email from our illustrious representative
QUOTE
Dear Bill,
From what I have heard from you and your neighbors about fiscal responsibility, I think it would be pretty safe to assume that you have a personal budget of some form or another. It may not be an elaborate spreadsheet with columns and macros, but you probably have a concrete idea of what you make in a month, what your expenses are in a month, and whether you are going to have a surplus (disposable income) or need to dip into savings because of an unexpected, emergency expense. Even our children, if they are given an allowance, understand that what they get each week or month is it. They may not like it, but they learn that money does not grow on trees and that they will have to make do with what they have.
It’s so simple, basic, and universal you would think that Congress would understand – if nothing else – that a budget is crucial to fiscal discipline and stability, that the failure to establish fiscal guidelines will only fuel more spending. Apparently not.
For the first time since Congress passed new budget rules in 1974, the House of Representatives will not craft a budget. The House Leadership has instead decided to give the federal government an indefinite credit line. Rather than forming a budget so that Congress and the American people know what we can and cannot afford, the Leadership plans to fund the myriad of federal agencies and programs without a budget framework.
The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) has reported that our gross debt amounts to 83.4 percent of our economy (our Gross Domestic Product – GDP). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) predicts it will reach 107.1 percent by the end of 2020. But this is without a 2011 budget. What might a 2011 budget reveal? More importantly, what impact will not having a budget have on our long-term outlook? Economists say that reining in government spending and providing fiscal discipline is needed to create jobs and grow the economy. Failing to pass a budget is missing an opportunity to do so, which is one of the most basic things Congress can do to help spur the creation of jobs.
We know that 6.8 million Americans have been jobless for six months or longer. Last month only 41,000 jobs were added in the private sector, but more than 10 times that amount were created in government - mostly temporary Census jobs. This is a poor substitute for real job growth and neglecting to pass a budget makes a mockery of claims of transparency.
Let’s craft a budget, let’s debate the budget, and let’s vote on it. It is the only way that we can hope to dig ourselves out from under the huge levels of spending and debt we have created for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren.
Sincerely,
Daniel E. Lungren
Member of Congress
From what I have heard from you and your neighbors about fiscal responsibility, I think it would be pretty safe to assume that you have a personal budget of some form or another. It may not be an elaborate spreadsheet with columns and macros, but you probably have a concrete idea of what you make in a month, what your expenses are in a month, and whether you are going to have a surplus (disposable income) or need to dip into savings because of an unexpected, emergency expense. Even our children, if they are given an allowance, understand that what they get each week or month is it. They may not like it, but they learn that money does not grow on trees and that they will have to make do with what they have.
It’s so simple, basic, and universal you would think that Congress would understand – if nothing else – that a budget is crucial to fiscal discipline and stability, that the failure to establish fiscal guidelines will only fuel more spending. Apparently not.
For the first time since Congress passed new budget rules in 1974, the House of Representatives will not craft a budget. The House Leadership has instead decided to give the federal government an indefinite credit line. Rather than forming a budget so that Congress and the American people know what we can and cannot afford, the Leadership plans to fund the myriad of federal agencies and programs without a budget framework.
The Joint Economic Committee (JEC) has reported that our gross debt amounts to 83.4 percent of our economy (our Gross Domestic Product – GDP). The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) predicts it will reach 107.1 percent by the end of 2020. But this is without a 2011 budget. What might a 2011 budget reveal? More importantly, what impact will not having a budget have on our long-term outlook? Economists say that reining in government spending and providing fiscal discipline is needed to create jobs and grow the economy. Failing to pass a budget is missing an opportunity to do so, which is one of the most basic things Congress can do to help spur the creation of jobs.
We know that 6.8 million Americans have been jobless for six months or longer. Last month only 41,000 jobs were added in the private sector, but more than 10 times that amount were created in government - mostly temporary Census jobs. This is a poor substitute for real job growth and neglecting to pass a budget makes a mockery of claims of transparency.
Let’s craft a budget, let’s debate the budget, and let’s vote on it. It is the only way that we can hope to dig ourselves out from under the huge levels of spending and debt we have created for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren.
Sincerely,
Daniel E. Lungren
Member of Congress
