National Debt

For the second consecutive month, Congress is seeking to raise the level of the national debt. The federal government has a spending addiction. This country is going to be forced into bankruptcy if Congress does not control the addiction. Irresponsible spending has got to stop!

The Administration is proposing freezing discretionary spending for three years. This would be more significant if last year this spending had not been raised twenty-four percent. The government proposes freezing spending at last year’s ridiculous level and this is supposed to be fiscal responsibility? Congress should propose cutting spending by ten percent for the next financial year and by another five percent in the following year. The current level of spending is unsustainable.

The Administration also suggested cutting 250 billion dollars from the budget over the next ten years. That is 25 billion dollars a year. It is a mere drop in the federal budget. It is as significant as if I said that I would cut my spending by a penny a week. Can we not get serious about the dangers of our national debt?

If Congress is truly concerned about the size of the national debt, it will cut discretionary spending, postpone new large spending projects, cut pork projects, and eliminate earmarks forever. Congress must stop trying to spend its way out of a recession. It has never been done. It is impossible! Excessive government spending will only prolong the recession. Look to history. All the spending FDR did in the thirties did not end the recession. The recession did not end until we became involved in World War II. We were the only country in the world during this era to have a “Great” depression. Everyone else had a depression. If you doubt this, check the unemployment numbers.

Ultimately, the debt can be lowered by economic growth. This can be accomplished if the government allows businesses to recover by implementing business friendly policies and by controlling governmental spending.

Signed,
The Electorate

End Run Around Congress and the Constitution

The Environmental Protection Agency now states that carbon dioxide emissions pose a danger to public health. It bases its “endangerment finding” on information provided by the IPCC. This United Nations agency bases its conclusions on data from scientists, who we now know have altered or destroyed any data that disagreed with their own preconceived theories. In short, these supposed scientists “cooked the books.” We know the information is tainted, but the EPA uses it as proven fact. This is not scientific or honest. The EPA proposes regulating carbon dioxide as an end run around Congress and the Constitution. The EPA is not comprised of elected officials.

Now members of the Administration are delivering the message to Congress that if Congress does not pass the Cap + Trade Energy bill, the EPA will regulate the bill into existence, but in a more draconian manner. It would affect the economy more adversely than the Cap + Trade Energy Bill would – even more jobs would be lost and prices would rise even higher.

This is not a choice. This is blackmail or gangster warfare. Al Capone would be so proud. This is true Chicago politics as usual. The public is getting very tired of having unwanted policies forced down their throats. Politicians need to wake up and see reality. This is not change that Americans want.

Signed,
The Electorate

The Wrong Direction

I, as are many other Americans, am alarmed at the direction that this Congress and Administration is trying to take our country. The federal government seeks more and more power and control over the private sector and over our lives. Bigger government is not the answer. It is the problem. Our latest financial disaster was precipitated by the sub-prime mortgage collapse. The federal government was the primary cause of this crisis. The federal government not only encouraged these bad loans it required them, by Congressional acts. Banks would not have approved these unsound loans without the pressure from the federal government.

The strength of America does not lie in the federal government. The strength of America lies in the determination and ingenuity of its people. We do not want the government to give us “free stuff”. We only want the opportunity to work hard and use our talents to better our lives and the lives of our families. Big government is stifling us. Get out of our way and let us try to succeed. Thomas Jefferson once said that any government big enough to give you everything you want...is big enough to take everything you have. We do not want this type of government.

I honestly think that Congress knows we do not want these policies that they are seeking to force down our throats. That is why the bills are written in secret and then rushed through Congress. That is why they seek to pass them in a non-election year. They hope we will forget about what they have done. We will not forget.

If Congress continues to not represent us and our opinions, they will not represent us in the future.

Paying for Health Care

Congress and the Administration have spent so much in the last six months that this country may never get out of debt. The burden that has been placed on future generations is mind boggling and horrifying. The time for massive spending projects has passed. Citizens have had enough of this irresponsible spending. Congress has become very cavalier with taxpayer money. It is so inured to massive spending that a trillion here, a trillion there is no big deal.

How do we pay for a massive government run health care plan?

We could borrow and further increase the deficit - but few want to loan us more and our AAA rating is at risk.

We could raise taxes - but this would deepen the recession.

We could print more money with nothing to back it - but this would trash the dollar and cause inflation.

We could live within our means - but this is not a popular idea in Washington.

We could propose a less expensive plan - but is Congress open to this idea?

We could seek to only cover those that are currently uninsured instead of implementing the massive government run health care plan that is being considered. Private health care companies could offer coverage to lower income families, who are not now covered by Medicaid. The government could supplement premiums based on income. Competition would help keep premiums down. This would provide better health care since individuals could select the plan that best suits them and are not locked into a big one plan fits all government plan.

Does the government want to make good health care available to all American citizens or does the government want to control health care? Concerned citizens are observing the progress of health care legislation.

Signed,
The Electorate

Retaining Our Health Care

To Congress,

We are told that if we are happy with our current health care plan, we can keep it. The government will do nothing to prevent this. This is not correct. Private insurance plans can not compete with a government run, tax subsidized health care plan. Using Medicare as an example, the government only pays 71% of normal hospital fees and 81% of normal doctor fees. The remaining cost is transferred to other payers. This forces the cost of insurance up for other payers.

May I repeat?

Private health care insurance companies can not compete. Private companies will be force out of business.They are not publicly subsidized. Their price has to be more than any subsidized plan. Most workers pay for part of their work health care plan. Even if the government does not tax our health care benefits, which they would like to do, eventually we will not be able to afford the work plan. We will be forced into the government plan. Businesses will find it equally hard to continue to offer health care. Government costs and regulations will make it fiscally infeasible for businesses to offer health care at work.

The government will tax behavior it does not want and reward behavior it does want. It's the old carrot stick theory - used against us. Eventually everyone one will be forced into the government run plan. That is the end game - the one insurer plan.

Signed,
The Electorate

Cap and Trade is a bad idea

To Congress,

Including Cap + Trade in the Energy Bill would be a gigantic mistake. It would have a massive negative effect on our struggling economy. It places a tax on companies that use carbon fuel. This tax will be passed down to consumers in higher prices. The cost of gas and electricity would increase by at least 50%. The cost of other goods and services would increase because of their dependence on the same items. The economic effect would be dire.

Cap + Trade would only have a negligible effect on the environment. If we could wave a magic wand and overnight eliminate the use of carbon based fuels in the United States, it would only lower the carbon in the atmosphere by a fraction of one percent. We are not the main polluters. We would devastate our economy while accomplishing virtually nothing. Cap + Trade will dramatically harm this country.

Signed,
The Electorate

Listen to the Congressional Budget Office

From a letter sent June 13, 2009.

To Congress,

The administration is now considering not using the facts and figures provided by the Congressional Budget Office. For almost 35 years the CBO has provided objective, nonpartisan analysis on the economic ramifications of pending legislation and their effect on the national debt. Apparently the administration no longer appreciates or agrees with the CBO's analysis. They like their own rosier estimates instead.

If the estimates of the nonpartisan CBO are ignored, then Congress will be basing its decisions on partisan inaccurate information. Good decisions can not be made using bad facts. Congress needs to make its decisions based on the honest estimates that are provided by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Signed,
The Electorate