U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s selection to serve on a congressional supercommittee aimed at identifying $1.2 trillion in budget savings for the next decade reflects the confidence that Senate leadership has in his ability to address the nation’s fiscal issues.

But Toomey will distinguish himself more so if he is able to be a leader in regard to the compromises that will be necessary as the supercommittee carries out its mission. The panel of six Republicans and six Democrats has a deadline of the day before Thanksgiving to assemble a plan capable of receiving seven “yes” votes from committee members.

During a conference call with reporters earlier this month, Toomey, a first-term Republican, acknowledged that the supercommittee must work to find common ground between Republicans and Democrats.

“That would be necessary to pass both the Senate and the House and get the president’s signature, so this has to be done in a cooperative fashion,” Toomey said.

In addition, he said the committee’s work should reduce the U.S. deficit but also must be pro-growth.

“This is a very, very important moment in the history of our country,” Toomey said. “We’re facing a very, very serious challenge, and we need to address this very aggressively.”

The only way that the supercommittee members will be able to produce the desired result will be if both Republicans and Democrats are willing to be open to some ideas that they have rejected in the past.

And then, as noted by Toomey during the conference call, there’s the matter of acceptance by other members of their parties and President Barack Obama.

Toomey has the expertise on budget issues and fiscal matters to be an asset on the panel. Although a first-year senator, his past experience in the House of Representatives gives him an understanding of the fiscal issues this country faces.

Toomey knows what needs to be done; the question is whether he’ll wield the influence to achieve what needs to be accomplished — and that will require compromise, by both sides.

CheerThe growth of the Miracle League of Southwestern Pennsylvania in Cranberry Township over the past three years must not go unnoticed. Neither should the volunteers whose dedication makes the program possible. Without volunteers, the program could not exist.The Miracle League is a baseball program designed for children with special needs and disabilities. From 130 players during the league’s first year, the program grew this year to nearly 300.And, to its credit, the league has no plans to discourage further growth. But with that growth will come the need for more volunteers.The Seneca Valley School District is right in expressing pride regarding district students who give up free time on Saturdays to help with the league. Of the 600 volunteers needed on a weekly basis, that volunteer contingent usually consists of about 250 Seneca Valley students.“These are 250 kids who have more things to do than I ever did as a kid,” said Mike Sherry, league president. “Yet they get up every Saturday morning and have their parents drive them to the field, just so children can participate in America’s game of baseball.”Seneca students’ efforts on behalf of the league don’t stop with that Saturday volunteering. Sherry said there already have been more than a dozen senior fundraising projects related to the league.Many of those have raised thousands of dollars.In addition to noting and commending the students’ volunteer efforts, Sherry thanked the school district in general for its continued support.But a program like Miracle League also could not exist without dedicated leaders. Therefore, Sherry and other program leaders deserve plaudits for what they have been able to accomplish over the past three years.The program is a credit to Cranberry and to Butler County. Hopefully its successes will continue to multiply.

Jeer Medical costs continue to rise at rates higher than inflation, despite last year’s passage of a health care reform law with the words “Affordable Care” in its official name.One reason, among many, for rising health care costs is drug costs. A report the other day revealed that federal investigators found that Medicaid buys drugs at significantly lower costs for its clients than Medicare does for its beneficiaries. Medicaid discounts for drugs are about double the Medicare discounts.The federal inspector general found that Medicaid earned price discounts of 45 percent from pharmaceutical companies for 100 widely used brand-name drugs. The discounts earned by Medicare, which were negotiated by private insurance companies, averaged about 19 percent.Simply put, Medicare is paying too much for drugs. That means taxpayers are paying too much, billions of dollars too much.The issue of excessive drug prices paid by Medicare was amplified by the fact that the Medicare Part D law, passed in 2003, specifically prohibited Medicare from using the federal program’s buying clout to negotiate lower drug prices.The only conclusion that can be drawn from that prohibition is that drug companies essentially wrote parts of the law to maximize their profits.The latest evidence of Medicare paying much more than is necessary for commonly used brand-name drugs is proof that Congress should change the Medicare Part D law to allow Medicare to negotiate deeper discounts for the drugs it buys.