First, let's all agree that the current federal deficit is...
(a) too high,
(b) the product of spending more money as a nation than we take in as a nation, and
(c) of bipartisan creation.
What's next is how to reduce it.
Democrats argue that tax increases are necessary to balance the budget, while Republicans say they won't go with that, rather they will only accept budget cuts.
History shows us that probably neither strategy will work in isolation. What we need is a little of both rather than the extreme of either. Ronald Reagan told the American people he was going to have to raise taxes, and he did. We just recently came through, though not unscathed, eight years of Bush spend billions on wars and lower taxes to boot. This created the most unstable economy in five generations.
Of course we need to cut but we also need to add income streams. Short of a national lottery and selling national treasures, the government is faced with few income sources other than taxes.
Many thanks to House Speaker, John Boenher (R-OH) for saying he will never approve any new taxes. His only acceptable solution is to cut the budget.
Once again, we find the GOP leading a strategy that is utterly their way or the highway leaving no doors open for compromise. This sort of stalemate method of operation is grossly ineffective and demonstrates the current core philosophy of the GOP. What they are going to learn in the coming months the hard way is that their approach of totalitarian "we're the only ones who know how to do things" philosophy will finally have run its course. They have managed to pull the wool over the eyes of many people for too long. They have relied on a 20-second attention span of the American people who apparently have already forgotten that John Boehner isn't new. He wasn't swept into office by Tea Partiers. He's been in the House since 1991 – that's twenty years. He was there for all of George W. Bush's presidency. Where was he when then when the deficit was skyrocketing? Why did this become his and his party's new mantra of late? Because polling groups told them it would given them traction in trying to win back the House of Representatives which the GOP has held the majority for all but 4 years since Newt Gingrich became the Speaker in 1995. The GOP had 6 years of total control of the government under George W. Bush to do all sorts of things focusing on reducing the deficit, and they chose to do nothing. Not only did they do nothing to reduce the deficit, but they ran up huge totals by reducing taxes and waging wars.
So, if people want to believe the honorable representative from Ohio, that he has our best interest at heart, and he alone knows how to reduce the deficit and his party is not focused on little else, that is their call. (watch the YouTube video of Rep. Boehner admitting in a PBS documentary – no it wasn't even undercover – to passing out bribes on the House floor from Tobacco companies much to the dismay of fellow representative, Steve Largent (R-OK)
Instead, let's hope these people come to their senses and realize they are not playing Congress in Washington, they are playing with the lives and financial solvency of hundreds of millions of hard-working tax payers who want partisan bullying nullified and real and equitable solutions to come out of Washington. We want the budgets cut, we want the taxes equalized (meaning everyone pays his or her fair share), and we want the nation to operate on a balanced budget like we and many states already must do. Yes, it's time to stop blaming social programs and start admitting that subsidizing certain industries such as oil and gas has to end. The President spoke eloquently about the need for compromise and for reductions on all sides as well as increases in taxes to ensure everyone pays his or her own fair share. What's wrong with that? Isn't that the right thing to do?