Readers Write: Blame Obama, Congress for gridlock

The Island Now

Blame both President Obama and Congress for the continued gridlock in Washington.  

The president spends more time building up frequent flyer mileage going on vacation playing golf and traveling around the nation for Democratic Party fund raisers. Congress is no better having just adjourned for a five-week recess. 

Both the President and Congress need to work together if we are ever going to put our fiscal house in order and end future threats of both sequestering and furloughs. 

We need to return to the time when Congress held budget hearings for each department during the summer. 

A real balanced budget agency by agency was adopted during an open process. Members of Congress, federal employees, the public, watchdog groups and media were afforded sufficient time to understand the full contents prior to adoption. Full federal budgets were adopted on time prior to the start of any new Federal Fiscal year on Oct. 1.

It is time to end the philosophy of cartoon charter Wimpy who famously said “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”  

Washington has to stop spending money we do not have. President Obama and Congress should freeze overall spending by adopting 2008 spending levels in upcoming 2015 funding bills for all Federal agencies. 

There was no public outcry from Democrats in 2008 that the sky was falling. They didn’t say that Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and a multi-trillion dollar government safety net were going to end. 

The 2008 budget was prior to the one-time stimulus (American Reinvestment Recovery Act), TARP, auto industry bailouts, cash for clunkers, Obama Health Care expenditures and seven trillion dollars in additional national debt. 

Now everything needs to be on the table including the infamous “third rails” of American politics – Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and military spending.  

If several million federal civil servants survived on a pay freeze for three of the past four years, why not do the same across the board for everyone else and all other programs?  

Our safety net for those in need survived 2008 in tact. Any future extension of the debt ceiling (this issue will be front and center again conveniently after the 2014 Congressional mid term elections) should be matched by corresponding real cuts in spending today, not tomorrow. 

Millions of Americans have cut far more out of their family budgets and managed to survive.

It is time to return to “pay as you go” budgeting, means testing for all government assistance and sunset provisions for agencies and programs that have completed their missions. End pork-barrel member item spending, stop paying farmers to not grow crops and abolish corporate welfare subsides via tax deductions.

Close down obsolete military bases abroad. Reduce United Nations and foreign aid to those who offer no support when needed. End the wasteful war in Afghanistan. Don’t return to Iraq or become entangled in other new foreign adventures.  Avoid civil wars when you can’t tell one side from the other as to who are really the good guys.

Have the IRS accelerate the collection of several hundred billion in uncollected back taxes owed by deadbeat individuals and corporations along with suspending billions in future tax refunds to those who continue failing to pay long overdue taxes or student loans.

Stop wasting tens of billions of dollars each year on the war on drugs

Everyone needs to do their fair share in bringing the budget deficit under control. Both Democrats and Republicans need to put everything on the table – no exceptions.  It is time for government to destroy its own credit cards.

 It is ironic that decades ago after winning the Cold War against the Evil Empire of Communism, it may be mismanagement of our economy that results in a decline of our standard of living. 

It may also end our reign as the worlds super power as we become the world super debtor nation.

On a bipartisan basis, both President Obama along with both Democrats and most Republicans in Congress have continued year after year adding trillions in additional debt and uncontrolled spending.  Both sponsor legislation infringing on both our civil and economic liberties.

Everyone knows that the thousands of Washington K Street lobbyists representing every conceivable special interest group work behind the scenes hand in hand with the White House, Congress and Congressional staffers in writing their own favored special provisions into every Federal agency funding bill prior to adoption.  

Too many members of Congress upon retirement, just walk across the street to join the army of K Street lobbyists.  The same holds true for many former cabinet members and other employees of the White House Executive branch at end of any president’s term in office.

We can’t furlough the thousands of lobbyists who swarm around Washington like bees searching for honey. 

The White House and Congress should be held accountable for their actions or in this case inactions, just as employees are at end of the year personnel evaluations.   

Both the president, members of Congress and their respective employees should be docked one full day’s pay for each day the upcoming Federal Fiscal Year 2015 budget is not adopted on time. 

They need to perform this most basic requirement of their jobs, which is passing a budget on time, just like federal civil servants do on a daily basis. If your local Congress member fails to do their job, consider firing them on election day.  Send someone else to Washington who will do what needs to be done.  

If they fail, send someone new in 2016.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

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