There is still more to letter to the editor “Ackerman, McCarthy use budget scare tactics” (Elizabeth Liz Barney — April 29).
Recent actions by Congress and President Obama to cut $39 billion out of a 3.7 trillion dollar budget were too little, too late. The independent Congressional Budget Office reported that this cut was really smoke and mirrors with real savings under $1 billion.
Republican House Budget Chairperson Congress member Paul Ryan is a true profile in courage. Unlike President Obama, Congress members Ackerman and McCarthy, Ryan has been up front and honest with us. Under Ackerman’s watch, the long term federal debt has increased from $3 to $14 trillion.
America can’t keep borrowing without dire consequences to our economy and freedom. Both Ackerman and McCarthy supported and voted for fellow Democrat former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s commitment to drain the corrupt swamps of Washington and implement “Pay as You Go” spending. Two years later, we have added over $3 trillion in new debt under President Obama, Senate leader Reid and former Speaker Pelosi all ably assisted by Ackerman and McCarthy. It is no wonder voters have little faith in President Obama, Ackerman, McCarthy and colleagues.
Republican proposed first returning to 2008 spending levels. There was no public outcry from either Congress members Ackerman and McCarthy in 2008 that the sky was falling. He had no words of wisdom then that Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and a multi-trillion dollar government safety net were going to end.
The 2008 federal budget was prior to one time Stimulus, TARP, auto industry bailouts and cash for clunkers expenditures. Next, besides discretionary spending, everything needs to be on the table including the infamous “Third Rail” of American politics — Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and military spending.
Consider implementing “pay-as-go” budgeting, means testing for all government assistance programs, sunset provisions for agencies and programs that have completed their missions. We should end pork-barrel member item spending and stop paying farmers to not growing crops. Next, abolish corporate welfare subsides via favorable tax code deductions and start a real campaign against waste, fraud and abuse.
The IRS needs to go after both individual and corporate delinquent taxpayers, along with overdue student loans. These combined owe hundreds of billions of dollars in uncollected debts. We have to close down obsolete military bases abroad and reduce United Nations and foreign aid to those who offer us no support when needed.
Ask our European and Arab friends to reimburse the costs of our most recent military adventure in Libya. End the wasteful war in Afghanistan. Additionally, we have to return to open budget process agency by agency rather than the midnight omnibus budget adoption and Presidential use of the line item veto when Congress fails to follow all of the above.
Failure to do so will result in America going from the World’s Superpower to the World’s Super debtor nation. Not only the poor, but our vast middle class will suffer. There will be no safety net for anyone if we don’t have a real plan to pay our bills today rather than kicking the can to future generations. We need real action today, rather than to wait until 2023 to balance our budget, as President Obama, Congress members Ackerman, McCarthy and colleagues propose.
By then it will be too late for America to save itself.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
