TERRE HAUTE —
“Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”
— P.J. O’Rourke
Watching the mainstream media and Washington politicians bamboozle voters into believing that a failure to raise the debt ceiling would constitute “default” confirms H.L. Mencken’s observation that no one ever went broke underestimating the IQ of the American electorate.
The big lie throughout this manufactured crisis has been the notion that if the debt ceiling was not raised we would be unable to pay our bond holders. Consider: Without a debt ceiling increase, 60 percent of spending would continue, and only about 5 percent of spending is needed to service our debt. Given the consequences, no president would refuse to honor our debt obligations so that spending in other areas could be boosted from 55 percent to 60 percent of current levels.
President Obama knew that refusing to honor our debt obligations would result in his becoming the Democrats’ Herbert Hoover and he wasn’t about to let that happen. Nevertheless, a tsunami of manufactured angst was created by Obama and the media regarding this matter. Instead of the media exposing this canard, they were complicit in hyping it. The money was there to pay the bond holders if the ceiling was not raised. (The point is not argumentative.)
I’m not suggesting that the ceiling shouldn’t have been raised, I’m merely pointing out that a failure to do so would not have resulted in “financial Armageddon” as Obama and the media claimed. It’s unseemly that our president should stoop to fear-mongering.
Moreover, it’s worth noting that Democrats could have raised the debt ceiling last year — sparing all of us this circus — when they controlled both houses of Congress. Instead, they chose to wait until the 11th hour and use Republicans for political cover. What’s more, our Democrat-controlled Senate has failed to propose a budget for the past 828 days. That is both irresponsible and unlawful. But that’s the sort of “leadership” we’ve come to expect from Washington. In fairness, President Obama did propose a budget earlier this year, but it was so expansive in its scope and spending measures that it was voted down by the Senate 97-0.
For all the liberal handwringing over the spending “cuts” that were promised in Sunday’s bipartisan deal, spending will continue to spiral out of control. Any time some politician claims that immediate spending cuts in a debt deal will harm the economy — ignore him. Why? Because in this bloated welfare state spending never goes down. Never. Compare President Obama’s budget with Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget. Granted, Ryan’s is a few trillion dollars lower than Obama’s over the next 10 years. But what do they both have in common? They both go up. Way up. As in roughly $40 to $45 trillion more.
Why is this the case? It’s because of something called the “current services baseline,” which includes population and inflation increases built into the budget. Entitlements have their own formulas and that’s why entitlement reform is crucial for our nation’s financial survival. So when you hear a politician tell you he’s cutting spending, he’s actually referring only to reducing the (growth) of spending. Rarely, if ever, do they actually reduce the (level) of spending.
Last Sunday’s budget deal promises to cut $2.4 trillion over the next decade. But the ratings agencies have warned Washington it must make $4 trillion in real spending cuts, over the midterm, or lose its triple-A credit rating. The question arises, since we’ve amassed over $14 trillion in actual debt and another $61 trillion in unfunded liabilities, why do we have a triple-A credit rating in the first place?
Suppose we do get a credit downgrade, what then? It’s instructive to note that in 2002, Japan was downgraded from AAA to AA and they can still borrow 10-year money for 1 percent. Not quite “the sky is falling” scenario that Obama and the media would have us believe, is it? One might argue that Japan can borrow cheaply because they buy their own bonds. (Japan has a much higher savings rate than America.) To which the correct response is: It’s time Americans sobered up and began acting as responsibly as the Japanese.
And then there’s taxes. President Obama’s liberal base is furious with him because Sunday’s budget deal didn’t impose higher taxes on “the rich” (i.e., married couples earning over $250,000 per year). Can someone explain to me how increasing taxes on successful people and small businesses (at this time) will strengthen our fragile economic recovery and reduce unemployment?
America is facing bankruptcy not because we are taxed too little, but because we spend too much. If the IRS were to confiscate 100 percent of all taxpayer income above $250,000 it would be enough to run our government for a whopping five months. To paraphrase Bill Clinton: It’s the spending, stupid.
All the talk of “default,” “downgrades,” and “raising the debt ceiling” is to ignore our central problem: spending. That’s what a responsible media and informed electorate should be focused on. Instead, the media allow politicians to deflect voters’ attention away from the real problem. Unless Americans force politicians (both Democrats and Republicans) to embark on a 12-step program to curb their fiscal nymphomania our debt crises will continue.
America’s failure to solve its spending addiction amounts to the most egregious example of generational theft in history. The attitude of baby boomers and their predecessors might be summed up thus: “Keep the federal goodies coming and stick the grandkids with the bill.” A message from today’s youth to boomers: “Pay your own goddamned taxes and take responsibility for your fiscal mess” is a slogan whose time has come and portends a new kind of class warfare.
Boomers will be the first generation in American history to bequeath a lower standard of living to the next generation. Which is about what one would expect from a generation that embraced sex, drugs and rock and roll while coining the infantile slogan: “If it feels good do it!”
— Reggie McConnell
Terre Haute
Flashpoint
FLASHPOINT: Failure to solve spending addiction amounts to generational theft
- Flashpoint
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FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
Given the nature of politicians, grand claims of accomplishments and overblown rhetoric about “historic” efforts are to be expected at the close of any legislative session.
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FLASHPOINT: Again in 2013 General Assembly, middle class generally ignored
Last year, the people of Indiana entrusted the Republican Party with some of their most precious possessions.
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FLASHPOINT: Indiana lawmakers reinforced school safety mechanisms
Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my children. Every parent has felt that instant, apprehensive rush when their child plays too close to the street or falls down while playing soccer and it is our responsibility as parents to implement every safety mechanism we can muster to protect our kids.
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FLASHPOINT: Lessons from the legacy media — get it right, first
Enough mistakes and maybe we’ll learn: When in doubt, leave it out.
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FLASHPOINT: Hoosiers got steady hand in recent session
As the General Assembly began its work last November, as Speaker of the House, I pledged a renewed spirit of bipartisanship with legislators working together to solve our state’s most pressing challenges. As this year’s legislative session concludes, representatives from throughout the state — Republican and Democrat — have joined together to address those issues at the forefront of Hoosier minds: maintaining our state’s fiscal integrity, spurring job creation and expanding education opportunities for every Hoosier family.
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FLASHPOINT: Time has arrived for overhaul of TV news
Former FCC Chairman Alfred Sikes gave an address in 1992 in which he claimed television news was too superficial and too focused on visuals.
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FLASHPOINT: Fiscal cliff, Obamacare have already raised taxes enough
Our history is rich with stories of people who have immigrated to the United States for a chance at the American Dream. The American Dream, in its truest form, is the opportunity to achieve success by working hard and playing by the rules; to make it on your own and to say, “I earned this.”
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FLASHPOINT: Expanding Medicaid coverage makes sense for Indiana
Since last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act effectively gave states the option to expand Medicaid, policymakers across the country have debated if and how to extend health programs to millions of uninsured Americans.
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FLASHPOINT: Improve public education, stop experimenting with it
In January, the four of us who serve as the Democrats on the House Education Committee outlined our hopes for the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly, particularly in joining with Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz to offer common sense solutions to improve the quality of education for our children. With the halfway point of this session past us, we remain optimistic that positive steps can be taken … but that optimism is tempered by the reality that education policies are being directed by a legislative majority that has a radically different agenda.
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Healthcare law anniversary no reason for celebration
March 23 marked three years since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law, yet this is not an anniversary that deserves celebration.
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FLASHPOINT: Defending state’s authority is attorney general’s obligation
The law of the land recognizes the authority of states to license marriage.
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FLASHPOINT: Stability key for state’s future
Hoosiers have the unique luxury of being the fiscal envy of the nation due to the sound fiscal policies of the last eight years.
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FLASHPOINT: House budget offers Medicaid solution for Indiana
This week, my U.S. House Budget Committee colleagues and I introduced a federal budget resolution for fiscal year 2014. Our budget is a responsible plan that stops spending money and balances in 10 years — largely through making key reforms to drivers of our debt like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
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FLASHPOINT: Problem gambling in Indiana: A new understanding of community concern
The week of March 3 was designated as National Problem Gambling Awareness Week.
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FLASHPOINT: Eastern time in Indiana defies common sense
Nobody complains more than Hoosiers about changing their clocks. And there’s a valid reason — daylight-savings time in Indiana’s Eastern Time Zone is painful.
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Praying for civil resolution to debate over gun control
Guns are lively ammunition for passionate debate these days.
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FLASHPOINT: It’s not too late to expand health services
This week, state leaders euthanized the biggest, boldest Hoosier jobs proposal of the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly.
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FLASHPOINT: You can’t go back again — and that’s OK
Our progressive colleagues have been telling us for years that the 1950s were a horrid time.
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FLASHPOINT: The fierce urgency of now — nation needs to protect youth
The alcohol-fueled alleged serial rape of a 16-year-old Ohio girl by two of her similarly impaired classmates — not to mention the drunken videotaped commentary of others — points yet again to the imperative that adult America renews its commitment to address as a true national community those issues that most threaten the health, safety and forward development of youth.
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FLASHPOINT: A pastor speaks out against Sullivan’s ‘traditional prom’
I am a pastor in Sullivan, Ind., and I am outraged.
Recently, two young students applied to walk the Grand March together in the school prom in Sullivan. -
FLASHPOINT: 0wning firearms is a First Amendment exercise, too
Following the hysteria generated by gun prohibitionists in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, a nationwide rush on gun stores began as citizens bought semiautomatic modern sporting rifles, handguns and ammunition, in effect “making a political statement” about proposals to ban such firearms.
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FLASHPOINT: Maintaining the priority
Recently a newspaper article has been written about a change in the by-laws of the Indiana High School Athletic Association which speaks directly to attempted undue influence exerted upon students below the level of grade nine and their parents.
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FLASHPOINT: The fairness of marriage
What is the current Indiana law concerning marriage? Our state defines marriage in a singular way — between a man and a woman.
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FLASHPOINT: We ask state legislators to abide by their oath of office
All of us relish giving unsolicited advice to our elected representatives.
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FLASHPOINT: Mentoring is having major impact on public education
While managing local utility services, Mike Martin found a new way to energize his community, and students are starting to benefit.
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FLASHPOINT: Common Core standards should be common sense
Years ago, when state officials and education experts came together to create new model standards for schools, they probably never expected it to be controversial.
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FLASHPOINT: Milestone year for Rose-Hulman
The Rose-Hulman campus traditionally quiets down this time of year, yet for me I sense a renewed energy from the phenomenal year just closing.
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FLASHPOINT: ISU’s reasoning flawed in flight school planning
ISU and the taxpayers of Indiana and Vigo County are being led down a path of deception once again.
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FLASHPOINT: Incessant attacks on Christianity by the ACLU
It is obviously apparent that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is continuing its onslaught against religious freedom in the United States.
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FLASHPOINT: Americans deserve more value for their tax dollars
While traveling the 8th District and listening to fellow Hoosiers during my first term in Congress, I have reached the conclusion that many constituents do not believe they are getting value for the tax dollars that come out of their paychecks and are sent to Washington, D.C.
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FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
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