Posted on 03/07/2006 8:58:14 AM PST by Gipper08
Tomorrow, conservatives in the House of Representatives, led by Mike Pence and Jeb Hensarling, will introduce a bold budget that is modeled after the fabled mid-90's Contract with America. The conservative alternative will be a challenge to Congressional leadership in that it goes well above and beyong savings sought by the President's budget.
The budget will move beyond the current $75 billion in savings to nearly $700 billion. It significantly reduces the size and scope of three federal agencies: Departments of Education, Energy and Commerce.
The NY Times reports:
The authors of the proposal describe it as a sequel to the Contract With America, which helped catapult Republicans to power in 1994. An outline of the plan says the proposals require "tough choices, but members have expressed a serious desire to do the hard things to save America."
Mr. Bush's push for the line-item veto could benefit from the current scrutiny over the growing practice by lawmakers of inserting spending for pet projects into legislation — a practice that has figured into continuing corruption scandals.
House conservatives are smart to bill this as The Contract II. Many of the votes that were there for the first Contract should still be there for the second. This billing also gives disallusioned fiscal conservatives a rallying flag. Like with Operation Offset, look for grassroots support for fiscal posterity to explode.
Republican Leadership would be wise to learn from Operation Offset. The initial indifference leadership should to that effort was overcome by vigorous grassroots support. Then Majority Leader Tom DeLay said there was no fat left to cut in the federal budget. He very soon after found out that he was wrong when many of the RSC proposals were passed into law with the help of House Speaker Dennis Hastert who saw the writing on the wall. Leadership would do well to embrace this new effort from the get-go.
Certainly, it is a tough budget. Certainly Democrats will demagogue it - they always do. Certainly, moderates' knees will tremble in fear at the thought of making hard decisions. But this needs to be done.
Given the future this country faces with exploding entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, budgets like this must become the norm. No politician likes making cuts, but if they are serious about relieving the mountains of debt we are currently piling on future generations, they must embrace a budget that calls for tough choices.
Americans will respect Congressmen who make tough choices for sake of the country's future. You just have to explain yourself and stop being ashamed.
Do you mean Albemarle Co.?
As in Alby-mar-lee?
Moderates=Liberals too ashamed to admit they are liberal.
I've yet to meet a someone who I consider truly a moderate. They typically pronounce themselves a moderate, and then tear into conservatives.
AL-buh-marl
Allen/Condi might work...I just do not see nominating someone to the top of the ticket who has NEVER run in an election at any level (Condi)...you know I like Madame Rice, but I'd like to see her run and win a race for Governor (or even Senator) of California before entrusting her with the GOP nomination for POTUS.
Alba(as in Jessica)--Marl(as in Marlboro).
While I have no doubt that the odds are in your favor, I'm going to a coupla fund-raising events for my Congresscritter (House Deputy Whip Eric Cantor) to bring up the concept and get him to tell me to my face why it is inconceivable.
Think about it, Mr. Exile...Dubyuh and the GOP Congress have ballooned the Federal Budget from $1.8 Trillion in 2000 to $2.77 Trillion this year, a 50% increase over five years...that's PREPOSTEROUS for the alleged "Party of Smaller Government" wouldn't you say? A 50% increase over eight years is still too much, but it would be a whole lot better than the trajectory we are on now.
That would please me to no end...I read Rush Limbaugh's interview of Mike Pence in last month's LimbaughLetter and Pence came off as an articulate, committed Movement Conservative.
Oh yeah.... now I remember.... :P
Ah come on guys! I wanted jla to talk like me, the daughter of Ernest T.
This top ten is very disappointing, imo. No mention of serious tax reform, elimination of the IRS, consideration of a flat tax, or better yet: the FAIRtax.
I agree...it is rather toothless so far.
Of course no one with their own choppers can talk like Corin (aka the ToothlessOne)...lol!
Wahoos gonna make a 3 outta 3 against the Hokies in the ACC tourney...
Rush seems to really like Pence, and mentions him every so often on his radio show.
Rush is a good friend to have in the right-wing political world.
The problem is everybody wants to get rid of pork, except for their own.....
I personally have dropped fifteen pounds since the first of the year, I am considerably less porky and I intend to drop at least fifteen more, maybe thirty more. I say reduce the pork on all fronts including my front.
Hey, we don't disagree that it would be great.
I just don't see Cantor buying in, and I see only about 9 of the 15 who voted against the Coburn 'no-bridge-to-nowhere' amendment in the Senate supporting it, so even if Cantor drooled over the idea, it'd never get through the Senate with the porkers we have there.
I mean, 82 voted against Coburn. 82! And the ones that voted WITH Coburn weren't all that trustworthy or honest. Evan Bayh. Lindsey Graham. Mike Dewine. I'm sorry--but I don't see them drawing the line on pork regularly.
Now what if I hadn't read on and seen Coop and RelentLess' posts? I would have sounded awful silly, and received some strange looks, going around telling folks, "I'm planning on visiting the homes of Thomas J and James Monroe this spring over in Alby-mar-lee county."
A certain Mrs. MacDonald would have then been treating jla to lamb chops and a pint o'Guinness at O'Hare's to atone for her prank.
By the way, maybe we can get a RTM together there sometime.
I hear RelentLess is buying.
I'd love to see all that come to pass Gipper....but I don't think the Pubbies have it in them. They're a bunch of spineless wimps.
But these efforts...even if they are just window dressing, come NONE too soon. Please see: "Retirement Fund Tapped to Avoid National Debt Limit" found here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/07/AR2006030701736_pf.html
Sheeesh...Newbies sure get the short end of the stick around here...lol!
we shall find out who both sets of big spenders want to continue spending big. I consider this a trial balloon.
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