Issue Position: Bad Votes by Congress

Issue Position

We are in serious trouble and yet many members of Congress continue to make poor decisions to approve stimulus plans and spend money that we don't have.

In 2011, when the US was about to cross its spending limit, the House cut a compromise and voted for an additional $2 trillion of debt. We are approaching the new debt ceiling faster than the administration had hoped, and although Boehner is talking tough now most members of Congress will certainly vote to raise it again.

Part of the carrot the administration offered to get a debt limit increase was a balanced budget amendment, and later when a very poor version of this change to our Constitution came to the floor (basically "cut, cap and balance" but without the "cut' or "cap' part) many representatives voted for it even though they knew it was not a good amendment. Our Constitution is not a document to be modified through compromise just for political cover.

Instead of standing firm Congress votes for continuing resolutions and 1,200 page Omnibus spending bills (brought to the floor before the ink is dry) that fund Planned Parenthood, the EPA, Dodd-Frank, and other entities that Republicans promised to cut or eliminate.

We are borrowing 43 cents of every dollar and yet our representatives vote to spend money on NPR and to fund ridiculous studies. We can no longer settle for gaining a little ground at a time -- it is time to, as they say, go big or go home. Continued compromises will result in us following other nations into bankruptcy.

Congress needs to stop producing 1,200 page bills -- there is too much opportunity for items to sneak in without scrutiny.

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