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Keller @ Large: The Joke Is On Us

BOSTON (CBS) - The ridiculous stuff our political leaders in Washington say would be funny – if it didn't hurt so much to laugh.

The pick of their punch lines Wednesday, as they lurched toward an 11th hour deal to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling, came from that master of comedy, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Pat Paulsen of his era.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

Keller at Large Oct 17 2013

(Ask somebody over 50 what that means if you don't get it.)

Said Reid: "The compromise we reached will provide our economy with the stability it desperately needs."

Actually, no, it will not do that in any way, shape or form.

To quote the most popular term used by non-comedians to describe it, the deal merely "kicks the can down the road," with the government set to shut down again on January 15th and the debt ceiling raised until February 7th.

In the meantime, a special commission will meet to hash out solutions to our fiscal problems, a set of proposals that seem sure to wind up where the proposals of numerous past commissions have been consigned by alleged leaders of both parties – a dusty shelf in the basement.

What sort of fiscal problems are we talking about?

For starters, how about the near-doubling of medical costs predicted by the Congressional Budget Office over the next 25 years, even as Social Security benefits explode and debt reaches 100-percent of gross domestic product?

Can you say "fewer jobs, lower wages, and crushing fixed costs of living?"

Not a very humorous outlook, is it?

But no wonder the likes of Reid, GOP ideologue Ted Cruz, and the rest of the stooges in DC think it's funny to spoon-feed us baby talk.

Their paychecks and pensions are all nice and secure.

It's a joke, alright – on the rest of us.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

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