Boehner and Republicans Risk TEA Party Split
Democrat Budget Proposals are Totally Unreasonable
On Fox News Sunday (3/06/2011), Sen. Richard Durbin stated firmly that the Democrat’s proposal of only $10.1 Billion in discretionary spending cuts were as far as they could go and were unwilling to go any further than what they have offered. He stated further that this proposed amount has pushed discretionary spending cuts “to the limit”.
Senator Durbin went on to say that anything further would “put hundreds of thousands of poor kids out of the Head Start program …..dismiss 10 or 20,000 teachers and staff ….. cut the Pell grants and force young people from families of limited means to leave college…..cut research, medical research at the National Institutes of Health ….. cut one-third of the staff at the Oregon National Laboratory and the laboratories around the United States….. etc., etc. etc.” Certainly sounds like the end of Western Civilization as we know it, doesn’t it?
Does Sen. Durbin understand that the $10.1 Billion dollars of cuts he is talking about consists of 0.29% of the federal budget? In real terms, if the federal budget was the equivalent of a family’s $1000 monthly budget for food, this Durbin “spending cut to the limit” would represent only a reduction of $2.90. That’s like saying we will cut out a couple of chocolate bars from the food bill, but continue buying the lobster and filet mignon as if everything else is OK.
Even if the entire Republican budget cuts of $61 Billion were maintained, it would only amount to 1.7% of the federal budget. The fact is that the federal budget deficit is now 43% of the current federal budget ($1.5 Billion/$3.5 Billion). If Democrats think that cutting 0.29% of the federal deficit is pushing up against the limits of what Americans can tolerate, then there is absolutely no hope of ever getting the U.S. Government’s budget and financial house in order. Debt default and bankruptcy are surely not far down the road.
Republicans Must Hold Firm on Budget Cuts
One of the recurring themes we keep reading and hearing about from the liberal media is that Republicans cannot afford to risk a government shutdown. We are constantly reminded of the budget battle of 1995 and the perceived victory of then resident Clinton and his ability to blame Republicans. Unfortunately, there are probably some Republicans who are buying this. Under no circumstances can we allow this new Republican majority to cave in and negotiate away this current Continuing Resolution that expires on March 18.
John Boehner is Speaker of the House today for only one reason. Sixty three new Republicans were elected in 2010, the vast majority of them with TEA Party support. There is no question that TEA party support for the Republican Party will evaporate for Boehner and the so-called regular Republicans, if the Republican leadership negotiates away this advantage that they now hold. In that event, the TEA Party will likely initiate primaries against most of the moderate or liberal Republicans in 2012, or possibly run against them in the general election, providing Democrats with a path back to power.
If the current budget in the Continuing Resolution is increased by any significant amount in the coming negotiations, and by that I mean anything in the neighborhood of $5 Billion or more, then we will begin to see great turmoil in the ranks of the House Republicans. If John Boehner wants to keep his Speakership, he would be strongly advised to do battle with Obama and the Democrats than with his own TEA Party Republicans in the House. It would be much better to accept a government shutdown for as long as it takes than to see the Republicans lose the House again in 2012.
It’s Time to Call Your Republican Congressman
Let’s see if we can encourage the House Republicans to stand firm and protect their hard work on the budget. It took many late nights and strong wills to push even this small $61 Billion cut through the House of Representatives. Go to the House website, find your Congressman, and call his office. Demand that the Republicans stand firm on this Continuing Resolution! If America can’t do better than a 0.29% cut in its budget for the rest of this year, then maybe it’s time to throw in the towel and admit that we can never solve the federal budget problems. Maybe Americans would rather go the way of Weimar Germany or Zimbabwe where debt monetization and massive inflation will take care of its massive deficits and debts.
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