government shutdown (1)

 

Politicians Need to Listen

to the Voters NOW!

 

      Despite adding hundreds of billions of dollars in spending laws and Obamacare (a massive new entitlement program) in 2010, Nancy Pelosi’s Democrat-controlled House of Representatives didn’t bother to pass a budget last year.  Now Pelosi and Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, another Democrat, have decided that despite the results of November’s election, the only budget concerns that matter today (spend, spend, spend!) are theirs.   Taxpaying voters, meanwhile according to a recent Rasmussen Reports survey say, “A pox on both of your houses, shut down the government, until agreement on substantial CUTS*** is reached.” 

      While the two parties haggle, 58% of voters would rather see a partial shutdown of the federal government rather than maintaining spending at current levels ($3.7 TRillion in the Obama budget) according to the ever accurate Rasmussen Reports. Only 33% of likely voters told Rasmussen they’d prefer to see government spending continue at present levels rather than shutting down the government.   Opinions fell upon partisan lines with 58% of Democrats opting for maintaining spending levels; contradicted by 80% of Republicans and 59% of Independents who thought partial shutdown until agreement on cuts was the better idea. Overall just 6% of voters support more spending while 61% say cuts are in order. 

      The public seems more clear-thinking on fiscal matters than our elected representatives according to numerous Rasmussen polls. The majority of voters for years have said that cutting taxes and reducing government spending are best for the economy.   Of all Mr. Obama’s promises casually-made and super-casually-unfulfilled, voters have consistently rated “cutting the federal deficit by half  by the end of his first term” as the most important promise that nominee Obama made. Today survey after survey confirms that few voters expect he’ll keep it.  

      Mr. Obama’s present $3.7 TRillion budget will see government spending increased taking it over $4 TRillion very soon unless some drastic cuts and changes to the Washington modus operandi are quickly made. Who’s going to make the hard decisions?   70% of voters believe that the voting public is more willing to make the hard choices necessary to reduce federal spending than our politicians are.   66% of polled voters say that the Democratic Party is NOT interested in cutting spending; and 49% say Republicans don’t go far enough with the spending cuts they’re seeking. These voter opinions on government spending have held very consistent since late 2005. The survey-meister himself, Scott Rasmussen observed in his 2010 book In Search of Self-Governance that . . . .

 

                     "The gap between Americans who want to govern themselves and politicians(and power brokers) who want to rule over them may be as big today as the gap between the colonies and England during the 18th century." Rasmussen added that “The American people don’t want to be governed from the left, the right, or the center. They want to govern themselves.”

 

 

Ya’all live long, strong and ornery

Rajjpuut
 
 
*** NOTE:  just before this blog was completed, two huge stories popped up 1)  the House had just overwhelmingly agreed upon $4 Billion in spending cuts with 104 Democratic Reps siding with Speaker John Boehner as part of a CR (continuing resolution) to fund the federal government for two more weeks.  $2 Billion in cuts per week is a good but not great precedent.  Every time a new CR is created a $2 or $3 Billion cut per week of extension would be a phenomenal idea.  2) The General Accounting Office, one of the few government oversight agencies worth its salt, announced that in reviewing  some (but not all) the discretionary budget they found between $200-$250 Billion in overlap, duplication of services and conflict between U.S. government agencies.  For example fifteen different agencies look at food safety; ninety-two different agencies are assigned to educational improvement; etc.    One shudders in ecstasy to think how much more the GAO might find a) in the discretionary budgets and then b) in the entitlements and defense spending
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