The Debt Is Just Too Damn High!
Our new Speaker of the House John Boehner is too busy shrinking from Nancy Pelosi’s shadow to be of much use to anyone. He is calling for and losing key votes that are an embarrassment to his party. He is not paying attention to the mandate the American people gave him and the Republican Party last November, or to his own campaign promises.
To make matters worse it would seem that most of the new Republican leadership since assuming the reigns of power have joined him and turned into what the “Governator” would call a bunch of “girlie men”. Surely Nancy Pelosi must have left a pound or two of brass behind somewhere.
Reps. Boehner, Cantor, McCarthy, Rogers and Issa among others all started out balls afire, swore they were going to turn this ship of state around, starting day one. So far their efforts have been more like “window dressing” and hype. They have set very poor examples for the entering freshmen. They have been dodging the hard votes. They were re-hired to force the hard votes, to cut spending, with a machete, not a scalpel! De-funding Obamacare completely in the 2011 CR would have yielded over $105 Billion in spending cuts, more than their target $100 Billion in other areas. It would have been a doubling down and shown how serious their commitment was. The promise or pledge to repeal, de-fund, stop it or otherwise “Kill Obamacare” was the defining issue on Nov. 2nd, 2010 and nothing has changed!! Wait, back up, the judge in the 26 state lawsuit against Obamacare ruled it un-constitutional!! That alone should have been reason enough to completely stop any and all spending for Obamacare
.
The only thing they have shown they are serious about other than a few rules changes is the continuation of “business as usual” in the “Swamp”. A paltry $60+ Billion in cuts is like changing the curtains when the windows are cracked and leaking! What happened to all of the tough talk when the present leadership was in the minority just a couple of months ago?
We do have leadership in the House; folks that meet the definition of a leader, that could serve and would not hesitate to stand up for us and our principles and values. Rep. Mike Pence, Rep. Steve King, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Rep Paul Broun, Rep. Jack Kingston, many in the freshman class and many others are all honoring their pledges to us and care deeply about our Constitution and preserving and defending it.
Our current Republican leadership is more concerned with maintaining the status quo and relationships across the aisle than honoring their promises. One would think that after being kicked around viciously for 4 years, and after the runaway spending that was jammed down our throats this last 2 years, that there might be a sense of urgency about turning things around. Alas, it doesn’t seem to be materializing.
They, and we, have another chance to extend some more spending cuts and that is by refusing to raise the debt ceiling permanently!! Enough is enough and somewhere, at some time we have to draw the line. The time is now, and holding the line on the spending limit is the where! With just a “smidgeon” of the brass it took for the Democrats to jam us with Obamacare, the Republicans can keep the debt ceiling capped where it is, or with no more than a temporary bump, till spending cuts catch up if it becomes necessary. Remember we have had over $3,400,000,000,000.00 ($3.4 Trillion dollars) of deficit spending forced on us in just the past two years!! It should be relatively easy to find enough cuts to not have to tamper with the debt ceiling permanently.
Leaving it alone, or guaranteeing only a temporary bump up, would send tremors around the world that we are serious about addressing our debt crisis. It would give businesses another solid measure of assurance that their investment in new jobs would make sense! And wish upon wish, think what would happen if we were to reduce it slightly!!
It is high time to rein debt in. Any stimulus not spent, rein it in. Obamacare spending, rein it in. Across the board spending cuts in all agencies, rein them in. Duplicative program and agency cuts, rein them in. Want to save the value of the dollar, rein the spending in. Want to head off inflation, rein the spending in. This is a no-brainer folks!
Don’t believe for one minute the nonsense about the possibility of the US Government defaulting on its debt. The interest we pay represents just a small part of our overall spending and is the first thing we would pay in order to not spark a worldwide financial crisis and meltdown. Any one insinuating that we might default is an outright liar or totally delusional. At worst we would have to furlough federal government workers for a few days (Hmm…sharing the pain?). Treasury Secretary Geithner says we may hit the ceiling by March 31st 2011, maybe, maybe not. There is an option, however. Tie a temporary increase to substantial and immediate spending cuts that would automatically return the ceiling to the present level or lower within 6 months!
Call your Representatives and let them know that you want to rein in spending, NOW, and to start with not raising the debt ceiling permanently!! Ever increasing debt is not a forgone conclusion. It is the result of foregone irresponsibility. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202)-224-3121 or (202)-225-3121 also Toll Free at (877)-762-8762 ask for your Representative by name and also call the leadership and tell them: “The debt is just too damn high”!! Do Not Raise The Debt Ceiling Permanently!! Stop Talking and Stop The Spending Now!! Show Some Brass!!
For Liberty’s Sake,
Tom Whitmore
Copyright 2011 Thomas J. Whitmore
Comments