Consequences

Floor Speech

Consequences -- (House of Representatives - February 3, 2009)

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to comment about a growing concern among my constituents. They are concerned about our unwillingness to hold ourselves and others accountable.

As the Senate debates the $1 trillion stimulus package, my constituents are begging us to consider the consequences. Every American knows about consequences. They pay them all the time. But they're beginning to wonder if Congress knows about consequences. The continued commitment to deficit spending exacts a huge price upon this country. Yet, it is not nearly enough discussion about the consequences.

It's easy to ignore the consequences. It's easy to pretend they don't exist. It's easy to get caught up in short-term fixes that ignore long-term results. But we weren't elected to do the easy thing. We were elected to make tough choices. We cannot be all things to all people.

It's time to turn things around. If we're serious about change, we have to get serious about accountability.

I'm concerned that Congress has been sending the wrong message to the American people. Consider what they see on a daily basis. They see Wall Street exploiting people, breaking rules and ruining lives. For the offenders, the consequences are minimal. But there is a price. The American people get stuck paying it.

They see financial gurus allegedly ripping people off, and consequences are minimal. But there's a price and the victims pay it.

They see tax evaders nominated to serve the highest offices in our government and, oops, there doesn't seem to be much after of a consequence. But there's still a price. The American government pays it, as we undermine our own credibility.

Now the American people see a government spending trillions of dollars of borrowed money. Congressional leadership is telling them there won't be a consequence. But they know better, and so do we.

We need to join the President's calls to raise our standards. In his inauguration speech, the President said, ``Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held accountable, to spend wisely, reform bad habits and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between people a government.''

If we are truly going to restore that ``vital trust'' we must demand and expect accountability. We have to tell the American people the truth.

The American people know what happens when you borrow too much. They know what happens when you spend too much. And they're worried. They should be. And so am I.

Over the past 12 years our Federal budget has doubled and we are now more than $10 trillion in debt, with long term obligations close to $100 trillion. We are a Nation in debt. We have record numbers of individuals filing for bankruptcy.

Where is the self-restraint, the personal pride, the honor that is our heritage?

We haven't even passed the majority of the appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2009. We are operating our government on an extension. Yet, the first priority of this Congress is to pass an emergency stimulus bill.

Last week, all the House Republicans and some brave Democrats voted against this so-called stimulus. I was and am fundamentally opposed because it does not solve the underlying challenges eroding our economy. We all want our economy to thrive, but the bill currently in debate in the United States Senate does not make the fundamental changes we deserve and we need.

The so-called stimulus was sold as a jobs bill. Tell me, how do the following expenditures drive our economy forward? $50 million for the National Endowment of the Arts, $150 million for the Smithsonian, $400 million for global warming research, another $2.4 billion for carbon capture demonstration projects, $600 million for the Federal Government to buy automobiles, $650 million on the top of the billions already doled out to pay for digital TV conversion coupons, $1 billion for the follow up for the 2010 census. And the list goes on.

We need a game changer. Massive spending bills do not represent change because it is merely more of the same. Setting aside money we don't have to pay for projects we can't afford is not change.

The economic crisis we face provides a historic opportunity for us to show America that we get it.

When I speak with business interests in my State, I hear the same request over and over, and it doesn't matter if it's a small business or a big business. From the sole proprietor who owns a graphics shop, to the trucker I spoke with that has 12 employees, to the medical device company that employs nearly 1,000 people in my district, the call is unanimous. They want us to demonstrate accountability. They want us to live within our means. They want us to quit borrowing from our enemies and taxing generations that are yet unborn.

This country needs a game changer. Let us understand the consequences, and let us live within our means.

Source