Oberstar’s Fiscal Irresponsibility

After reading Congressman Oberstar's most recent press release entitled "Restoring fiscal discipline" I found myself once again shaking my head in disbelief as a 35 year incumbent politician spins absolute fiscal irresponsibility into a justifiable action by continuing to blame previous administrations and misrepresenting the truth.   

This Administration and this Congress has put forward the largest debt and spending proposal ever recorded.  This budget will increase spending by $1.7 trillion and increase our national debt to $14.3 trillion, a 49 percent increase over last year's proposal.     Even more concerning, actions by this Congress has increased our national debt limit (for a second time) to $14.3 trillion.  An action that has committed our country and the taxpayer to a bill equalling 100% of our Gross Domestic Product.  Simply, we, the taxpayers, have been placed in a situation that we owe exactly what we make.  At present, our debt increases $3.8 billion dollars a day on interest alone.  How this debt that is being transferred to our children, grandchildren and to the next several generations thereafter can be construed in any manner as fiscal discipline in itself is the height of irresponsibility and total detachment from the reality of the people that are paying the bill.  The American Taxpayer....us.  

This administration's budget will run up more debt than all the other Presidents in American history, from George Washington through George W. Bush-conbined.  The assertion of blaming previous administration's decisions is simply a misrepresentation of the truth and shows a lack of accountability for personal actions.  The trillion dollar deficits began in 2009 as a result of bailouts, stimulus and declining tax revenues.  Additionally, any mention of deficit reduction is based on tax increases and not spending reductions.  

The PAYGO program that Congressman Oberstar refers to is no where near the same program offered under the Clinton administration.  It would totally exempt the continued incorporation of the varied stimulus bills offered under this administration.  Nearly all future spending would not be subject to this current legislation.  In other words, this is more political "smoke and mirrors" in keeping the truth of this legislation from the American people.  In fact, Congress currently has had a version of PAYGO since 2007 and has violated it time and time again, causing our national debt to come to an unmanageable point.  If all the currency from every piggy bank was collected from every source we still would not have enough money to pay off this current debt.  

In the future we are going to have to make hard choices.  We as a country must create positive business environments for job growth and revenue enhancement, cut massive spending such as economic stimulus packages, TARP and big government, pay down the debt, and  bring long term sustainability to unfunded liabilities such as Social Security and Medicare.  I don't see how increasing the debt of every American household by $75,000 for future generations can in any way be fathomed as "Restoring Fiscal Discipline."  The old way of doing business is what got us to this point.  It will take a new approach, fiscal integrity and a new group of representatives that are unafraid to make the tough choices because they are the right choices to get us out.