And Another Thing

I don’t know about you but I’m sick and tired of hearing Republican candidates at all levels stand up in front of a group of constituents and say, “If only we could get those liberals in Washington to stop wasting your money, we could balance the federal budget and you could keep more of your hard earned money.”

Next time that happens in your town, I want you to stand up and shout, “Baloney!”

Here's what they haven't told you: 91.4 percent of the current federal budget of 2.901 TRILLION DOLLARS is set in concrete.

Defense gets 726.1 billion, Social Security gets 730.7 billion, Medicare gets 672.3 billion and Medicaid gets 262.7 billion, and interest on the national debt gets 761.3 billion. OK? That’s all locked in. We’re spending $12 billion a month defending America in Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush says we have to be there so we are. So, if you are a Republican, don’t complain about defense spending.

What’s left? 8.6 percent of the current federal budget goes to ALL other functions of government, including education, transportation, justice, housing, government operations, and the total comes to $249 billion. That’s all. That's not much out of 2.9 trillion, is it?

The current federal deficit is estimated to be $410 billion in fiscal year 2008. In other words, if you closed all cabinet departments except Department of Defense, and closed the Congress and the Supreme Court TODAY, you still would not be able to balance the Bush-Cheney budget.

Here’s what you should say to those guys who make irresponsible statements about “those tax and spend liberals” in Washington: If you want my vote, stop pointing fingers at the other side and start talking about how you are going to Washington to work with your colleagues from the other party to find a way to make the federal budget fiscally responsible while meeting all of our domestic and international obligations….even if it means cutting favorite programs and adjusting tax rates.

It won't fit on a bumper sticket but it IS a responsible way to govern.