Romania may no longer get the American anti-missile shield

Romanian miracles don't seem to last long. The super anti-missile shield of Deveselu, designed to handle any type of bomb, could be wrecked by some files. Files which contain the public debt of the US, and which are being slammed into the tables of Congress increasingly harder. When the threat is domestic and your own spending budget could very well fall to pieces, as a country you tend to get a little less concerned with protecting your overseas allies and more with looking for solutions to the problems on your own turf. This game has been going on for a while in Washington while Romanians watch it in surprise. Pompous statements about the amazing protection that Romania would receive could suddenly become mere boasting.

The most ambitious attempt by the government in Washington to cut the US public debt is about to end in failure, after the Republican and Democrat members of the Super Committee created three months ago failed to settle their disagreements on taxes and public spending. After a year of harsh battles in Congress about the budget and the public debt, the failure of the "Super Committee" sends a new signal that the two parties are refusing to reach a compromise that would set the public finances of the USA on a sustainable and stable path. The potential failure strengthens the image of a "dysfunctional" Washington among the population, investors and the business environment, all of them being already disappointed by the constant fighting in Congress, which this summer almost caused the US to default due to a technical issue, namely the raising of the debt ceiling. Neither the leaders of the two parties or the officials of the White House commented on the information published by the media. "The Super Committee" was expected to reach an agreement by Wednesday. Republicans will struggle to protect the defense budget from the automatic defense cuts of 600 billion dollars caused by the failure of the Super Committee to reach a common agreement. The agreement concluded this summer by the two parties to raise the debt ceiling stipulates measures to automatically reduce the budget deficit by 1,200 billion dollars in the next ten years, if the Super Committee fails to reach a consensus and to recommend an alternative to Congress. The automatic cuts, which will affect all sectors, were set precisely to stimulate the Commission to reach an agreement. Last week, the US public debt reached 15,000 billion dollars, placing it at 100% of the current GDP.

Just as Americans finally arrive, no less than 60 years late, they find that it is time to cut their spending.