Some constituents in the 8th District, represented in Congress by second-term Republican Larry Bucshon, want him to refuse any “fiscal cliff” compromise with Democrats. Those strident partisans are most likely in the minority, though.
Sixty-seven percent of Americans want Republicans in Washington to work with President Obama to resolve the fiscal cliff dilemma, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted after last month’s election. Even among Republicans responding to the Pew poll, nearly half — 46 percent — want their GOP senators and U.S. House reps to work out an agreement with the president. Likewise, 72 percent of the country wants President Obama to work with Republicans in Congress.
Bucshon has an opportunity to be a bit of a statesman in this situation by being reasonable, rather than rigid. The Republican side of the Hoosier congressional delegation will need such a voice in the years ahead. Bucshon can step into that role by distinguishing himself during this month’s important budgetary negotiations. He should avoid the partisan finger-pointing, and actively join other House members in finding a starting point through common ground and then build on that.
The stakes are high. The fiscal cliff serves as punishment to the Congress for failing to craft a budget deal last year through a deficit supercommittee of its members. Thus, if legislators can’t agree on a remedy by Dec. 31, the switch will be thrown on a two-pronged penalty — deep, automatic cuts to military and domestic programs joined by tax increases for millions of people, including the middle class. Economists agree the cliff would trigger another recession.
A thaw in the gridlock began after Americans re-elected the president and expanded the Democratic majority in the Senate. House Republicans, who also retained their majority, saw some members refuse to sign a no-tax-increase pledge by Washington lobbyist Grover Norquist. A handful of Senate Republicans said they, too, were ready to consider a variety of options to hammer out a budget deal that trims the deficit and strengthens the future solvency of entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Those legislators are approaching the task responsibly and realistically; President Obama campaigned on the plan to include an increase in taxes on the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans in the effort to reduce the deficit, and he won. That outcome should not be minimized or ignored.
Bucshon signed the Norquist pledge, and sees it as a commitment to the 8th District. He reiterated that view in a statement emailed to the Tribune-Star Editorial Board last week, but also hinted at changes in tax deductions and credits that some Republicans have expressed a willingness to consider to avoid the fiscal cliff.
“I pledged to my constituents that I would not raise their tax rates,” Bucshon said in that statement. “Hardworking Hoosiers and small businesses should not be asked to send more money to Washington, D.C., just to pay for bigger government and increases in spending. I have stated before that we need comprehensive tax reform and that we should focus on the long-term drivers of our debt during fiscal cliff negotiations.”
The latter part of his comments raises the possibility for compromise. Bucshon will best serve all of his constituents by asserting himself as a leader in the cause of solving this problem. A majority of Americans hunger to see members of Congress roll up their sleeves to get things done, instead of repeatedly telling us why they can’t. This is your moment, Congressman Bucshon.
Opinion
EDITORIAL: Stakes are high as fiscal cliff looms
Americans want their elected officials to be reasonable — not rigid
- Opinion
-
-
READERS' FORUM: May 20, 2013
The dangers of a little knowledge
Students enjoyed Rose study trip
-
Mark Bennett: High-profile mural connects historical dots from city to river
At 96 feet wide and 2 stories tall, the power, impact and value of the Wabash will be evident.
-
EDITORIAL: Waging the ‘readiness’ campaign
Almost every Hoosier who starts college intends to finish. Unfortunately, those who arrive on campus unprepared in key academic areas are far less likely to fulfill that aspiration.
-
READERS' FORUM: May 19, 2013
• Flawed reasoning on gun checks
• A hint of things yet to come?
• Are the ‘makers’ doing the ‘taking’?
• The ‘Obamination’ is finally revealed
• Pondering effects of Obamacare
• Fantasizing on the ‘Apocalypse’
• Another view of Hinduism
• Great experience for HCMS students
-
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.
-
RONN MOTT: Mushrooms = Hoosier happiness
Someone wrote or said a few years ago a statement that would define the word “Hoosier.” According to this urban legend, a Hoosier is somebody dribbling a basketball around the Indy 500 while eating a fried, morel mushroom. It did not define me, at the time.
-
EDITORIAL: Insult to an independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
-
READERS' FORUM: May 17, 2013
Hinduism doesn’t deserve ridicule — Shefali Purohit, Terre Haute
-
RONN MOTT: Israel’s Air Force
Recently the Israeli Air Force bombed and rocketed a convoy leaving Syria going to Lebanon with rockets that were going to be used to attack Israel. It did not get there. It was destroyed.
-
EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news: Dashing finish for the Sycamores
It’s always thrilling to see Indiana State University’s athletic teams do well in high-level competition, and two specific teams rose to impressive heights last weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference outdoor track and field championships.
-
Readers' Forum: May 16, 2013
Moving Deming folks sounds ‘nuts’
-
Readers' Forum: May 15, 2013
Participants rise to the challenge: I would like to write a letter congratulating all the Wabash Valley Roadrunners that competed in the One America Indianapolis Mini Marathon.
-
RONN MOTT: Media merry-go-round
Round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows. That isn’t a unique phrase to this writer or to this era in time. But, when it comes to the musical chairs of broadcasting, it certainly applies.
-
LIZ CIANCONE: Courts see a different appearance than cops
Have you ever noticed the transformation between the arrest of an accused lawbreaker and the first appearance in court?
-
READERS' FORUM: May 14, 2013
ISTEP failure exposes flaws
Community hasn’t changed its spirit
Egregious threat to nation’s defense
-
READERS' FORUM: May 13, 2013
• Women’s group criticizes Bucshon
• Let’s hope this doesn’t come true
• Many get thanks for fest success
-
MARK BENNETT: Life at face value: Mom’s simple advice still presents a valuable daily challenge
Most moms don’t base their advice on scientific research.
(Unless, of course, your mother is a scientific researcher. If so, carry a No. 2 pencil and take good notes.) -
EDITORIAL: Better monitoring needed to prevent local environmental messes
The nasty, hazardous messes lurking in the community raise a bottom-line, red-flag question. Could these environmental problems have been monitored and, thus, prevented?
-
GUEST COLUMN: Nursing more than medicine and bandages
Being a nurse … Like most nurses, I chose this profession because I had a strong desire to help others and no other career would allow me the opportunity to touch lives the way I have been able to through nursing.
-
READERS' FORUM: May 12, 2013
Vigo Youth Football, entering 45th year, seeks new support
Media ignoring important case on abortions
Proud to be old-fashioned
Guns in school? What’s next?
Promoting hate not a ‘brave’ act
-
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.
-
RONN MOTT: ‘Raccoons II’
In the Algonquin Indian language, raccoon means “working with hands.” They are really cute little fellows until they injure a child, or a pet, or leave feces around where you certainly do not want it.
-
Readers’ Forum: May 11, 2013
I just wanted to express my disappointment at the lack of response shown by President Obama after the Boston Marathon bombings.
-
Readers' Forum: May 10, 2013
CANDLES event plants new seed: On April 26, CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center hosted an event called “Sowing Seeds of Peace: A Celebration of Spring” at the Apple House. Our purpose was to introduce people to our concept of forgiveness as a seed for peace.
-
RONN MOTT: ‘NRA Convention’
At the recent NRA Convention in Houston, Texas, where the right-wing political hot air almost lifted the convention's building off its foundation, the NRA trotted out the forever yours political dame of the right wing, Sarah Palin. Sarah did not disappoint.
-
EDITORIAL: Memo to U.S.A.: You can ‘SPPRAK’ just as we do in Vigo County
Our kids, truly, are ‘Making a Difference’
-
Some words in praise of boring government — Indiana’s
A conservative Republican governor has super majorities in both branches of the legislature. One might suspect such one-party government leads to major changes in public policy. This did not happen in 2013 in Indiana.
-
EDITORIAL: Doc’s prescient prescription
Viewed through a 2013 prism, Doc Bowen’s response to the AIDS epidemic looks merely prudent, routine.
-
RONN MOTT: ‘Heritage gone’
The last high school I attended was being torn down just a few days ago. I didn't learn about it until I saw classmate Dick Mills on television and a display he had put together about State football championships in the middle 1930's. I began elementary school with Dick Mills. That was Matthew South Elementary School on South Sixth Street in Clinton, Indiana. After seeing Dick on TV, it dawned on me that all schools I had attended in Clinton have been torn down.
-
LIZ CIANCONE: We always want more than we need
Washington seems more preoccupied with the unemployment rate than they are about the constant stalemate. Still with thousands out of work and the unemployment rate hovering somewhere between 7 percent and 9 percent, it does deserve more than a passing nod.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
READERS' FORUM: May 20, 2013
Fatal Hot Air Balloon Accident in Turkey
Tornadoes, Storms Strike Midwest
Raw: Accused US Spy Reportedly Leaves Russia
'Babyland': Camp Lejeune's Toxic Legacy?
Raw: Tornadoes Spotted in Kansas
Raw: Heavy Tornado Damage in Shawnee, Okla
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
Today in History for May 20th
AP CEO: Records Seizure 'Unconstitutional'
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Today in History for May 19th
Obama Exhorts Good Deeds by Morehouse Graduates
Raw: Gun Scare Mars Cannes Film Festival
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Winning Powerball Ticket Sold in Florida
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Raw: Germany Protestors Picket Barbie House
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
Grizzly bear gets up close and personal with camera
Celebs Celebrate the Rise of the Side Butt
Singer Miguel Accidentally Lands on Fan At Billboard Music Awards
Heat Star Dwyane Wade Surprises Coral Gables Teen At Prom
Steak n' Shake waitress scores huge tip
Justin Bieber Gets Booed After Winning at the Billboard Awards
Singer forgets lyrics, makes up words to National Anthem
Who is $600M Powerball winner in Fla.?
Top 5 Plays of the Day
Sailor Surprises His Mom At Her CU Denver Graduation Ceremony
Twiggy, the Waterskiing Squirrel
Official: ‘Amazing’ No One Was Killed In CT Train Crash
Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder
Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner
Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion
