Quote of the Day: “The economy is so bad even people who have nothing to do with the Obama administration aren’t paying their taxes.” — anonymous Internet joke
Subject: How the budget vote went, what it means, and what to do about it
On Friday, April, 2 the House and Senate passed separate budget plans. These two budgets differ in detail, but what they share is far more important. Both versions . . .
* Authorize spending on vast new programs
* Make multi-trillion dollar budgets a seemingly permanent condition
* Run multi-trillion dollar deficits far into the future
But, lest we panic, its important to understand that these budgets DO NOT, by themselves, enact any new programs, or spend any new money. They simply set the stage for that to happen. Passage of specific legislation for things like “cap and trade” must follow, and then appropriations bills to fund those new programs. In addition . . .
The budget battle isn’t finished. The House and Senate must still resolve their differences and then vote on the final result. There are many milestones still to pass. At each milestone we can (we must!) exert pressure, and voice our disapproval by withdrawing our consent.
You are not alone in this. Other groups are doing the same thing. Many bad parts of this budget may yet be beaten, especially since the Republicans are united in opposition, and many Democrats are being made nervous by the growing volume of opposition . . .
* All 176 House Republicans and 20 Democrats opposed the budget
* All 41 Senate Republicans and 2 Democrats opposed it
* Change the votes of just 7 Senate Democrats and the budget could still fail
Next step: Thank or Spank your elected representatives for their votes on this first round of the budget process. You can use our Educate the Powerful system to communicate with your Rep. and your two Senators in the same message.
It will be good for all of them to see what you’re saying to the others. You can find how your . . .
* House Rep. voted here
* Senators voted here
One of my Senators, Sherrod Brown, voted yes, while the other, George Voinovich, voted no. My House Rep., Betty Sutton, voted yes. The hardwired part of our message to Congress says, “I’m upset with the bloated budget Congress just passed.” Here’s what I wrote to the three of them in my personalized comments . . .
“Senator Brown and Representative Sutton are a great disappointment to me, because they voted for this monstrosity. I applaud Senator Voinovich for voting no. I want all of you to vote no when this budget comes up for a final vote. Please start over from scratch. Cut spending, cut taxes, and eliminate deficits. Please be clear about this — I withdraw my consent for you to spend my money, and my children’s money, on any of the new projects the proposed budget authorizes. Do not force me to empty my wallet for your misguided schemes. I do not want them. I am watching what you do.”
If you’ve used our Educate the Powerful System before, the best way to send your message, given our current technical difficulties, is to log-in using the Log-in button at the top of our home page.
Then, find the “Thank and Spank” campaign in the left hand column of the page, click on it, and send your message.
If you’re sending your first message to Congress, click on this link, fill out the simple registration form for first time users, and send your message.
Do not be silent. Thank or Spank. Withdraw your consent. And ask your friends to do the same.
Thank you for being a part of the growing Downsize DC Army.
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.