Are Republicans Backing Away From Pledge to Cut Spending?
- Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:20am by
Meredith Jessup
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Last fall, the Republicans’ “Pledge to America” included a promise that, if elected, the GOP would work to cut $100 billion from the federal budget in 2011. But as Speaker John Boehner accepted the House gavel Wednesday, rumors were already flying around Washington that the GOP was backing away from the spending cuts pledge.
So, is there any truth to the rumors?
According to The Hill, Republicans are still planning to make “significant cuts” in the federal budget, but are downplaying their $100 billion pledge. GOP aides say the GOP will work to return non-security discretionary spending to 2008 levels, but their pledge to reduce the budget by $100 billion will not apply to the budget being drawn up for the second half of fiscal 2011:
Democrats never passed a budget resolution last year and were only able to pass a funding measure that lasts until March 4.
House Republicans promised to cut the budget by at least $100 billion in their “Pledge to America,” published in September. The pledge was intended to signal to voters what House Republicans would do if they won a majority in Congress.
A spokesman for the House Budget Committee said the GOP remains committed to the pledge, but that a different benchmark for making cuts will have to be used since Democrats did not approve a budget.
“Last year, House Republicans pledged to bring non-security discretionary spending back to 2008 levels. We estimated savings at that time relative to President Obama’s proposed fiscal blueprint due to the fact that Democrats in Congress offered no budget with which to compare. House Republicans remain committed to fulfilling their pledge; this has not changed,” House Budget Committee majority spokesman Conor Sweeney said.
“Unfortunately, Democrats refused to take action and oversaw an unprecedented breakdown in the budget process, with stopgap spending bills that provide a different benchmark than President Obama’s initial fiscal plan. House Republicans will continue to work to reduce spending for the final six months of this fiscal year — bringing non-security discretionary spending back to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels — yielding taxpayers significant savings and starting a new era of cost-cutting in Washington,” he added.
When pressed on the GOP’s budget plans, Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., assured Fox News’ Martha MacCallum the GOP would reduce spending. “Republicans are going to start from literally day one to change the culture in Washington, D.C. from a culture of spending to a culture of cutting,” he said, noting that the GOP is looking to replace Democrats’ “PayGo” rules with their own “CutGo” plans.
Additionally, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., the new House Budget Committee chair, told NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday that cuts are coming.
“I can’t tell you by what amount … but it will all be coming down,” he said.
UPDATE:
The Daily Caller published a piece explaining why the GOP is backing down from the $100 billion cut mark. The piece quotes Rep. Paul Ryan explaining that because the budget year has already started, Republicans have less time to cut:
Republicans said the $100 billion figure applied in September but is smaller now because the budget year started in October, and so cutting the current budget to 2008 levels now is doing so with a less than whole piece of the budget pie, since three months of spending is already out the door.
“We are halfway through the fiscal year right now. So the problem is half the spending cats are already out of the bag, and that is why that number has become compromised,” Ryan said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
“We’re still going to bring spending down to the level that we said we would bring spending at,” Ryan said. “But the savings you achieve from doing so halfway through the fiscal year isn’t as great as it was when we were talking about this a year ago.”
Still, the piece does point out that Republicans would have known this going in, and wonders why the GOP did nothing earlier to try and stifle the $100 billion figure.
Renee Ellmers (R-NC) replied that it’s not the figure that matters, it’s the philosophy:
“I don’t want to downplay what we’re looking at with numbers and amounts,” Ellmers said. “What I can say is we are very committed to doing something. It’s the only way we’re going to turn things around.”
Ellmers added: “I really hate when we put numbers on things, because then it seems like if didn’t achieve it you hadn’t met your goal. The idea here, I believe, is to cut spending.”
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Comments (145)
FaithGraceAmmo
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:31amI have already written my Representative and told him at the “very least” they should make sure they commit to the pledge they gave American’s. This is what will be remembered. Hey they could start by making some cuts to “illegal alien welfare” so it’s not such a “shock” and kill two birds with one stone and warn them more cuts will be sharply headed their way.
Report Post »Kinnison
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:29amDidn’t they learn anything during the election? The GOP campaigned on cutting at least $100 billion out of this year’s budget, and if they plan to be reelected in 2012 they better deliver the goods. Otherwise they will be gone, just like the Democrats. We can do this over and over again until we finally elect men and women of principle who keep their promises and can get it right.
Report Post »cykonas
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:27amI’m not going to get too worked up, one way or another, until I can see some real budget numbers. Speculation at this poiint is meaningless. Let’s see what the House is able to come up with. I would like to see them pledge to publish an outline of all of the supposed cuts, and their amount, when they complete their first proposed budget before voting on it. And no funny business with the numbers. Real cuts!
Report Post »ksagpilot
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:22amThis is not the time for the Tea Party to get complacent, we have to hold their feet to the fire. It’s hard for them to keep from returning to the old ways of doing business in DC. I don’t trust any of them.
Report Post »el_jefe
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:21amThey better get their act together! 100 billion is a joke. Try 1 trillion! these guys can be that stupid…Can they?
Report Post »reconmarine
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:37amRepublicans seem to think that the Tea Party are their friends and now dispose of us since they won the elections. They need to realize that they were not our choice but instead the lesser of two evils. We want our country back and WE will once again decide what is right for our nation. There may very well be a third political party in the 2012 election. Can you imagine a party who is truly for the good of America and not for special interest groups or kickbacks?
Report Post »Rickfromillinois
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:35amRelease all debts public and private? So I guess that the things I bought on my credit card would just be a “gift” and even though I received the goods someone else would have to pay for it. My house would be mine even though I still owe on the mortgage. Too bad for the bank. Sorry, but I feel that if I incurred the debt I should pay for it, just the way I was raised.
Report Post »No income tax. I assume you mean of any sort. Good-bye military, and Federal Highways.
Eliminate federal regulations of business. So then businesses can just jump pollutants in our water without worry? No type of controls on medications or for example on cars? A manufacturer knowingly produces a faulty or unsafe product but nothing can be done about it?
I am a conservative, believe in personal responsibility such as paying for what you get, and believe that their is an important place for Federal Government. I think that now we are at a place where government is doing way more then it should, but that doesn’t mean that I think it should go completely to the point where they basically do nothing.
Pawhuska
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:43amthe federal reserve system of creating “money” out of nothing then demanding interest for it coupled with fractional reserve Banking has created a situation where it is impossiable to repay because no money has been created for interest! it is all bogus! the states can regulate without FEDERAL intervention if needed. Law suits and courts can enforce damages done by business or individuals without FEDERAL regulation!
Report Post »the Federal Govmt did fine with out income tax which the founders felt was wrong till 1913. the income tax is on individuals roughly pays interest on the debt. it is just a systm to make us slaves to the federal reserve bankers. we work 1/2 a year just for them. for interest on money created out of nothing!! your money is now worth 3 or 4 cents comjpared to what it was when “They” started managing it. it will only become worth less and less as time goes by. That destroys one of the purposes of money, to be a store of value! which is impossiable under this system. The system does not work. EVERY paper curency eventually fails! THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL!
Derfel Cadarn
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:24amNot keeping their promise will be a SERIOUS miscalculation on the Republican part. There is so much waste and corruption in government that $500,000,000,000.00 would not be difficult to find. A flat rate cut across the board would eliminate any calls of favoritism. Then careful scrutiny of whether or not a program is redundant,required or Constitutional should solve any further budget problems. The business of American empire can no longer be afforded nor be condoned.
Report Post »IAMABLAZE
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:20amThey better not. We are watching. And we vote.
Report Post »RefoundHonor
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:17amThe fact that they are using this piss poor excuse of “some spending was already done” so they can’t reduce by the 100 billion they promised is GRADE A BULLCRAP. They have only been in power for half a day and I’m already losing faith in them, not that I had much to begin with. This is ridiculous. 100 billion dollars should be easy as grandmas apple pie to cut. 100 Billion dolllars? Here lets cut 1 Trillion dollars instantly. Bring back our troops back from Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, Germany, Korea. Stop all foreign aid to countries. Sorry we are your friends, but were broke, our people come first. I know a lot of people will disagree about Afghanistan, but ask yourself about Japan, Germany, and Korea? We have been in Germany since WW2. Are you kidding me? 1 Trillion Dollars can easily be cut from the budget and thats without even looking at Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security.
“No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”
- James Madison
Report Post »VerySeniorCitizen
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:16amThe Ryan Tax Plan: Higher Taxes for 90% of Americans, Less Revenue for the Government
Paul Ryan’s “budget roadmap” has terrified the GOP leadership, but thrilled conservative intellectuals with its calls for sharp cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, defense, and all other government programs combined with privatization of Medicare so that a larger share of your diminished benefit goes to for-profit insurance companies. Less widely discussed is the tax aspects of Ryan’s plan. As you would expect from a conservative plan, compared to Barack Obama’s tax ideas Ryan would raise less government revenue. This is why he needs sharp cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, defense, and all other government programs combined with privatization of Medicare so that a larger share of your diminished benefit goes to for-profit insurance companies.
The interesting thing, however, is that when the Center for Tax Justice (PDF) ran the numbers, they discovered that this isn’t the kind of tax cut that makes your taxes lower. On the contrary. Most Americans will pay higher taxes under Ryan’s plan than under Obama’s. Only the very richest will pay less. This table sums up the essence of the Ryan Ripoff:
So give Ryan credit. It’s quite difficult to raise taxes on 90 percent of Americans while reducing overall tax revenue, but he’s shown enormous ingenuity in getting the job done. Remember that this is the top House GOP budget guy. If John Boehner becomes Speaker after the midterms, Ryan will be writing budgets for the new majority, presumably animated by the same moral principles that led him to this idea.
Ynglesias
Report Post »TonyDarrington
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:57amCenter For Tax Justice (ctj.com)
Board of Directors
Officers
President
Wayne Cox
Minnesota CTJ
Vice President
Gerald McEntee, President
AFSCME
Secretary-Treasurer
Michael J. Sullivan, General President
Sheet Metal Workers Int’l Association
Board Members
John Sweeney, President
AFL-CIO
Carmen Berkley, President
United States Student Association
Larry Cohen, President
Communications Workers of America
Ron Gettelfinger, President, UAW
Steve Brobeck
Consumer Federation of America
Mary Wilson, President
League of Women Voters
Joan Claybrook
Public Citizen
Christopher St. John
Maine Center for Economic Policy
Joseph T. Hansen, President
United Food & Commercial Workers
Lenny Goldberg
California Tax Reform Association
Blair Horner
New York Public Interest Research Group
Maude Hurd
ACORN
Frank Hurt, President
BCT&GM International Union
R. Thomas Buffenbarger, President
International Association of Machinists
Lorretta Johnson, Executive Vice President
American Federation of Teachers
John Gage, National President
AFGE
Colleen Kelly, President
National Treasury Employees Union
Edie Rasell, United Church of Christ
Bye-bye now, plant.
Report Post »Helldogger
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:16amWhat did you expect? You changed the crew on the ship, but left the same officers at the helm. If you want change in Washington you must CHANGE THE LEADERSHIP! Get rid of Boehner & McConnell or expect he same result. These are the XOs of the last republican regime that embarrased us all so bad.
Report Post »Anne Marie Pogo
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:14amAny poltician that would ACTUALLY cut foreign spending (including, and especially, in Afghanistan and Iraq) would be a shoo-in for re-election. Yes, domestic spending needs to be curtailed, but let’s put more emphasis on the billions of dollars wasted overseas that support corruption and ant-American pursuits.
Report Post »missionarydad
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:28amThere are so many useless agencies and bureaucracies being funded by this bloated big government we must hold there feet to the fire and demand even bigger cuts than they promised.
Report Post »abc
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 2:03pmIf there are so many, then please name one that will lead to a material reduction in the deficit. Or name the many that will have the same cumulative effect.
Report Post »Pawhuska
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:02amthe only out i see is a biblical year of jubilee (release all debts public and private). Eliminate the federal reserve (no more paper i.e. worthless money. Return to the constitution for our money and the proper role of government! Return to the FREE MARKET. NO income tax! Eliminate federal regulations of business and education! And I wish we understood that federal law does not trump state law except for what is prescribed as deligated powers to the Federal. return to faith and limit imigration greatly!
Report Post »Pawhuska
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:50amOne more thing any elected offical who lies to us THROW THEM OUT!!
Report Post »evilbert
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:01am$100 Billion is only .007% of the current $14 Trillion of debt. You cannot end this country’s debt problem without massive cuts like completely ending Welfare, Social Security, Medicare, and layoff half of the entire federal workforce. Only then can we actually make a dent in the debt.
The average American pays into Social Security $30k over their working years. But when they collect it at retirement they will receive almost all of that in the first year alone. This makes no sense at all.
Medicare is even worse. Welfare is even worse than that. Every cut made will only be overshadowed by these programs alone and even more programs that are less known.
The Republican Party is lost. The Democrat party is even worse. In either case, neither party is the right choice. We need an actual TEA Party. The two party system allows for a single party (liberals) to rule.
We need to repeal the 17th Amendment and have the Senate appointed by the States and not by the people. It is easier for a Senator to get reelected by the people then to keep his job when appointed by a State Legislature. Half of these bills passed by the Obama Admin, never would have passed the Senate if the 17A was repealed. We wouldn‘t be as far into the hole as we are right now and we could have been given an extension of this country’s downfall.
I believe America is a lost cause as too many Americans do not care anymore. Example? Why is John Kerry still in office? Pelosi? Reid? Hello people?
Report Post »Eblaze44
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:45amfor anyone, and I mean anyone, who thinks that the government will be able to trim “trillions” of dollars they live in a skewed world. several billion is possible – #1 quit funding other governments, if we are going to give aid – let it be to the populations that need the aid and let it be in American Goods and produce, not dollars. #2 quit funding the United Nations, we don’t have the money for the rest of the world to almost always vote against us. Move them out of NY and raze the buildings – plant a farm. #3 cut ALL welfare for illegal foreign nationals, send their native country a bill for their medical costs, #4 a fair tax for all US Citizens, cut the progressive tax – you live here – you pay tax to support the government that protects you. #5 stop bailing out companies that haven’t the brains or the backbone to draw the line at their income and their outgo, this means workers can only get paid and compensation for work that makes a profit.
Report Post »arjundawg
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 12:17pmexactly to both bert and blaze… and also
Report Post »States end the department of education and sell off the school properties to the free market.
theres a huge chunk of $$$$ there as well as education potential
But could you trust gov holding that kind of money?
Probably not
We”re going to have to hit rock bottom and very hard times for (1.) the majority of American people to wake up and (2.) number 1 being necessary for politicians to understand the consequences of their actions
abc
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 1:16pmYou cannot cut half the public workers from the payroll. That is neither realistic, nor even justified, as this perceptive piece by Robert Reich highlights:
The Shameful Attack on Public EmployeesBy Robert Reich, Robert Reich’s Blog
06 January 11
n 1968, 1,300 sanitation workers in Memphis went on strike. The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to support them. That was where he lost his life. Eventually Memphis heard the grievances of its sanitation workers. And in subsequent years millions of public employees across the nation have benefited from the job protections they’ve earned.
But now the right is going after public employees.
Public servants are convenient scapegoats. Republicans would rather deflect attention from corporate executive pay that continues to rise as corporate profits soar, even as corporations refuse to hire more workers. They don’t want stories about Wall Street bonuses, now higher than before taxpayers bailed out the Street. And they’d like to avoid a spotlight on the billions raked in by hedge-fund and private-equity managers whose income is treated as capital gains and subject to only a 15 percent tax, due to a loophole in the tax laws designed specifically for them.
It‘s far more convenient to go after people who are doing the public’s work – sanitation workers, police officers, fire fighters, teachers, social workers, federal employees – to call them “faceless bureaucrats” and portray them as hooligans who are making off with your money and crippling federal and state budgets. The story fits better with the Republican‘s Big Lie that our problems are due to a government that’s too big.
Above all, Republicans don’t want to have to justify continued tax cuts for the rich. As quietly as possible, they want to make them permanent.
But the right’s argument is shot-through with bad data, twisted evidence, and unsupported assertions.
They say public employees earn far more than private-sector workers. That’s untrue when you take account of level of education. Matched by education, public sector workers actually earn less than their private-sector counterparts.
The Republican trick is to compare apples with oranges – the average wage of public employees with the average wage of all private-sector employees. But only 23 percent of private-sector employees have college degrees; 48 percent of government workers do. Teachers, social workers, public lawyers who bring companies to justice, government accountants who try to make sure money is spent as it should be – all need at least four years of college.
Compare apples to apples and and you’d see that over the last fifteen years the pay of public sector workers has dropped relative to private-sector employees with the same level of education. Public sector workers now earn 11 percent less than comparable workers in the private sector, and local workers 12 percent less. (Even if you include health and retirement benefits, government employees still earn less than their private-sector counterparts with similar educations.)
Here’s another whopper. Republicans say public-sector pensions are crippling the nation. They say politicians have given in to the demands of public unions who want only to fatten their members’ retirement benefits without the public noticing. They charge that public-employee pensions obligations are out of control.
Some reforms do need to be made. Loopholes that allow public sector workers to “spike” their final salaries in order to get higher annuities must be closed. And no retired public employee should be allowed to “double dip,” collecting more than one public pension.
But these are the exceptions. Most public employees don’t have generous pensions. After a career with annual pay averaging less than $45,000, the typical newly-retired public employee receives a pension of $19,000 a year. Few would call that overly generous.
And most of that $19,000 isn‘t even on taxpayers’ shoulders. While they’re working, most public employees contribute a portion of their salaries into their pension plans. Taxpayers are directly responsible for only about 14 percent of public retirement benefits. Remember also that many public workers aren’t covered by Social Security, so the government isn’t contributing 6.25 of their pay into the Social Security fund as private employers would.
Yes, there’s cause for concern about unfunded pension liabilities in future years. They’re way too big. But it’s much the same in the private sector. The main reason for underfunded pensions in both public and private sectors is investment losses that occurred during the Great Recession. Before then, public pension funds had an average of 86 percent of all the assets they needed to pay future benefits – better than many private pension plans.
The solution is no less to slash public pensions than it is to slash private ones. It’s for all employers to fully fund their pension plans.
The final Republican canard is that bargaining rights for public employees have caused state deficits to explode. In fact there’s no relationship between states whose employees have bargaining rights and states with big deficits. Some states that deny their employees bargaining rights – Nevada, North Carolina, and Arizona, for example, are running giant deficits of over 30 percent of spending. Many that give employees bargaining rights – Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Montana – have small deficits of less than 10 percent.
Public employees should have the right to bargain for better wages and working conditions, just like all employees do. They shouldn’t have the right to strike if striking would imperil the public, but they should at least have a voice. They often know more about whether public programs are working, or how to make them work better, than political appointees who hold their offices for only a few years.
Don’t get me wrong. When times are tough, public employees should have to make the same sacrifices as everyone else. And they are right now. Pay has been frozen for federal workers, and for many state workers across the country as well.
But isn’t it curious that when it comes to sacrifice, Republicans don’t include the richest people in America? To the contrary, they insist the rich should sacrifice even less, enjoying even larger tax cuts that expand public-sector deficits. That means fewer public services, and even more pressure on the wages and benefits of public employees.
It’s only average workers – both in the public and the private sectors – who are being called upon to sacrifice.
This is what the current Republican attack on public-sector workers is really all about. Their version of class warfare is to pit private-sector workers against public servants. They’d rather set average working people against one another – comparing one group‘s modest incomes and benefits with another group’s modest incomes and benefits – than have Americans see that the top 1 percent is now raking in a bigger share of national income than at any time since 1928, and paying at a lower tax rate. And Republicans would rather you didn’t know they want to cut taxes on the rich even more.
Report Post »NickDeringer
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:00am100 billion out of a multi-trillion dollar budget?? Are you kidding?
Report Post »neverending
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:11amCan you say the more things change the more they stay the same?
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 11:04amIndeed, 100 billion isn’t even scratching the surface. I’m all for cutting, and cutting in a very draconian way that makes leftists wake up in terror sweats in the middle of the night. Let’s get on with the real cuts. I guess first we need to see if they’ll do even the paltry 100 billion though. Not like I get a say in this after all. :)
Report Post »DagneyT
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:54amI am heartened because we have members of committees who actually know about the issue; i.e. one new congressman on the energy committee was in the oil and gas business for 3 decades. For the 1st time in a century, more of the freshmen congress are business people than any other profession.
Report Post »orcainohio
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:53amThe first food stamps issued had dept. of agriculture surplus printed on them. America has no surplus now . Now they use a credit card to make food purchases . Why doesn’t it say food barrowed from china on it?I hope the republicans cut the gov. 40 cents on every dollar so we don’t have to raise the debt. ceiling.
Report Post »VerySeniorCitizen
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:52amDoes anyone here REALLY believe that it is OK for a single person (Paul Ryan) to be in sole charge of developing the budget for the entire country – with no committee to back him up, no investigative hearings and no one to check his numbers, his ideas and his decicions. YES, that is what the new Congress has PROMISED!
I’ll tell you what. That idea scares me to death. Death Panel anyone??
Report Post »TonyDarrington
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:50amWhat? None of the makes sense.
Report Post »VerySeniorCitizen
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 11:03amTony, I totally agree. The idea of ONE single House Representative having sole responsibility for preparing the Country’s budget MAKES NO SENSE! But that is what has been announced by the Republican leadership!
Report Post »TonyDarrington
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 11:03amSorry, I was laughing so hard when I typed my response, I didn’t make any sense.
Report Post »TonyDarrington
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 11:34amNo, VERYSENIOR, you make no sense. You are a plant from the Center for Tax Justice. See post below. Your website evokes the name of Ronald Regan and his tax policies to give yourselves a cover of legitimacy, just as all left wing revolutionary organizations do. A quick look at your Bard of Directors tells the real story.
Report Post »VerySeniorCitizen
Posted on January 7, 2011 at 9:42amTony, You still make no sense. I DON’T HAVE A WEBSITE – and I seldom invoke the name of Ronald Reagan unless it is to say that it was during HIS administration that the middle class began it’s decline, and rise of Corporate power began!
Report Post »Moocephus
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:33amHow many Idealists got blurrry vision when the reality of how much $ could be in their control? Keep a close eye on your respective congressmen/women Blazers. Hold them accountable and keep others informed.
Report Post »missionarydad
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:32amI am contacting my freshman congressman today and letting them know we expect much more than they even promised. Way to many bureaucracies and pork projects being funded that they could cut a trillion or more without much imagination. Lets all call and make their lives miserable they must understand that we their bosses are dead serious and expect unprecedented cutting of historical proportions.
Report Post »mzmaj7
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:33amA good commentary on this very story:
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/nyt-pretends-gop-is-reneging-on-cuts
Republicans are not backing away from any pledge. Not yet at least.
Report Post »BoilitDown
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:51am@mzmaj7
Report Post »I read an article similar to this on the Daily Caller. I’ll tentatively accept this but remain skeptical of politicians following through on their pledges. I guess I just have trust issues, as we all should have.
The point is to stay on them constantly to reduce the spending.
conservativeme
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:33amRepublicans are not exempt from the wrath of the TEA Party! Cut or be cut . . . next election . . .
Report Post »Sweet Sister
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:38amExactly-They are all on probation-The American People have spoken and they had all better listen-We Surround Them!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:23amEXACTLY …. We the People have the power and they better wake up before they find it out too late.
Report Post »blanco
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:30am100 Billion sounds impressive until you realize the BIG picture! America just has to collapse at this point to start over….but we have to make sure the right ones get into place first!
Report Post »Polwatcher
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:42amOnce chaos reigns, there is no rational response. Everyone is on their own with the strongest and most powerful taking over. With worthless money, their will be no way out. The military would probably take over. This is not a good thing.
Report Post »Polwatcher
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:28amThese Repubs are our (and their) last chance to keep our country solvent. They either do what they were elected to do or they will be replaced with someone that will.
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:35amAgreed, top of the list, followed by healthcare and energy independence. They must keep their eye on the ball! We are definitely keeping an eye on them. God bless America.
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:01amI hope the realize that time is short and they are the last hope to save this country from falling off the clif. If they don’t fulfill their promises and fight the Progressives on anything and everything they want to do, and work to undo the damage already done, we will all be living in a third world country very soon.
Report Post »jimmythebullet
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:14ampolwatcher-
Report Post »i agree.however,our country is like a ship and the bigger the ship,the longer it takes to make a turn.since this ship has been heading for an iceberg for decades,i would keep my expectations at a reasonable level.on the upside,i believe americans have awoken and realize that if the crew doesn’t take immediate steps to turn away from the iceberg,they WILL BE RELIEVED OF DUTY.of course,that is contingent on our ability to marginalize the neo-marxists and maintain the power to do so.
“praise the Lord and pass the ammo”
jimmy “the bullet”
Psalm 144:1
Cobra Blue
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:24amPolWatcher
Wrong thinking! We elect these guys. They don’t do our will, then we will elect different ones. Then the new ones don’t do what we want….We elect some more new ones. News Flash – this is what we have been doing in this country since I don’t know when. One party screws up…Elect the other one. Same old roller coaster. If these folks don’t come through its time to stop the INSANITY (continue to do the same thing and expect different results). YOU MUST REMEMBER – It is not business as usual in Washington. The only people that have been affecting change in this country over in the past 50 years (except for intermission with Ronald Reagan) are the liberal progressives via the Democrat party. Our republcan politicians are not radical enough (in the other direction). The people must rise up. Problem is most people don’t want to hear that. Scares them too much. We need to quit focusing so much on Washington and start LQQKing to ourselves.
Report Post »lylee
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:36amLet’s revote on the you cut proposals. Come on Republicans put your money where your mouth is.
Report Post »Stuck_in_CA
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:49amAgreed. Its now or never, baby!
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:53amTechnically speaking, they’re right though. They were promising for a specific budget period, and the Dems held up the budget process intentionally in order to hide their intentions prior to the election, and to screw us should they lose the election.
I generally don’t go to bat for the GOP, but in this case I think that they’re shooting straight on this.
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:05amYou politicians can talk in all the circles you want, but we are involved and informed so you have better bring out the calculators and red pens and start cutting. Get rid of the duplications of agencies, waste, and corruption. Do it, or suffer the wrath of the American people in 2012.
Report Post »Marcobob69
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:22amTo the Republicans: GET OUR HOUSE(COUNTRY)IN ORDER! We sent you there to fix our problems, so my advice to all of you is FIX THE PROBLEMS that 100 years of progressivism, liberalism and just plain arrogance has created! We know you can’t do it in one day, but We have faith in you all. If we didn’t, you would not have been elected. To all the incoming freshmen in Congress, please don’t let us down by falling into the same “old boy” network that has permeated Washington for the last 100 years. “ Absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Speaker Boehner, you spoke some pretty profound words at your swearing in yesterday, please show us those words were true and sincere, and are not just the same old rhetoric as previous speakers at their swearing in. The ball is in your court now, We will be watching!!! Signed, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!
Report Post »Polwatcher
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:42amCobra,
We need to burn up the Repubs telephone lines if they don’t do what is necessary. The alternatives are so bad that there are not really any alternatives right now. However, in case you are correct, everyone needs a one year supply of food and water with plenty of defense related products…be ready to help your neighbor as best you can… everyone needs a disaster plan because if money is worthless, everything stops except personal needs and crooks.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:21amYou got it Polwatcher … I cringed last week when Steele stated that “they” had won in November … NO the Dems lost and the TEA Party sent a message to the Republicans … Do what is right for AMERICA or you are next!
We have Republicans right now trying to take over our local TEA Party … going to go tonight to meeting and vote for the board and put a stop to it !
Report Post »independentvoteril
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 11:03amHow about they get money pulled from welfare from anchor babies??? they don’t like our flag anyway why should we support them??
Report Post »ShutDownCabinetAgencies
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 11:21amAccording to this web site: http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/index.html They could a huge portion of their goal just by abolishing the Department of Education.
That would be a fantastic first step.
It would save the taxpayer a huge sum of money at the federal level.
Abolish programs like “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top”
And other unfunded mandates that keep schools from actually educating our children.
It would save local government tons of money and put control and funding back into the hands of the local school districts where it belongs.
Plus it sets a president of actually doing something.
Wouldn’t it be nice of some brave Republican Representative or Senator introduced such legislation in the next few days?
Do any have the back-bone?
Report Post »jbhansen
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 11:28amI don’t see how it could be that hard to cut a measly $100 billion out of an existing budget that is completely and excruciatingly bloated to begin with, no matter how far into the year we already are… Get the job done guys and gals or your jobs are next.
Report Post »Dandylyon
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 12:36pmGOP is showing it‘s true color’s a little early,I have never read so much double speak in my life.We as a Nation will be no better in two years then we are now and the clown Obama will be relected when the independats swing the other way.
I’ve said it before and here it is again,if you people really want to do something find someone who you really think is lieing(shouldnt be hard ) and recall or impeach them,again even if you fail they will take notice,so then do it again and you will win like in california,once you show the political establishment that you are willing to hold them accountable for the lie’s they put out to be elected the liers and crooks will find another way to bilk the public other then politics.
We need to take back the political system before we can take back America.Start with TERM LIMITS!!
Report Post »Thunderbob
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 12:57pmHoly Smoke! not even one day in the seat and everyone is asking why the debt ceiling isn’t reduced, how come this or that hasn’t happened. For 4 years the Democrats force feed the American public everything we didn’t want, save 10%, and it’s going to take a couple of days to make the adjustments or reversal. The Media is in bed with the Democrats as well as the white house, They will start rumors, deliberately lie and deceive the public just to push the Obama agenda. If it comes from the Media it can’t be trusted, not matter which outlet! In a couple of months let’s see where we are at!
Report Post »chardansearavitriol
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 1:24pmI would say shutting down the department of education would be a terrible idea. Itd go like this. private school votures go out. ALmost exclusively religious ones. by year 2, no more public schools. Year 3 is when people will start noticing that a lot of people, strangely, never got one. Republicans will claim an error, do nothing. Once the foundations of our public education are stripped, they will announce that there wont be any more vouchers this year. And they will never again issue them. Ever. After that first generation, they want the words School and Church to be fully synonymous.
Pretty transparently so too.
Report Post »Mikeyyy
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 1:38pmBig big strategy mistake if the Republicans don’t fight to lower the debt. Here’s my reasoning. They piss of the Tea Party peeps who are becoming more and more in numbers and influence. Lower the debt and it will make that segment kinda happier. Those who were on board w/ that process will be rewarded with their voting support, those opposed will become the Tea Party enemies in both the Dem or Repub camps. Also, and more importantly, I believe peeps ultimately vote based on the economy specifically how well their jobs are: people vote according to their wallet. Right now, the economy and jobs are down, which does not bode well for those in power politically. If jobs don’t recover, ultimately I think the americans will perceive obama and the dems to blame, so they will lose office in 2012 if their is no recovery. I think the correct strategy for the conservative to retake control is to cut spending. When obama loses and most dems lose their office, then focus hard, hot and heavy on jobs.
Report Post »mcfinch
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 2:46pmCouldn’t agree more.
http://politicalbowl.com – Political Video Website
Report Post »StMichelob
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:30pmI wake up and thank God every day that this great man is MY rep in the House.
PLEASE consider him for president, and check this video of his speech about the constitution and the Presidency given to Hillsdale College:
http://www.thehotjoints.com/2010/09/27/video-mike-pence-speaks-at-hillsdale-college/
Report Post »StMichelob
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 10:40pmNo, chardansearavitriol, when the FEDERAL DOE goes, then the STATES will regain control of their schooling. Public schools will remain, just under the control of the states, as was meant to be, and SHOULD be.
Report Post »GeauxAlready
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:26amHere we go again………………….
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