WHAT WOULD DEMOCRATS CUT?

As Congress finally returns to work, many are reflecting whether or not they made the right choice in the GOP's "second chance" election. This doubt began within a few short weeks of the historic November 2010 election shellacking, and the shellacking began to fade away, as the Democrats appeared unsinged.

Democrats skillfully morphed into the role of savior of imminent tax increases, Don't Ask Don't Tell reformer, a Christmas present of another 13 week extension of subsidized unemployment for an unbelievable total of 99 weeks, another generous gift of a one year 2 percent social security tax savings for employees only, plus more goodies for our stocking. Net effect -- a Republican Party all of a sudden on the defense -- again!

To make matters worse, the GOP has appeared weak in standing by their pledge to reduce the debt, reduce the budget, and crack down on Democrat spending. In fact, it's laughable. A $100 Billion promise turned in to different bills no higher that $61 Billion, and the percentage of reduction to national debt is not worth a "Gazunteit".

This week, as the GOP again takes the helm, it's time to re-ignite the message of the Nov 2010 elections. Just think about the fact that the Bush budget had a deficit of $163 Billion for the year 2007. The budget deficit was a record $222.5 Billion in February 2011, the shortest month (one month!) of the year. The GOP has to get a backbone and stand up to the bullies.

Obama's advisors remember how his popularity grew after the December tax deal, and they are doing their best to replicate that success. For Senate Democrats and Obama, partisan politics is the name of the game.

Fear kills. Rather than worrying about taking blame for shutting down the government, the GOP should take credit for lowering the deficit, spending and debt, and for finally taking steps to avoid a real government shut down. Quit passing it on to the next Congress. Be a man. Do it now!

The longer you are in a problem, the less likely you are to solve it.

When the Dems are in power, they steamroll the GOP, the rules, and anything that gets in their way. Why are the old school Republicans so spineless?!? That’s why we voted in the Young Lions and gave the Republican Party a second chance.

If we need a reminder to re-ignite this flame, remember what has happened over the last 2½ years. The Morning Bell from Heritage Foundation gives us a prospective of what Democrats would cut... nothing. Can the Republicans stand up and demand (not ask pretty please) better? Isn't that why so many rallied on their behalf? As they get back to work, it's time to remind them. Contact numbers can be found at TheOrator.com

What Would Democrats Cut?
by The Heritage Foundation, Conn Carroll - March 28, 2011

As a third temporary spending bill expires next week, the attention of Capitol Hill will once again be focused on producing a permanent spending bill to keep the federal government open and operating. The threat of a government shutdown would not exist had the Democratically controlled 111th Congress passed a budget for this fiscal year. In fact, not only did they fail to pass a budget, but for the for the first time in the history of the budget-making process, last year’s Congress failed to even vote on a budget. And now, even as the consequences of their failure are just days a way, the Democrats have still failed to agree on a plan that cuts spending.

Thirty-eight days ago, on February 19, the House of Representatives passed a budget that would keep the federal government open for the rest of this fiscal year. Responding to the overwhelming mandate from the American people delivered last November to cut federal spending, that House budget cut $61 billion in spending from 2010 levels. The Democrats then produced a plan that they said “cut spending,” but even The Washington Post Fact Checker found no real cuts.

And they will not even go on record identifying which cuts in the House’s bill they are willing to accept. The Post explains why: “Such a move would force Democrats to go on record defending programs that Republicans had identified as wasteful.”

It is understandable why the Senate is so afraid to offer its own spending plan. When the President offered his own budget for next year, he claimed that it would produce only a $7.2 trillion deficit over the next 10 years. At the time, we predicted that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) would produce vastly different numbers, since the President’s proposal included audaciously hopeful economic forecasts and fake spending cuts. Sure enough, on March 18 the CBO scored the President’s budget as causing $9.5 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years. That is more debt than the federal government accumulated from 1789 to 2010 combined. Heritage analyst Brian Riedl surveys the damage:

These large deficits will persist because the President’s steep tax hikes cannot keep up with his runaway spending. Relative to the historical averages (which were also pre-recession levels), President Obama would raise taxes by 1.3 percent of GDP yet increase spending by 4 percent of GDP. The main drivers of runaway spending—surging Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid costs—would not be reformed at all. Accordingly, the annual cost of interest on the national debt would quadruple.
…
Under President Obama’s budget proposal, taxpayers would see large tax increases, bigger government, and slower economic growth. The President who declared that “I didn’t come here to pass our problems on to the next President or the next generation—I’m here to solve them” would, over the next decade, drop an additional $80,000 per household in debt onto the laps of our children and grandchildren.

The White House spent all of 2010 deflecting criticism about its deficit spending by pointing to the President’s debt commission. Then when the commission finally produced a report that included actual spending cuts, the White House couldn’t run from it fast enough. Congressional Democrats have no plan to cut government this year, next year, or any year. Conservatives should hold firm to their $61 billion in cuts and force Democrats to produce their own spending cut plan.

More MORNING BELL here.