax reform ought to be revenue neutral," described McConnell.

So Representative Pelosi's idea of tax reform is to do things that raise more new revenue, and Senator McConnell's idea of tax reform is to raise no new revenue.

These two goals are what I believe we would call OPPOSITES. Oil and water. Fire and ice.

What I'm saying is, I know it's kind of cold, but if you're planning on visiting a National Park, you might want to go sooner rather than later.

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Congressman Adam Smith blasts both parties and president for failing to find fiscal fix

Dave Ross, KIRO Radio Talk Show Host
Dave Ross is co-host of The Ross & Burbank Show on KIRO Radio (weekdays 9-Noon) and never too far from the spotlight.
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Comments (28)


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  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    the parks are always first to be shutdown
    January 7, 2013 6:44 am
    and anything else that is popular among the plebes. The elitist rulers must make any attempt by the plebes to limit their power as painful as possible. One thing is as certain as death and taxes.....Congressional pay checks and perks will never be delayed or reduced. There is no recession in D.C., it is boom town USA.
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  • Cameron wrote...
    The Ross and Burbank Show Shut Down?
    January 7, 2013 7:01 am
    Has there been a programming change? Why no announcement? Seattles morning news with Dave Ross and Linda Thomas? Hmmm? What's next?
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  • uralnutjobs wrote...
    remember when kiro was a news station
    January 7, 2013 2:51 pm
    i remember growing up this was the only station that was on in our house in the morning so that we would know what was going on outside of the pacnorwet. i finally turned kiro off all my radios. once the seahawks season is over 710 will be turned off too.
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  • Fuego wrote...
    How about a choice
    January 7, 2013 7:05 am
    between sending aid to Pakistan or sending the money to our Park system. Yah, I know....tough decision.
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  • sportsguru wrote...
    They definitely need to change the tax code
    January 7, 2013 7:26 am

    but I have to agree with "GULP" Bill Law on this one. I don't think it will matter, there is a environment in GOVERNMENT that if they don't spend every dime even if they don't need to that they are going to lose funding? It's been like that since I can remember, they don't have any incentive to be responsible with OUR MONEY, when it's someone elses money it's easy to be careless.

    To many government departments who will spend every dime to PROVE that they need OUR MONEY, I have seen it personally, they spend on needless stuff because if they come back at the end of the year and didn't spend all of there money, the new budget is going to reflect that change and they don't want the cut in funding EVEN if they don't need it.

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  • Mavila wrote...
    Why Have Taxes at All?
    January 7, 2013 7:29 am
    It's not like the federal government (i.e., Democrats) has any intention of paying off the debt. It's essentially impossible. Apparently they intend to have a utopia where money is obsolete. And, Dave, rather than state the obvious, maybe you could tell us how you feel about the Democrats essentially renegging on a deal that isn't even a week old? You know, do your job as a commentator? Who would you blame?
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    Once again making my pitch for an across-the-board rollback of spending....
    January 7, 2013 8:01 am
    Freeze spending in every department in 2013, and cut it back 5 percent or so per year, across the board, beginning in 2014.

    People say, "Across the board? Why you heartless old SOB! Don't you know that the handout that I get, or my relative gets from the government is essential to sustain life? Don't you know that increased government funding of research into the mating calls of humming birds might prove vital to the national defense?"

    That's exactly *why* we cut it across the board. Every program out there can make a decent case (or most of them at least can make a case) establishing why money poured into their particular trough is wisely or humanely spent.

    Our spending priorities are imperfect. Sorry, but they will always be imperfect. Even so, they are what they are after decades of congressional wrangling and wrestling over how our resources are getting spent (and misspent).

    We have *already* established an imperfect but functioning model for relative distribution of federal spending. Leave that model in place, for better or worse, and cut now. Don't wait until some mythical day in the future when we will all magically agree whether funding treatment centers for juvenile alcoholics is more worthy, or less worthy, than slapping an extra coat of pain on an aircraft carrier. As long as there are at least two people in the country holding an opinion, we will never be in perfect agreement on government priorities.

    Cut, cut, cut.

    We've got flesh eating fiscal bacteria in the government. Better to sacrifice a few fingers now than be dead in short order.

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  • messiah101 wrote...
    As I stated before an across the board cut is not the way to approach the problem
    January 7, 2013 8:24 am
    Its the easy way the unthinking way out,the gutless way out,And it penalizes the departments that may be running efficiently.If department A has been streamlined by its management and Department B+C have not then why would you cut all 3 departments 20%?.No you cut where you need to cut and leave efficient operation alone.People constantly say they want government to be run more like a business well a business would not just cut every department
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    Messiah, government is not a business and will never run like one
    January 7, 2013 9:08 am
    Government is a semi-functional collective of diverse and competing values and priorities. No business with such a loosey goosey game plan would survive in the marketplace. We expect the government to do a lot more things than any business would ever attempt. Because we are all compelled to do "business" with the government (and can't take our trade to the competing government down the block) we all believe we have a right to demand that the government make some provision for our personal priorities.

    The result of all of these demands and expectations is the spending system we *already* have.

    You aren't wrong, Messiah101- in a perfect world we would all sit around in a circle, sing Kum-ba-Yah, and quickly agree whether mandating the design of braille controls for automobiles was a higher priority than analyzing the diet of spiders in Westchester County.

    Formula for guaranteed failure: wait until we all agree on what should be cut before cutting. As we have already agreed, some more willingly than others, on the *existing* spending priorities and ratios- we can certainly justify using those for a basis from which to cut.

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  • messiah101 wrote...
    CG I disagree
    January 7, 2013 10:23 am
    I for one voted for politicians to solve the problem in an effective manner and across the board cuts are not in yours or mine bests interest.It was not that many years ago that the 2 political party's could work together and I believe it can happen again.There is a bottle neck in government that does not involve a majority and that small group can be replaced Pelosi,Reed,MCconnel,BOhner,and 20 or so tea party folks.This small group simply can't work together and also show little leadership skills so before using an ax on government spending work to get rid of these people and then lets cut where needed to the percentage thats needed.For example we can cut the defense spending 50% over time and still have an effective deterrent but 50%or even 20% may not be possible in social programs
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  • logical open mind wrote...
    Messiah- u have zero credibility on business, economics and math
    January 7, 2013 9:33 am
    stick to other issues.
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  • maplefish wrote...
    @chuck
    January 7, 2013 9:03 am
    With you 101% ! Great post!
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  • logical open mind wrote...
    yay Chuck! Im willing to extend SSI for people in my age group, means test medicare, pay park fees and cut defense
    January 7, 2013 9:32 am
    But man, we have to have a national consensus on making an effort to get single men and women to use birth control. There is no excuse. It is free if u make $1800 per month or less. Welfare makes working not worth it and the kids from welfare do not do nearly as well as kids from 2 parent working families. This is true of all races
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    LOGICAL
    January 7, 2013 9:59 am
    Thanks for speaking for everyone in your age group.It seems that the Christian Right screams bloody murder whenever attempts are made to get effective birth control taught in public schools or passing out condoms they scream.No, welfare doesn't make living like a dog worth the pittance they receive what gives you that idea?And FYI children from 2 parent family's with dad working and mom at home do much better then 2 working parents and neither being home to raise the kids.Logical,for a change think a bit deeper(or do some research) on the topics discussed here your knowledge always seems limited when ever you post
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  • logical open mind wrote...
    tell me one public school in washington that doesn't teach birth control at some point in school.
    January 7, 2013 12:28 pm
    idiot-what research have u done on the unintended consequences of single mom welfare? Have u read "losing Ground" or the numerous books on the subject. Do u know the Pat Monihan, a Dem wrote a major piece in the 60's predicting what welfare will do to the families of the poor. U dont know what ye speak of!
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    logical??
    January 7, 2013 1:25 pm
    But parents have the choice to not send their children to the class.Wonder how many of them end up giving birth or knocking up a girl?In my world the education would be on going,mandatory and would include what the dismal future of the mother and father (and child) are with a teen aged pregnancy,its a ticket to poverty
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  • logical open mind wrote...
    Messiah- will you please wise up!! young women know what to do to prevent pregnancy, they want to get pregnant!
    January 7, 2013 4:08 pm
    Please u think todays teenager is not educated on birth control options. Welfare is way better than flipping burgers, plus u have a cute baby that loves you. Oh-your wrong on the dismal money wefare pays. You need to add free medicaid, free breakfast and lunch, food stamps, subsidized housing and even subsidized heating bills. In Penn. a women with 1 kid (maybe 2?) needs to make $69K to equal the welfare career. Do u ever talk to a 17 year old girl? Yes, they know what makes a baby-jeez.
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    Per the photo: The politicians will scare the herd with the rattling noise of galvanized buckets.
    January 7, 2013 8:08 am
    Not only is that herd of Bison a national treasure, it's quite obviously a political resource as well. Can you image how many pounds of excrement each of those beasts produces in a day? Now that this photo is out there, we can expect congressional junkets to Wyoming. Our elected representatives will want stock up on ammo to fling in the ongoing discussions about fiscal responsibility in Washington DC.
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  • Lonestar wrote...
    $ 250 M in tax breaks for Hollywood
    January 7, 2013 8:51 am
    The bison will starve while Brad Pitt and George Clooney wallow in pork. Thanks a lot Maria and Patty.
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  • CH wrote...
    And the idiots will still be blaming Bush? I blame you BLAW for voting for her . . . .
    January 7, 2013 8:59 am
    We've got flesh eating fiscal bacteria in the government. Better to sacrifice a few fingers now than be dead in short order. Day - late Dollars_ short. 2 late CG, the patient is terminal because of Dr. Bush.
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  • deltta wrote...
    Why is MYNW allowing this?
    January 7, 2013 10:01 am
    This gradeschool game of he hacked my account is stupid.
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