Last week, Borders Group Inc.,
the owners of bookstores across country, filed for bankruptcy protection. The
company realized that it could no longer continue in business because its total
debts were equal to its total assets.
That same week, President Obama
introduced a budget that shows the national debt now equals our total gross
domestic product for the year. In other words, our annual “income” equals our
total debts. We are into dangerous territory where our national debt starts to
drag down our entire economy. We must take concrete action to reduce government
spending and debt.
This is what we did in the
House of Representatives. Republican leadership brought the bill to continue
funding the government to the floor under an open rule. This meant that any
member could offer an amendment or speak about the bill.
We saw vigorous debate over the
proper role of the federal government. Every part of our discretionary budget
was considered, from healthcare to defense. Nearly 600 amendments were drafted
with hundreds being offered. The House voted dozens of times, even working
until nearly 4:00 in the morning one day. Members on both sides of the aisle
thanked Speaker Boehner for maintaining the open process.
Things didn’t always go the
speaker’s way. In one particular instance, a Department of Defense program that
directly benefits Boehner’s district was cancelled. But Boehner recognizes that
democracy isn’t about always getting exactly what you want.
Listening to the arguments coming
from the other side of the aisle, you would think that this bill shuts down
every government program in existence. The fact is that the bill was written to
roll spending back to fiscal year 2008 levels. I don’t think there are many
Americans who think that the federal government was too small three years ago.
I have to admit, many of these
programs do good things. Not every program we cut is pure waste. But the
question we must ask as legislators is not just whether a program has real
benefits.
Taking your family on a
vacation to Disney World may be a wonderful bonding experience with memories
that last a lifetime. But each family must decide whether they can afford that
vacation and continue to pay the bills. Even when you do decide to go to Florida,
you must make choices about how to travel and where to stay.
Responsible legislating means
that we have to set priorities, something that Washington has neglected for far
too long. If we follow the president’s budget plan, the yearly interest that we
pay on the national debt will triple in just a decade. By 2020, we could be
paying $844 billion a year just to hold our creditors at bay. Think of all the
good things we could be doing with that money.
Our federal government does
important and necessary things: our well-funded military keeps us safe,
Medicare keeps elderly Americans healthy, our roads allow for the free movement
of products and people. But if we do not set priorities now, the debt will
eventually prevent us from doing these good things and our private sector
economy will crumble under this incredible burden.
At this time we have to
remember that government is not the sole source of good in this country. Over
the last few years, I have travelled across the 16th District meeting with
employees and volunteers at local food banks. With minimal or no government
assistance, they are helping families struggling in this economy.
These are not easy times, and
we must rise to the occasion as a nation. Americans must give generously,
business owners must look for new opportunities, and employees must work hard.
Congress must also rise to the
occasion. We can no longer ignore our budget problems. Over spending by the
government is one of the barriers to private sector job creation that must be
overcome.
Our work on the continuing
resolution must be only the beginning. At the same time, this needs to be an
open and transparent process with every Representative and Senator
contributing. In this critical time, representative democracy must work to
strengthen and unite our country.
* Joe Pitts is the Republican U.S. representative serving
Pennsylvania’s 16th Congressional District.
About U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts is the Repubican congrerssman representing Pennsylvania's 16th Legislative District.
