Posted on 06/09/2019 11:30:44 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
This year, Sen. Rand Paul's (R–Ky.) effort to balance the federal budget didn't even get a floor vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Paul's so-called "Pennies Plan" failed a procedural vote on Monday evening when only 22 senators voted in favor of a cloture motion that would have brought the bill to a final vote. A majority of Republicans and all Democrats voted against proceeding to a floor vote on the bill. It's another sign that fiscal responsibility is all but dead in Congress, even as the national debt heads toward record highs and the budget deficit approaches $1 trillion this year.
"We teach our children that money doesn't grow on trees, and then they grow up watching politicians pretend otherwise," Paul said before the vote. "Meanwhile, our debt soars past $22 trillion, endangers our country, and artificially limits what our nation can achieve."
Paul's proposal called for cutting 2 percent from the federal budget for each of the next five years and would reduce federal spending by about $11 trillion over the next decade—even though spending would rise after the first five years. It's an adaptation of the so-called "Penny Plan" that Paul has been pushing for several years, though he now says an additional penny in cuts for every federal dollar spent is necessary to get the budget to balance.
Indeed, the gap between what the federal government spends and what it takes in is growing wider. During the first seven months of the current fiscal year, which began in October 2018, the federal government ran a $531 billion deficit. That's a 38 percent increase over the same period of time last year.
(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...
if paul wasn’t such a colossal dick and obsessed with the size of his own radar blip, he much have been able to gather more support.
Uniparty. == democrats + republican “leadership”
It’s time to kill the $3+ trillion 80%+ unconstitutional portion of this federal beast - deadly if it is ever able to use all its approved but unconstitutional powers to snuff out the Constitution and the individual freedom it protects.
KILL IT BEFORE IT KILLS US!!!!!
THAT will fix the budget just fine and and dandy.
Spending is morality to those in lust with the power they get through spending.
“if paul wasn’t such a colossal dick and obsessed with the size of his own radar blip, he much have been able to gather more support.”
Paul consistently tells everyone else to go urinate up a rope so it’s no surprise he gets no support from anyone.
Paul is just about the only one in the federal government that believes in limited government.
You mean the Randstander? (not original to me but pretty good)
That sounds about right — since very few AMERICANS believe in limited government.
We ought to take 10% per year forever.
True and many here don’t care or give tepid support to limited government.
We’ve been beaten by the welfare state/police state coalition.
“Fiscal conservatives” at work.
Bullshit. Neither party has any interest in balancing the federal budget irregardless of whether Rand Paul is a dick or not. These people don’t work for us, and of the ~535 dicks in Congress Rand Paul is the one I worry least about.
I agree. It’s about the last thing available before resorting to the 4th box.
I would like to think that the GOP-e could overcome Paul’s inflated ego and their spending “needs” and stand with him on principle.
But fortunately, I’m smarter than that.
Increase the debt. Let the young people pay it back and deal with the carrying costs. That is what they want.
“It’s another sign that fiscal responsibility is all but dead in Congress”
Congress has become a self sustaining disease.
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