Super Committee was anything but

When it comes to spending and borrowing, Congress is like a dieter who padlocks his own refrigerator.

It sounds like a good plan, but then if you have the key to the lock, just how effective is it?

Not at all, it turns out.

Congress tried to lock itself in to taking austerity measures when it formed what was to be a Super Committee of six Republican and six Democratic representatives and senators. Basically, they were told to lock themselves in a room and work out a deal to cut $1.2 trillion from the national debt over a 10-year period. To ensure these dozen lawmakers succeeded at their task, Congress created a penalty for failure