Everyone knows the Federal budget is out of control. We have been on a spending bender and like the guy who has spent a month in a bar; we have a high tab and nothing to show for it.
Unfortunately, as obtuse as some of the Republicans are, the Democrats are far worse. Dick Durban (Socialist-IL) has come out and said the Senate will only cut $10.5 billion from the $3.7 trillion dollar budget.
While the Republican proposal to cut $61 billion from the budget might be described as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic - the Democrats only want to rearrange the napkins.
There are literally thousands of places to cut the budget, but for the GOP there are two problems. First, they lack the courage to make significant cuts and second they have no real message about their cuts.
There are cuts they could pursue. After yesterday, they could defund National Public Radio. There is now huge support for that. How about cutting the $770 million being spent to refurbish Mosques in foreign countries?
The GOP has no theme in what it is doing. It is making hit and miss cuts and not even enough of them. The simple message that we cannot afford certain departments any longer and zero out their funding would be good.
Even if the GOP comes up with a theme to sell the cuts to the public, they are in fear of the Democrats and the left wing media. Boehner has no stomach for the fight. He remembers the shutdown of 1995 and fears he will be blamed for a government shut down.
We the people need to go over Boehner’s head.
The Speaker of the House is very powerful but does not always get his way. In the next few weeks, the government will exhaust its ability to borrow money. If Congress does not vote to raise the debt ceiling, the government cannot borrow any more money. By default, Congress will have to make the tough decisions they are unwilling to make now.
If we can persuade 218 members of congress to vote against the debt ceiling increase, they will either have to cut spending or default on our obligations and shut the government down.
Our debt is now $14 trillion. That debt equals our gross domestic product, or put into layman’s terms, everything we make as a country in an entire year. The debt and spending crisis has now reached a critical point. If we are not going to cut spending now, when will we? The debt ceiling has been raised seven times in the last ten years. Each time it is raised, more spending follows. In February, our deficit was equal to the deficit for the entire year of 2007. When is it going to stop?
Unrestrained and unsustainable spending was the impetus to start the Tea Party movement. Perhaps we have become numb to the spending. Now is the time we must fight. Now is the time to wear out our Congressmen and Senators and tell them no to new borrowing. We can’t afford it. We either need 218 in the House of Representatives to vote against raising the debt ceiling or if we can get 40 Senators to filibuster a bill raising the debt ceiling, we can stop this. We must act now.
For the next month, we must have a single focus on stopping the increase in the debt ceiling. We must call, email and fax our Senators and Congressmen. If they are having an event in your city or town, we must be there, telling them no more debt. We can no longer afford it.
The debt is at crisis levels. If Congress is not willing to cut spending now, they never will be. Courage is something that is in scarce supply in Washington. We need to act when our leaders lack the willingness to.
Permalink Reply by Joseph DeLuna on 
Permalink Reply by Mina Shotwell on Military intervention? On our own elected leaders? That sounds a bit too close to Stalin's Russia for my tastes, thanks.
Dump the lobbyists & unregulated special interest goodies & I expect the "political courage" would increase by leaps & bounds. ;)
Permalink Reply by Mina Shotwell on Yeah, civil war in this great country of ours is JUST the solution we need. /sarcasm
Martial law, suppression of our Constitutional Rights, & chaos in America wouldn't be cheered on by anyone but Bin Laden & his ilk.
Comparing our Democracy to Cuba, North Korea, or anywhere else is just plain offensive to me, but you are definitely entitled to your opinion.
Permalink Reply by Mina Shotwell on Jerry, there are always revolutions going on in this country and what I see or don't is nothing you are privy to.
Women's suffrage, the civil rights movement, the Christian conservative movement, prohibition, etc were all revolutions of a sort and didn't require the military overthrow of America's governing institutions. The fact that we can have these great shifts without civil war is what makes this country GREAT!
Besides, there are already mechanisms in place to remove incompetent elected officials. Frankly, I really like the idea of impeachment, but I NEVER want to see tanks rolling down the White House lawn.
As for my avatar, sorry I'm shy. You're forgiven for insinuating about hidden messages.
God bless
Permalink Reply by Lawrence Brown on 
Permalink Reply by Phil on A 3 day PUBLIC SECTOR strike would put them in line so fast.
We have to take it back. you don't think they're just going to let us have our government back just like that do you?
No. We are the last line of defense for liberty. Accept the role or not.
Permalink Reply by Bob Peterson on Permalink Reply by Bob Peterson on Permalink Reply by Phil on What about the surplus of naivety?
They have plenty of courage when it comes to arrogance towards the people and shredding the constitution.
The republicans better not run a Rino. I'll vote and or look for 3rd party.
They both need to be replaced. Let's just do it.
Permalink Reply by RonD on I follow Eric Cantor on Twitter to attempt to stay informed on upcoming House business. About 40 min. ago he posted the business to be taken up tomorrow. On Monday, the 435 members of the people's house have 2 items on the agenda. The first is to debate naming a Post Office after someone. I don't know whether this individual is worthy of having a post office named after him but I suspect he is.
The second issue to be addressed is to debate the placement of a statue of former President Gerald R Ford somewhere in the Capitol. Serious business indeed given the current condition of the nation.
Are you freakin kidding me? This is the best we can expect of our elected officials? If so, there is no hope that things will be made better. Think the debt might be a problem? Think spendng is out of control? How 'bout our border security? The Mid-east is going up in flames? And oh yeah, Japan is having an issue with a power plant or two,
And this is what we get? A post office and a statue?
Permalink Reply by Dawn on I wrote my Freshman Congressman today, and believe he has a sincere agenda to fix our economic situation. Here's what I wrote, and it may be used by any of you to write your Congressmen that did not vote to "follow the leader":
I know there has been a conflict with the other Senior Republicans on short-term spending, and you have remained faithful to try to cut the unaccountable, improper spending of our tax dollars. First, it isn't Social Security that needs to be cut, as to do so would rob the elderly of the money they lawfully put into Social Security. It has been spent maliciously and corruptly by the previous administrations. What needs to be cut is Planned Parenthood, Global agendas, Educational Propaganda, and Military spending for wars that aren't wars. I am appalled at the spending spree that the Federal Government has gone on, while they are telling the American people to cut back on their own spending. With few jobs available, there will be less money to pay government taxes, especially for programs that are "pet projects" of certain congressional leaders. The spending has to stop at higher levels. Companies need to be given room to expand and not be under so much regulation. I believe more is spent on the regulation of industry than the industries receive in profit. Things need to change, and we need Freshmen, such as yourself, to stop the madness in Congress, the Senate, and in the Presidency. Congressional Members are not there to follow a leader, they are there to represent the people of this country, who are here legally, and to keep other powers in check. I hope that you will make that your goal, and defend and protect the United States from these enemies that are foreign and domestic. Thank You!
© 2013 Created by Judson Phillips.
