Posted on 09/26/2005 11:38:23 AM PDT by Keyes2000mt
There was a time when there was a purpose to our politics. In 1995, the GOP came to Washington promising to reduce the size of the federal government. Those of us who were Conservatives saw an opportunity for a better country. With the shackles of big government removed, economic opportunity would increase. Educational choice would become a reality as schools would reform around the choice of parents, not the demands of bureaucrats. The Federal government would contract and freedom would increase as the importance of the tenth Amendment was recognized.
Something funny happened on the way to getting America's freedom back, the Republican Party became the establishment. Of the class of '94, a confluence of events has diminished their impact. Some members became part of the establishment like Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) who has few words about the size and scope of the federal government as he serves as baseball grand inquisitor, going far beyond in reasonable interpretation of the mission of his "Government Reform" committee. Others were defeated for higher office such as Rep. Linda Smith (R-Wa.) or lost for re-election like Rep. Randy Tate (R-Wa.). Still others made pledges to limit themselves to three or four terms, kept their pledge, and left like Rep. Helen Chenoweth (R-Id.) did.
Regardless, what had seemed to happen is that big spending Democrats have been replaced by big spending Republicans. The most laughable part of our government is that the House Majority which almost to a person supported the Balanced Budget Amendment, now votes for $300-400 billion deficits.
In the midst of this situation comes the Republican Study Committee, led by Rep. Mike Pence (R-In.) has proposed common sense rational reforms called Operation Offset. In the face of the necessary funding for Hurricane Katrina recovery, they propose that rather than increasing the deficit, we should offset the spending on Hurricane Katrina with responsible spending cuts.. The proposal would cut $900 billion from the Federal budget over the next 10 years by delaying the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit for 1 year, cutting Corporate Welfare, and eliminating wasteful projects like a $200 million bridge that will lead to an island where 50 people live.
The sad thing is that this proposal is considered so revolutionary and that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay can claim with a straight face that there's no more spending to be cut from the federal budget. At last, someone in Washington is standing up for fiscal responsibility and sadly this is in opposition to our Republican leadership in Congress.
Too many of our leaders in Washington are drunk on power, using the largesse of the federal government to buy their own re-elections, and keep the majority. However, a majority that stands for nothing, that wastefully squanders America's wealth, and builds a debt that their great grandchildren will have to pay will be swept out of office sooner or later.
If you want to see not only a continued Republican majority but a more fiscally fit country, than contact your Congressman and urge them to support Operation Offset.
That someone was congress. The President doesn't give us budgets. He approves of them. I wasn't referring to the President as much as I was referring to the time frame.
Never was a "surplus." It was an accounting trick. People who don't know how the government operates bought into the "surplus" line.
The congressional budget office doesn't know how accounting works?
You sure about that?
later read/maybe pingout.
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