Oct. 14 was the deadline for members of the Congress to submit recommendations to the so-called super committee on how to identify $1.2 trillion in 10-year savings. The ideas flowing in from both the House and Senate appear to be rather wide-ranging -- from raising revenue by licensing Internet gambling, to saving money by releasing prisoners early if they learn to read or requiring the secretary of the Treasury Department to fly commercial.

But most seemed predictably disappointing. As the Wall Street Journal put it: “The recommendations . . . amounted to little more than a road map to the political obstacles the super committee members face as they labor behind closed doors to reach an agreement on reducing budget deficits . . .”