We’ve all heard the snappy sound bite – “We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.” There is a certain allure, a kind of undeniable wisdom in those words. Let’s have a look.
The President spends money that has been authorized by the Legislative Branch (both the House and the Senate) in terms of where it is spent and how much is spent. So if we have a spending problem it is a problem created by our Legislature.
The President can’t borrow money that hasn’t been authorized by the Legislative Branch (both the House and the Senate) to keep the government operating. So if we have a mismatch between our spending authorization and the amount of money we can borrow to make those authorized ends meet – it is a problem created by our Legislature.
Forgive my bluntness. Our “spending problem” and all that it means to responsible Americans like you and me is the creation of our Legislative Branch. Our House of Representatives passed the Budget and/or the Continuing Resolutions to authorize the spending. Our Senate did the same thing. The Joint House and Senate Conference Committee met to reconcile the differences. The members of both the House and the Senate loaded in the pork for the folks back home who “grovel at the public trough.” Don’t let them off the hook. They created the mess and they are the proper ones to clean up after themselves.
Now they are thinking out loud that kicking the can down the road for a month or two might help. If they really believe that, there is a sandwich meat they would really like – Bologna.
The Sausage Grinder is Broken – Will you help to fix it?
Comment here or send an email: abrokensausagegrinder@comcast.net
More via Facebook: A Broken Sausage Grinder
More via Twitter: Hank Thomas