Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – A strong majority of the presidential debt commission voted Friday to approve a plan for reducing the national budget deficit by $4 trillion over the next decade through spending cuts and tax increases.

President Obama appointed the 18-member commission that includes Republicans and Democrats last February.

Eleven of the members supported the plan.

However, the 11 votes in favor fell short of the 14 needed to send the plan to Congress for legislative action.

Nevertheless, even the commission’s members were surprised by the heavy majority who supported it.

“This plan is not perfect, and it is certainly not the plan I would have written. But it will help put Americans back to work and it will reduce our federal debt dramatically,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) wrote in a newspaper commentary. “If we don’t act now … the tough choices we face now only get tougher.”

Five Republicans, five Democrats and one independent voted for the plan.

The commission included six private individuals drawn from industry, academia and labor groups. The others were political officials.

One of the Republicans was Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, who said, “Our debt crisis is a threat not just to our way of life but to our national survival. And the threat that we face is so real and so close that we do not have further time for gridlock or inaction.”

The commission’s work on the plan showed how deeply opinions are split on the seriousness of the $13.8 trillion national debt.

Opponents of the plan complained that the proposed spending cuts would cause too many short-term problems for people who need the money the worst.

Even without the supermajority of 14 votes required for congressional action, Obama and others said the debt commission’s plan is likely to influence government policies.

“The commission’s majority report includes a number of specific proposals that I — along with my economic team — will study closely in the coming weeks as we develop our budget and our priorities for the coming year,” Obama said in a statement.

“I don’t doubt our ability to meet this challenge, but our success depends on our willingness to engage in the kind of honest conversation and cooperation that hasn’t always happened in Washington. We cannot afford to fall back on old ideologies, and we will all have to budge on long-held positions. So I ask members of both parties to maintain an open mind and a commitment to progress as we work to lift this burden from the shoulders of future generations.”

A primary goal for Obama’s economic programs is to create jobs, which he mentioned in his statement Friday as the latest Labor Department figures showed unemployment rose in November. The jobless rate increased to 9.8 percent from 9.6 percent in October.

Recommendations in the debt commission’s plan seek to soften the burden on wage-earners most likely to lose their jobs by preserving tax breaks for mortgage interest on primary residences, charitable contributions and employer-paid health insurance.

Individual and corporate tax rates would be lowered from a maximum of 35 percent to nor more than 29 percent.

However, most other tax breaks would be eliminated, especially for people making the most money.

Other parts of the plan call for higher Medicare copayments and reduced Social Security benefits.

The age of eligibility for Social Security would rise gradually from 65 years old now to 67 by 2027 and 69 by 2075.

In addition, new rules are needed to ensure defense and domestic spending is cut and stays that way, the commission’s plan says.

The commission approved its plan while debate in Congress continues on whether to extend Bush-era tax cuts before they expire Dec. 31.

Republicans say the tax cuts are needed to keep the recent uptick in the economy going.

Democrats say additional tax revenue is necessary to extend unemployment benefits that started to expire this week.

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There are two main types of cholesterol. The first type is called LDL cholesterol, and the other is HDL cholesterol. LDL cholesterol, otherwise known as low-density lipoprotein, is considered the “dangerous” cholesterol. LDL cholesterol can build up on the artery walls. Over time this plaque build-up blocks blood flow, reducing circulation and causing stress and damage to the heart. This raises blood pressure, and eventually leads to heart disease or a heart attack. Individuals that have higher levels of LDL run a much higher risk of having heart disease. Although LDL is affected by genetics, there are several precautions that individuals can take towards keeping safe LDL levels.

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The Article is Originally Published Here: Cholesterol Facts

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