John Spratt: “Simply giving away pollute-for-free allowances to certain industries does not work.”

I think it is a bit irresponsible to at least articulate to the American people, to the Congress, why you think we need a new policy direction.

Under Democratic leadership, the 111th Congress moved swiftly to enact the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which has jump started economic activity.

Failed Republican economic policies had brought the financial system dangerously close to a complete meltdown and had driven the economy into its deepest recession since the 1930s.

The moral of the story is, if the leaders of both parties don't want a commission to succeed, if the leaders of both parties aren't willing to put both parts of the budget, taxes and spending, on the table, the chances that it is going to…