Democrats Will Restore Fiscal Reality

Tweet

The new Congress taking power in January have settled on a plan that would kill thousands of homegrown projects, called “earmarks,” in order to clean up nearly $463 billion in GOP leftovers. The old congressional guard, including the White House are not happy about it. But it becomes plain to see that one mans pork is another mans necessity. That we are suddenly entering a new era of budget management and fiscal responsibility couldn’t possibly coincide with the Democratic victory in November, according to some observers.

Take our very own representative Paul Ryan for instance. Impressing his Republican buddies with another easy win here, they have elected him to the House Budget Committee. Certainly then they must think, he must be doing something right.

JG editorial excerpt:
Ryan believes Congress is entering a new era of fiscal management.

Ryan pushed a line-item veto bill meant to strip Congress of fiscal accountability and hand unprecedented dictatorial powers striking out individual earmarks to one person, the president. Fellow Congressmen should be upset. One of their own was marching to the beat of the executive branch, the sure sign of a presidential rubber stamp.

JG editorial excerpt:
This year, Ryan pushed for earmark reform to reduce wasteful “pork barrel” spending. That rubbed some Republicans the wrong way.

In just two recent examples, I have brought up the idea that he should have/could have earmarked some federal money for schools in his district including Janesville. Nope, not Paul Ryan. That’s wasteful pork in his book. I also thought he could have secured some Federal money to tempt Honda to build a plant in his district bringing over 1,000 good paying jobs here. Nope, not Ryan. That too is pork.

JG editorial excerpt:
His role on the budget committee will help Ryan look out for interests of Wisconsinites and 1st district residents – as long as they don’t expect him to bring home the pork.

Whose interests was he looking out for when he wasn’t on the budget committee but still failed to secure federal money for projects in his own district?

JG editorial excerpt:
”If people think this will help me bring home the bacon, that’s not the kind of guy I am,” he told the Gazette.

Let's get this straight. At a time when completely irresponsible and wild give-aways exploded (real pork) under GOP control of Congress for the past twelve years, what did Ryan bring home to his district? There are such things as responsible earmarks. Schools, roads and incentives to spur economic development for the most part, are not pork. If you think they are wasteful pork, you’re right, you're not my kinda guy. Let me be clear here, as a citizen I am not confusing pork with genuine if not desperate needs of the community. But Paul Ryan apparently is.

Now, under Democratic control the long overdue belt tightening will begin. After bringing nearly nothing to his district for the past six years, Paul Ryan is warning us he will bring home even less.