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TWO WRONGS DON'T MAKE A RIGHT posted by Daniel Webster
October 8, 2010 , 7:15 AM
When it comes to the national debt and deficit spending – two wrongs don't make a right. Washington Democrats and Republicans have both spent too much and grown government too big, leaving our country's security and our children's future at risk.Liberals in Congress have spent more than $6.1 trillion in 18 months. It is staggering. Unfortunately, Republicans are not blameless: under the previous majority, fiscal principles were ignored and spending was out of control. If I am elected to office, I will fight against that system. I will use the same principles that all families and businesses across America must use everyday. In these difficult times, they make the hard choices to cut out unnecessary expenses, pay off credit cards, and save for the future. The government must start doing the same. Here's how we start. No. 1: open to more scrutiny the process Congress uses to spend money. Usually in politics, if you're talking about process, you're considered a whiner. Not anymore. The gross abuses in Washington have made everyone more knowledgeable about Congressional rules, and people appreciate more than ever before the benefits of a transparent process that allows amendments to cut spending. Democrats in Washington have taken that away recently, cherry picking more politically convenient votes, and blocking opportunities for members to have up-or-down votes on specific earmarks. Opening the process to votes on specific cuts would make Members confront real spending issues and prevent them from hiding behind all the ""goodies"" of a larger package. Second, I will work from day one to repeal the massive health care take over. Simply put, we cannot afford this new entitlement program. Anyway you slice it the health care bill is bad for our financial future. And when have you ever seen a government entitlement program come in on budget? There is no way we can put millions of more people on Medicaid and not expect costs to rise. Let's repeal it now. Furthermore, the so-called stimulus program has stimulated nothing but bigger government. Right away, we need to cancel the check on the unspent ""stimulus"" funds. As you will recall, that bill was backloaded and about $200 billion remains in the pipeline. That is borrowed money and we should not spend a dime of it. Similarly, let's do the same for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). We must establish and abide by spending caps. Since 2008 spending on non-defense discretionary items is up 80%. Is your family's budget up 80% since 2008? Cutting back spending to 2008 levels begins to put the country back on the track of fiscal responsibility. These ideas to reduce the deficit are just a start. To really get out of debt we are going to have to work on more difficult tasks like entitlement reform. We must have the courage to start the process if we want to get runaway spending under control.
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Op-Ed
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