Texas Insider

1:40 pm CST - February 05, 2010

Thornberry: Doubling Debt While Increasing Spending, Taxes Not Responsible

Washington, DC— Congressman Mac Thornberry (TX-13) today issued the following statement on President Obama’s proposed $3.8 trillion budget for fiscal year 2011:

“Doubling the debt while increasing spending and taxes to record levels is not what I call responsible budgeting, especially during a recession with 10-percent unemployment. That’s exactly what the President’s budget does. My approach would be the opposite—cut spending, lower taxes, limit government, and let people make their own decisions rather than Washington doing it for them.

“In his State of the Union address, the President talked about reducing the deficit, but his budget will only send it higher. If it passes, non-defense discretionary spending will have increased 84 percent in the last two years. We should start attacking the deficit right now, not wait until the proposed “spending freeze” takes effect in 2011.

“A good starting point would be to reject more ineffective government stimulus spending like the $100 billion contained in this budget. Businesses create jobs, not government, and we must look for ways to encourage private job growth to get this economy back on track. Another cost-saving, common-sense suggestion is to leave Guantanamo Bay open for both national security and economic reasons. President Obama proposes spending $500 million to buy a prison in Illinois and move the prisoners there. He can save taxpayers half a billion right off the bat just by leaving Guantanamo Bay open.

“I also disagree with the tax increases in the budget because sending more money from working families, individuals, and small businesses to Washington isn’t a realistic way to grow the economy either. For example, the President’s budget has a global warming tax that is even higher than the one he proposed last year and will increase energy costs for all Americans.

“The government has important responsibilities, but one of the most critical is to live within its means. This budget does not meet that responsibility. Hopefully in the next few months we can work with the President to balance the country’s real needs with the amount we can realistically spend to meet them.”

6 Comments

CWJensen
11:02 am CST
February 05, 2010

This makes sense to me
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/most_recent_videos2/58_support_cutting_government_employees_to_reduce_deficit
The natives are really starting to get it

SJK
1:51 pm CST
February 05, 2010

HOORAY FOR THE NATIVES! May they remember at the polls in 2010 and 2012!

BR Faulkner
11:00 am CST
February 05, 2010

Whatever water he has been drinking needs to spred to the other Potomac drinkers! Here I was beginning to think everyone up the had lost their minds.

sonny
2:33 pm CST
February 05, 2010

The Federal government has expanded since the 1960’s, they are intrusive into everyones lives. They have taken a little at a time more and more states rights. Our Federal government has reached the point where they can blackmail states, if you don’t do it their way they will cut your Federal subsidy, even our states have become welfare states begging crumbs from the Federal government. It’s time for the states to stand up and take back our states rights and quit letting the Federal government dictate which direction each state has to go. If the Federal government would do the job we elected and pay them to do we wouldn’t be in this mess. If the Federal government would enforce the law and deport 12 million or more illegal aliens we could create more jobs for Americans citizens and save $90 billion dollars per year they spend on illegal aliens. The Federal government would rather cater to these people and give them amnesty to broaden their voting base than to uphold the law of the land which they swore on oath to do when elected. Remember this when you vote in 2010 and 2012.

David
12:08 pm CST
February 05, 2010

Thornberry talks a pretty good game and most of the time he votes that way, but not always. He is from my district. My biggest complaint with him is that I think he is ineffective as a communicator when it relates to other congressmen. He has been there a long time and does not seem to “carry much water” when it comes to persuading others to his point of view. It seems that he kind of preaches to the choir.

Christian Archer
3:20 pm CST
February 05, 2010

David, is it a possibility that Thornberry hasn’t been given primary and strategic committee positions because he is not an @$$-kisser and a brown-noser? I’ll bet you money that if Thornberry was a moderate to liberal “Republicrat” he’d be heading some powerful committee or at least be seated on one. Maybe he’s not an effective communicator but I don’t think that’s his problem. I think he’s not like the Washingto Beltway crowd.