EDITORIAL: Both parties ignoring the deficit

After weeks of filibuster-induced paralysis, Senate Democrats got the final vote they needed to extend unemployment benefits yesterday when the late Sen. Robert Byrd's replacement was sworn in. Passing the extension is the right thing to do. About 2.5 million people jobless in the worst economy in decades have exhausted their benefits.

But the debate highlighted Washington's hypocrisy on deficit reduction. Hypocrisy? On Capitol Hill? Not so shocking.

Democrats have championed pay-as-you-go fiscal discipline for years. But citing the need for economic stimulus, they supported the six-month extension without offsets - which, in D.C. speak, means without raising taxes or cutting spending to cover the $34-billion tab.

Almost all Republicans stood firm on not extending unemployment benefits without offsets. But their zeal for deficit-fighting melts away when the issue is extending tax cuts, set to expire in December, that are worth $3.3 trillion over 10 years.

That inconsistency on each side of the aisle is more election year politics than pragmatic fiscal policy. Democrats don't want to disappoint workers; Republicans don't want to disappoint affluent taxpayers. But come December - after the election is past and President Barack Obama's deficit reduction commission has issued its report - maybe Congress will get serious about spending, taxes, deficits and debt. Putting the nation on the right course won't be easy or popular. But that's the job. hN