Boehner's Budget Boner

US House Speaker John Boehner's broadside against many of the partners in the old Reagan coalition, was shameful.  To publicly lambast the fiscal conservatives who opposed the freshly minted Bipartisan Budget Control Act was an action that is lacking in genuine leadership.  Boehner should be removed as Speaker when the new Congress sits in 2015.

Don't worry, the Republicans should retain the house after the 2014 mid-terms.  The politics percolating under the surface point in that direction.  Set aside for the moment that tactically, passing the two year Budget accord was good politically.  It gets over the Republican fear of government shut-down.  But whatever Republican staff negotiated this deal ought not sit at the negotiating table ever again.

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 removes $65 billion from the sequestration cuts negotiated in the previous 2011 Budget Control Act.  Additionally, it proposes tax increases in three areas:

• Airline travel ($5 per passenger).
• Increases insurance premiums that companies with private pension plans pay into the federal government's Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation.
• Increases "user fees" of customs services.

And No, Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), I didn't read the entire legislation.  All I needed to do is read the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) abstract as well as your own House Budget Committee summary document.  With all due respect, Mr. Ryan, it is piss-poor legislation that the US Senate is on the verge of approving.

The House of Representatives is an equal branch of the US Government and to get any legislation passed, it must go through the House.  This is a big stick and wielded properly, more should have been gotten out of the negotiations.  The cuts that were made in this legislation were very minimal.  They include:

• Caps on Discretionary spending.
• Elimination of some government waste.
• Targeting of Corporate Welfare. More specifically Energy Company graft.
• Government Pension Reform.

A better deal could nave been struck.  For instance, how about holding out for elimination of discretionary spending for the three "E's", Energy, Education, and Environmental Protection Agency?? This is where the current administration uses the "Chicago Way" to pay off their supporters and cronies.  Think Solyndra, XL Pipeline, and Common Core.

Additionally, how about a little government reorganization?  Like folding the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) under the auspices of the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation).  Redundancy is one of the biggest areas of waste in government.

Pushing back against the Socialist Democrats and exercising the power of the purse is much better than capitulation, which this agreement seems to be.

Back to the Speaker.  In January of 2015, Boehner must go.  Who should be the new Speaker of the House.  He or She shouldn't come from that body. In fact bringing in an outsider to harness the divergent opinions of its members into a cohesive message is much preferable. Have them serve a two-year stint as Speaker. There is no constitutional requirement that the Speaker needs to come from the house.  Who, then?  I place in nomination the following individuals:

1. Herman Cain.  The former candidate for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination would articulate a vision for prosperity.  A former CEO could competently run the operation.  He clearly has the stature and leadership qualities that the Republicans need.
2. Sarah Palin.  The former Governor of Alaska and running mate of 2008 Republican candidate for President, John McCain, would be an excellent choice.  She would certainly give the Socialist Democrats fits and at the same time effectively run the House.
3. Steve Forbes.  The CEO of Forbes Media, LLC would make an excellent speaker.  He could certainly lead the Republicans as a former candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 1996 and 2000.  A business executive with solid media experience would keep the Republicans well messaged and on task.

While John Boehner has served his district and the country admirably, it is time for new leadership to combat the onslaught of tyranny the current administration and its tax and spend friends quietly put in place.   

Independence Day 2013

"The American citizen must be made aware that today a relatively small group of people is proclaiming its purposes to be the will of the people.  That elitist approach to government must be repudiated."

 

William E. Simon (1927-2000)

 Treasury Secretary under President Gerald Ford

 

 

 

These words spoken decades ago still ring true today, particularly as we undergo Obama's Transformational Era.  Government continues to grow in girth and in scandalous behavior.  The scandals in this administration continue unabated.  Aside from Mr. Obama's dubious appointments and their foibles we have been witness to:

 

• The GSA "Party On" scandal.
• The Secret Service "Ladies of the Night" scandal.
• The Energy Department "Money for Friends in Bankrupt companies" funding scandal.
• The Agriculture Department "Pigford" scandal.
• The EPA wasted money scandal.
• The Benghazi cover up.
• The IRS targeting scandal.
• The NSA spying on Americans scandal.

All of this points to one certainty,  GOVERNMENT is big, fat and out of control.  The politicians in Washington, D.C. have created one Obese creature.

 

It is fair time for all Americans to reflect greatly on how the federal budget has ballooned and our precious liberties have shrunk in this Transformational Era of BIG GOVERNMENT.  It has become most apparent with the rise of what many call the fourth branch of government, the Federal Bureaucracy.  As government grows with its insatiable appetite for its cut of American wealth creation, it creates more rules, regulations and advocates for more laws to justify that growth.  This obese creature propagates itself exponentially all in the name of the will of the people.

 

This must stop!

 

No longer is the Republican establishment's approach of slowing the growth of government acceptable.  This is not the way to curtail government spending.  In light of all the recent scandals it is incumbent that actual and significant cuts be made.  Like a consumer that goes shopping, a determination must be made between basic needs and unnecessary desires.

 

On this Independence Day 2013, Americans must embrace liberty and throw off the shackles of an overbearing government.  Each one of us American citizens should pledge to come up with at least one cut to the federal budget and write our elected representatives in Congress seeking action.

 

Failure to do so, is to let our children and grandchildren down, further eroding the possibility of a return to a prosperous America.