kopphanatic wrote:Christie in hospital after shortness of breath

Christie, who has acknowledged being overweight in television interviews

jerseyhoya wrote:No vote tonight. God fucking damnit, so dumb. Enjoy getting rolled by the Senate, you principled retards.

jerseyhoya wrote:Except nothing bad has happened - yet anyway

jerseyhoya wrote:Except nothing bad has happened - yet anyway

TenuredVulture wrote:Are guys like Frelinghuysen just too old to make a difference in their caucus any more?

As it happens, the debt ceiling, which was adopted in 1917, did have a purpose once—it was a way for Congress to keep the President accountable. Congress used to exercise only loose control over the government budget, and the President was able to borrow money and spend money with little legislative oversight. But this hasn’t been the case since 1974; Congress now passes comprehensive budget resolutions that detail exactly how the government will tax and spend, and the Treasury Department borrows only the money that Congress allows it to. (It’s why TARP, for instance, required Congress to pass a law authorizing the Treasury to act.) This makes the debt ceiling an anachronism. These days, the debt limit actually makes the President less accountable to Congress, not more: if the ceiling isn’t raised, it’s President Obama who will be deciding which bills get paid and which don’t, with no say from Congress.