Dec 15, 2013 By Oren Speiger 2 min read

There is no glory to be found for anyone in the two-year federal spending blueprint negotiated by Washington Democratic Senator Patty Murray and Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan and presented to their Congressional colleagues at the eleventh hour.

Both parties dug in their heels, thus little of any substance was accomplished. We shall continue to fail to address our burgeoning national debt and unsustainable entitlement programs. No “grand bargain” was expected, and none emerged.

Discretionary spending had been slated to be $967 billion for the 2014 fiscal year. The Murray-Ryan plan boosts it to $1.012 trillion, an increase of about 4 percent, and it serves to undo parts of the sequester, which forced reductions in all facets of federal spending, something which is too much for either party to endure.

The plan increases taxes on airline travelers that are already subjected to levy upon levy. The greater the amount of taxes and fees for which fliers are responsible, the harder it is for airlines to turn a profit.

Whether the plan can garner sufficient bipartisan support to pass is up in the air, but even if it does, it is not a proud moment for our nation notwithstanding the fact that it puts off any possibility of government shutdown for the immediate future.

It is the type of government we have come to expect, that which would have been anathema to the Founding Fathers. It is “kick the can down the road” governance, and it is irresponsible.

Oren M. Spiegler is a resident of Upper St. Clair.