Budget Deal: An Illusion of Responsible Governance

Personal Freedom and Prosperity 107: Limiting Governance

As government expands, liberty contracts. —President Ronald Reagan

Budget Deal:  An Illusion of Responsible Governance

America’s big federal government is broken.  Americans know it.  Our political elites know it. 

To reduce the size, reach and power of our government, Americans want to cut Federal spending.  According to the latest Rasmussen poll, 61% of Americans want to cut the Fed’s spending.  The 2011 Budget Agreement – aka sequester – required government to reduce spending by $1 trillion within 10 years.  Sadly, $1 trillion is a miniscule portion of the spending that must be reduced.  Since at least the time of President Carter, there has been earnest talk of reducing spending and the recent sequester was effective because it had the force of law.

It was the law, which could only be superseded by another law, requiring both the Senate and the House to pass the bills and signed by the President.  Representative Ryan, Senator Murray and President Obama and their colleagues have just enacted the superseding law.  The new law increases spending for two years, and then resumes the sequester for 8 more years.  

Of course, the likes of Ryan, Murray, Obama and their subordinates have the power to pass another law.  And, yes, they could pass another law saying the sequester is dead.  Period. 

Of course, this is exactly what the majority of the Senators and many members of Congress want.  They want to spend more money.  Thus, this budget deal is merely an illusion of responsible governance.  It is simply a two-year spending bill, and then Congress and the President can decide what to do afterward.    Pretty scary!

More than likely, the same set of government elites will continue to be in control – Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Boehner, McConnell, Ryan and Murray.  Most likely, they will continue to eviscerate the only effective law – sequester – that actually cut spending for two consecutive years in the past 50 years.

Wake up America!  We must institute structural restraints similar to Switzerland that control spending in relationship to GDP.  Switzerland limits spending to be no higher than the trendline of revenue over a defined period of time.   Additionally, Switzerland’s law stops politicians from arbitrarily increasing tax, and any new tax increase must be approved by the majority in the nation and a majority of the cantons. [Read: Stop Excessive Government Spending – Now!]

The most recent flimsy budget deal will not stop the spending appetites of political power mongers.

Wake up Americans!