It is no secret that the American people are facing a very tough economic climate. Families and small businesses are cutting back on expenses. As economic uncertainty continues, many across our nation are looking to the government for leadership during this difficult time. In these challenging economic times it is even more important for government to control spending. The federal government must work to both eliminate every cent of waste and squeeze every cent of value out of each dollar our citizens entrust to it. When you are preparing a budget for your family, you know that you can’t spend more than you take in. It’s a simple concept but one that Congress has failed to adhere to for far too long. We must balance the budget and reduce the deficit and the debt – not by raising taxes, but by being good stewards of taxpayer money.
Because it has become clear that neither party can exercise the self control necessary to rein in excessive spending, I have introduced a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, H.J. Res 1, to force Congress to do so. My legislation, which has the support of 175 bipartisan Members of the House, ensures that the federal government is held accountable and that the money our citizens work so hard to earn is not squandered on wasteful spending and programs.
My balanced budget amendment, which is identical to the legislation that passed the House in 1995 by a vote of 300-132 and fell just two votes short of passage in the Senate, forces Congress to enact fiscally responsible spending measures and reduce the deficit by requiring that total spending for any fiscal year not exceed total receipts. The legislation also includes a specific exception to the balanced budget provisions in times of war or other national emergencies.
This week I was pleased to join with Congressmen Mike Coffman, a Republican from Colorado and Jim Marshall, a Democrat from Georgia, in launching a new Congressional caucus aimed at adding support for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. The bipartisan caucus will be dedicated to achieving passage of H.J. Res. 1, and to educating Members of Congress on the necessity and importance of the proposed amendment to the Constitution.
As our nation faces many difficult decisions, Congress will face great pressure to spend beyond its means rather than making difficult decisions about spending priorities. My balanced budget amendment ensures that Congress and the President are held accountable to the American taxpayers. Unless Congress is forced to make the decisions necessary to create a balanced budget, it will always have the all-too-tempting option of shirking this responsibility. Americans are desperate for fiscal reform and the Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment is a common sense approach to ensure that Congress is bound by the same fiscal principles that America’s families face each day.
To contact me about this or any or matter, please visit my website at www.goodlatte.house.gov.
Doug at Below the Beltway had a post up the other day about the Federal Budget Deficit breaking yet another record in February, as the deficit hit $220 Billion. It appears with the President’s forecast that it’s projected to grow to $156 TRILLION.
Perhaps, if the government would not waste the taxpayer’s money on unnecessary programs, we might not be in this situation. With Congress and President Obama determined to get their version of health care reform passed, the deficit will continue to grow in a rapid pace. Is this what we want our future generations to be saddled with? It’s time to curb the spending and focus on common sense reform.
Congratulations to Bearing Drift on the release of their first e-zine. It’s so awesome to be one of the writers and to join the team over at Bearing Drift in this venture. Here’s to many more issues ahead.
It is about time we updated the score on this heated race for the Republican nomination in the 11th Congressional District of Virginia between Pat Herrity and Keith Fimian. This race appears to have tightened up.
Keith Fimian, having already run for this seat in 2008 and campaigning for it throughout 2009, had a considerable head start. This head start would appear to many, an insurmountable obstacle, especially for one announcing their entry in January of 2010, as was the case for Pat Herrity. Right out of the box, Keith Fimian scored a quick point by blasting Herrity’s endorsement-laden candidacy announcement (go here for a more “serious” discussion). Hoping to capitalize on perceived animosity toward political insiders, Fimian quickly went to work to immediately cast Herrity as the race’s political insider. However, there were still plenty of campaign opportunities throughout the snow-ladled month of February, en route to the June 8, 2010 Congressional primary.
Since January, Herrity has successfully defined himself as the experienced candidate. With both candidates trekking through the Prince William and Fairfax Republican meeting circuit, Herrity has made one thing clear: he is the one with experience. Currently holding the seat of Springfield Supervisor on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Herrity has undisputedly taken on the role of leader of the growing local Republican Party in Fairfax (to which the endorsements of his fellow supervisors attests).
Fimian has made his business experience abundantly clear and, in that respect, has therelative edge over Herrity, who also possesses significant business experience. At the same time, Fimian has a credible amount of political experience, while Herrity maintains the relative edge. Since this is a political contest, Herrity has a perceived advantage when it comes to experience.
What kind of advantage does this experience give Herrity? Who is to say? For instance, how does this experience answer the questions posted by Mason Conservative? Will it be the experienced double-talk that we hear from so many experienced politicians, or will it be an earnest profession and application of principles? In the coming months, there will be plenty of opportunities to see.
A federally funded ticketing blitz in the state of Virginia landed a total of 6996 traffic tickets this weekend. The blitz, dubbed “Operation Air, Land & Speed” coincided with frantic efforts by state officials to close a$2.2 billion budget deficit. Supervisors ordered state troopers to saturate Interstates 81 and 95 to issue as many tickets as humanly possible over the space of two days.
Despite liberal activists’ complaints, federal and state officials are effectively keeping the citizens safe and secure from the terror of abusive drivers and budget gaps:
Officers had no trouble delivering the requested number of speeding tickets with a total of 3536 ordinary speeding citations written. In addition, another 717 “reckless driving” tickets were filed, although these most often are simple speeding tickets that happen to carry a fine of up to $2500. Driving as little as 10 to 15 MPH over the limit can qualify for this enhanced punishment. On the other end of the scale, some 310 tickets were handed to drivers who either forgot to wear their seatbelts or made a choice not to do so.
Activists with the National Motorists Association pointed out that enforcement efforts may have concentrated on areas where speed limits are expected to rise to 70 MPH following Governor Bob McDonnell’s signature on legislation raising the state’s maximum speed limit (view law). This would mean a significant number of tickets were issued for conduct that will be perfectly legal in a matter of months. The group also indicated that state police tactics may run afoul of state law.
Keith Fimian, candidate for Congress in the 11th District, released a poll today showing him beating incumbent Rep. Gerry Connolly 40-35% in the General Election. The poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates showed these results with 25% undecided. Among independent voters, the poll showed Fimian defeating Connolly 43-28%.
“Keith Fimian is in an outstanding position to win the race for U.S. Congress in Virginia’s 11th District. Voters are extremely disenchanted with the current state of affairs in Washington and are significantly more favorable toward a Republican candidate,” Jim McLaughlin, Fimian’s pollster said. “Congressman Gerry Connolly’s favorable rating and vote share are both well below the 50% thresholds for strong incumbents. The fact that Keith Fimian is already beating Gerry Connolly shows how vulnerable Connolly is to Fimian’s challenge.”
“I am excited that this poll shows that I am the best candidate to win this seat.” Fimian said. “This is because of my energetic grassroots support, strong fundraising results, my message of fiscal responsibility and the concrete proposals I am offering to create a vibrant environment for job creation. Voters also welcome my commitment to eliminating the culture of wasteful spending and corruption that career politicians have created in Washington.”
Fimian has also raised more money than Connolly for two consecutive quarters, in addition to being named a “Contender” in the NRCC’s Young Guns Program.
Late last year the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took the first steps toward a national energy tax by writing anti-growth regulations that make carbon dioxide – something that is necessary to sustain life on earth – a regulated pollutant under the Clean Air Act. This backdoor attempt to institute a national energy tax will stifle economic growth and kill jobs, especially in the manufacturing, transportation, energy, and agricultural sectors. Now more than ever, with the national unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent and 15 million Americans looking for work, these harmful rules must be stopped.
The EPA’s regulations represent a clear and present danger to our economy and to all of our efforts to provide the conditions for job growth and prosperity. These new regulations will cost hundreds of billions of dollars to implement and would ultimately affect millions of small sources of emissions such as hotels, hospitals, churches, farms, office buildings, restaurants, and other small businesses. These rules will inject uncertainty into the economy, delay or halt new construction, and deter investment. Citing the negative impact to their states, these regulations are strongly opposed by several States’ Governors, Attorneys General, environmental agencies, and agricultural agencies.
The unelected bureaucrats at the EPA should not be creating national energy policy for our country and so I have joined with Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate in supporting legislation which would prevent the implementation of these job-killing regulations posed by the EPA.
Instead of passing regulations which will simply raise energy costs and ship jobs overseas, our nation needs an “all of the above” solution to cleaning up the environment, lowering energy costs, and creating more American jobs. We need comprehensive energy legislation which reduces our dangerous dependence on foreign energy and puts millions of Americans to work. We must encourage innovation within the energy market to create the renewable fuel options and energy careers of tomorrow, promote greater conservation and efficiency by providing incentives for easing energy demand and creating a cleaner, more sustainable environment and increase the production of American energy by responsibly utilizing all available resources and technologies and streamlining burdensome regulations.
America’s economy is intrinsically linked to the availability and affordability of energy. During this economic slow-down we should be adopting policies that seek to rebuild our economy and create more jobs; we need reliable and affordable energy supplies. Unfortunately, the new regulations the EPA is pushing would only further cripple our economy. Instead of government mandates and bureaucracy we should focus on policies that support technological advances and consumer choices. The bottom line is that we need policies which encourage investment in environmentally sound, cost-effective practices without stifling innovation and setting our economy further back.
To contact me about this or any other matter, please visit my website at www.goodlatte.house.gov.
Starting this evening and ending Sunday, the crew of Crystal Clear Conservative will be taking a break from blogging. This is to accommodate moving to a new server. Stay tuned for updates via Twitter, and you can always read my posts over at Bearing Drift…if you really miss me.
Have a great weekend and be back Sunday with my usual antics.
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