Obama's Budget Reaches the House

In the next chapter of Fiscal Responsibility, Congress will be debating and voting on President Obama’s budget tomorrow. With close to $3.8-4 trillion dollars in spending, this bill is the grim reaper of national debt that will last for a long time. The budget includes proposals to limit defense spending, impose a national energy tax, and increased spending on health care proposals. It is not looking good on Capitol Hill right now, and this is not what taxpayers need.

Tonight, I had the opportunity to participate in a Blogger’s Conference Call with Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Roanoke).  Goodlatte discussed the current budget bill, which will be debated and voted on tomorrow. This bill calls for the further expansion of the government and will be spending trillions of dollars over the next year. It is a disgrace that we will be buried in debt due to this horrid proposal. A surprising statistic mentioned during the call was that our current and rising debt does make our country ineligible for admittance to the European Union.

Goodlatte is definitely an advocate for the taxpayers, as he indicated that there are two different Republican budget alternatives. One was proposed by the Republican Study Committee and the other was proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin). The one proposed by Rep. Ryan and the Republicans on the Budget Committee can be found here.

Goodlatte mentioned that he would support either one of these plans, but prefers a plan that would balance the budget and scrap the tax code to a simpler tax code with six guiding principles. When asked about the estate tax, Goodlatte indicated that this is set to expire in 2010, and it will go back to its standardized rate of 55% in 2011. Families whose loved ones die after 2010 would have to incur this massive debt. Goodlatte also touched on another tax that is likely to come from this budget that would make us more dependent on foreign oil. The Cap and Trade tax on energy will cost American families $1,200 a year and it will also drive jobs out of the country.

Additionally, Goodlatte said this budget is going to hurt small businesses. Along with the real estate taxes, employment taxes, capital gains taxes, and a dividends tax increase, it will be difficult for small businesses to stay afloat and make a decent living. It is particularly worrisome to someone who is considering opening a small business with the added regulations that will be placed on them.

The most worrying part of this budget is the massive amounts of spending that the Obama administration is proposing, and we are headed in the wrong direction. The increased size of government no doubt creates more fear, along with the proposed universal health care.

A special thanks to Congressman Goodlatte and his staff for hosting this conference call tonight. It was very informative, and hopefully, there will be more opportunities to participate in future calls.

**Cross Posted at Virginia News Platoon

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