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Heritage
Network
Morning
Bell: 6 Reasons Why the National Debt Keeps Rising
By
Josh Shepherd
September
23, 2013
Out-of-control
spending by Congress and the Obama Administration has once again
maxed out the latest debt limit—a nearly $17 trillion burden that
harms job growth, gives special interests a pass, and lowers American
families’ personal income.
Inspired
by Dave Ramsey’s recent post “6 Reasons People Stay in Debt,”
we compiled six reasons why Members of Congress, the Obama
Administration, and others in Washington avoid the path to financial
stability in favor of big spending…
1.
They want to keep up appearances.
The
truth is, ever-growing entitlement programs drive ever-greater
government spending. Everyone knows it. Some leaders in both parties
have even worked together on first-step solutions agreeable to both
sides. Yet rather than risk Warren Buffett’s taxpayer-funded
benefits decreasing, politicians pretend America’s national budget
can handle all the extensive promises they’ve made over the past
several decades.
2.
They are unwilling to sacrifice even wasteful spending.
Like
a recent guest on “Hannity,” some in Washington will defend even
the most ridiculous spending. Yet Congress could eliminate billions
in spending tomorrow. Heritage expert Patrick Louis Knudsen, who
spent two decades working on the House Budget Committee, recently
went line-by-line through the federal budget to find $42 billion in
unnecessary, poorly run, and duplicative federal government programs.
3.
They fear changing “business as usual” in Washington.
Politicians
are masters at playing the game. Because Americans are waking up to
the fiscal crisis we are in, today policymakers in both parties use
any number of legislative “back doors” to increase the debt
ceiling—without looking like they did. CNN reports:
Since
it’s a politically tough vote, they occasionally devise clever ways
to tacitly approve increases without ever having to publicly record a
“yes” vote.
For
example, as part of the deal to resolve the 2011 debt ceiling war,
Congress approved a plan that let President Obama raise the debt
limit three times unless both the House and Senate passed a “joint
resolution of disapproval.” Such a measure never materialized. And
even if it had, the president could have vetoed it.
4.
They’re addicted to stuff.
Policymakers
in Washington enjoy a good haircut, lavish conference vacations, and
even renovating their bathrooms… all at our expense. How does so
much wasteful spending get into the federal budget? Follow the money.
When government keeps doling out so much to so many, it’s
inevitable that Washington’s 10,000+ registered lobbyists get in on
the bureaucrats’ action—while helping along a few re-election
campaigns in the process…
Read
the rest of the article at Heritage Network
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