Libertarian National Committee Chair Mark Hinkle released the following statement today:

"I'm not sure what to laugh at more: the 'super committee,' or the media's reporting of it.

"We've already started to see one silly article after another about 'missed opportunities' and 'failure,' and an inability to bridge the huge differences between Republicans and Democrats. What a lot of nonsense.

"At best, the super committee was going to cut total projected federal spending over the next ten years by two percent. What an absurdly low hurdle. It never mattered whether they succeeded or failed.

"Even if 'sequestration' proceeds (which it won't, Congress will override it one way or another), that still only means a difference of about 2%. It just doesn't matter. We need to cut spending by 50% or more.

"The federal government currently spends a bigger portion of America's money than it has at any time in history (except a few years during World War II).

"The whole purpose of this ridiculous exercise was to create the illusion of huge differences between Democrats and Republicans. It was all about hype. Keep everyone fixated on the teeny-tiny areas of pseudo-disagreement, so they don't step back and realize that Democrats and Republicans are the same. Both parties want a huge, huge federal government that does everything under the sun. They both want spending to keep going up. Neither party cares much about what's going to happen to our descendants when the huge burden of government spending is compounded with the huge burden of government debt.

"Unfortunately, Washington is not paralyzed by partisanship. I wish it were. Instead, Republicans and Democrats keep getting together, holding hands, and passing massive spending bills. They just passed another one last week.

"The super committee was just another gimmick. There aren't any gaps, or chasms, or gulfs in Washington. If you want to see politicians who actually challenge the status quo, start electing Libertarians."