Bold Moves to Get the Job Done
by Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN)In his State of the Union address this week, President Obama showed up late to the game of ideas. While he offered up a few good notions, they mimicked what Republicans have been championing for two years now. In just three weeks, the new House Republican Majority has taken pro-active steps to refocus our economy in a real way.
As part of that new Congress, I’ve already voted to cut Congressional budgets by 5%, repeal the $2.6 trillion ObamaCare law and cut $100 billion over the next year by reverting back to 2008 spending levels.
President Obama referenced several options for economic prosperity in his address Tuesday night. But if a spending freeze, earmark elimination and investment in transportation and infrastructure sound familiar, it’s because Republicans have proposed implementing such legislation to save money and create jobs for two years.
Yesterday, the citizen-empowering YouCut program came to life as we voted on a citizen idea to terminate taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and Party conventions.
Now that we’ve gained the Majority, Republicans are committed to cut spending and grow the economy in drastic ways. This YouCut vote will put $617 million back in the pockets on of American taxpayers in the next 10 years. It empowers the people and enables our government to do more with less during a scary national debt crisis.
In the last decade, we’ve seen nothing but spending sprees, borrowing and bailouts from President Obama and politicians from both parties. And for the past two years President Obama has promised that higher taxes and more spending would create jobs and grow our economy, while Americans have watched the economy grind to a halt.
In the vast well of government waste, the spending cuts now passed by the House are only a few drops. But they are a beginning — and they represent the first steps I, along with 86 other new GOP Freshman, have taken in less than a month. Americans – and Hoosiers specifically — can have confidence in the new Republican majority to eliminate unnecessary and excessive funding for outdated programs that don’t work.
We are running out of time to address America’s debt crisis and we must make bold moves to redirect America’s economic future. President Obama’s double-sided empty rhetoric cannot allow us to confuse the matter and take our focus away from the meaningful spending cuts that are needed to the job done.
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45 Comments
The gentleman from Indiana is recognized. Thank you very much, sir.
The only think resembling Republicanism from Obama are those elephant ears.
While i laud the spirit of your short essay, Todd, We the People, have heard this song and dance more than once. The cynacism in my tone is as genuine as the results of the mid-term elections. We are tired of the talk, (be it civil or not), on spending, taxes and ideology. So, a little less bumpin' your gums on the issues……show those of us who Believe America is back on the path to exceptionalism…..your actions are being closely monitored.
GUT. CUT. ELIMINATE and PAYGO.
Less Government, Smaller Government, Less Regulations …less everything as regards the Feds …NOW –
and we MAY have a (small) chance of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA surviving.
Thank you Rep. Todd Rokita, I certainty appreciate your efforts so far. I know there is only so much you can do until the GOP controls the Senate and the White House. I think the American Right is working hard to make that happen. So I hope you guys don't lose your nerve, or fall for more silly tactics by the left to silence your voice, like this "Civility" ruse and the Prom date nonsense we just endured.
If we get you the power sir, I hope you start cutting entire departments. There are many dozens of federal departments that have far outlived their usefulness. Any department that makes regulations is in conflict with our Constitution. Only Congress is supposed to make the laws sir.
Mr. Rokita,
I would like to remind you that we are in a war with a progressive Liberal agenda.
Nothing but a head on (civil or not) approach to the hypocrisy and double standards that the left employ to their advantage will do.
Please expose their dealings and make war with the left before they marginalize you.
Yes start with budget cuts and appeal of Obamacare but we need you to go much further and faster then that.
Putting them on the defensive by sopena, make them show the world what they are really doing though the Czar's.
Purpose such massive cuts that your enemy (the MSM) Gag and fall over themselves with glee at how "It will never work" and "You just want to kill grandma" Put them in such a tisssy they begin to hyperventilate on air.
The MSM are going to HATE you no matter what you do so give them something to hate. Those of us who elected you (Tea Party) will love you for it. In fact being hated by the MSM is becoming a badge of honor to the electorate.
Change the tax code, element or drastically alter the education department, audit the FED, Defund Fanny Freddi, investigate Sestak, Force the proof of citizenship, fight the unions who are destroying our society.
"Americans ………….. can have confidence in the new Republican majority to eliminate unnecessary and excessive funding for outdated programs that don’t work."
Rep. Rokita, we stand behind you and all the Conservative Representatives we elected. But I'd like to suggest that we need to go further. We also need to take a majority of the programs that DO "work" out of the hands of the federal government, and block grant those programs back to the States. Medicaid is a prime example. The federal government has no Constitutional authority to run that kind of program, and they do a tragically bad job of it anyway.
Return the control of programs that can't be eliminated back to the States, where local officials can better manage them. There are thousands of federal programs to choose from. Choose well.
Confidence? I have none. Which Republicans on Capitol Hill are willing to say, with the cameras rolling:
– That the only way to control health costs is to dismantle Medicare and Medicaid?
– That Social Security is already insolvent and will soon bankrupt the nation?
– That the DoD spends far too much on things that bring no appreciable benefit to our men-at-arms?
– That the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Energy are anti-Constitutional monstrosities and must be destroyed?
I await the parade of Republican legislators willing to sign up to that program.
States are mandated to have a dept.of education but the US Government has duplicated the effort and wallah we have the dept. of education at a cost of in excess of 150 BILLION a year.
Give education back to local control and save that 150Billion.
I started it now where else can we make actual savings??????
"In the vast well of government waste, the spending cuts now passed by the House are only a few drops."
I applaud your candor. And while I will gladly take the cuts you have voted for, it is clear that the nation's fiscal house requires far more radical and far reaching solutions if it is to be restored.
Fractional reserve banking must be phased out; Unions must have their business-choking powers curtailed; Capital investment in the U.S. must be reinvigorated; America' industrial infrastructure must be rebuilt; Social Security must be totally reformed; and the numerous perversions of the Federalist scheme that have piled up over the last century must be undone.
What are your thoughts about how to do those things?
Rep Rokita don't raise the debt ceiling,you want to help the country? that's a great place to start,you'll be getting a reminder in the mail on why we voted you in,the left will use scare tactics to try and force you to raise it,don't fall for it,take the bull by the horns and man up on this one issue,do not raise the debt ceiling. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pag...
Really? Well let see some real cajona's and pass your $2.5 Trillion budget cut NOW, not after the national debt increases, and it will. It's time to call on "the bluff of the century." Pass all budget cuts first before raising the debt ceiling, not the other way around. Unless that happens, you sir and all the other newbies haven't got a prayer.
Make em squeal!
Have you ever had a leaky faucet? over 24 hours you leak gallons of water, so those drops really do add up, keep a going Todd !
Yes Todd, force Obama and the Leftists to veto all the good Conservative ideas that are pro growth, Constitutional, and make sense.
Then the American people can decide whose ideas are worthwhile.
<Ann>
Rep. Rokita, Go fast and furious at the Obama Admin and Dems! Chop the Federal Government in half to reduce spending & cut their powers over US.
Continue with the hearings and investigations. A Multi-pronged aggressive approach is the only thing that will get results and will topple this radical Socialist Regime.
Take away Obama's Armies, that is the Unions, the islamists and the Illegals. The Dems are being pro-active by having their own Commissions on past spending etc. and producing reports that are just a book of excuses & justifications.
Stay one step ahead of these Socialists. Pass Bills every day that cut Fed powers and give more power to the States. Thank you all for your work. We expect a lot because there is a lot that is blatantly socialistic and needs to be dismantled!
Amen brother! …and you can be certain that real America is watching. Hang tough, more help will be on the way in 2012.
Moves do not equate progress….
So far, we're just marching in place…..
DO NOT let up!
Treat the enemies (and they are enemies, 'vitriolic rhetoric' aside) of the enumerated powers provisions in the Constitution AS ENEMIES. Please. They are to be defeated. We the people are just itching for you folks to get in there and FIGHT. Sorry to use so many caps, but I'm anxious to be heard.
As Lincoln said of Ulysses Grant-"I can't spare that man, he fights!" (Vitriolic Rhetoric Alert)
Get in there and get some noses busted, man!
Every government department, every one, must cut 10-15% of its operating budget every year until we're running in the black. Don't specify how this must be done, but call every department head on the carpet to justify their cuts and publicize the results.
HHS says that every private insurance company must spend 80-85 cents of every premium dollar on health care services? Well, require the same for Medicare and Medicaid until they acknowledge the futility and give that stupid requirement up. Every tax dollar they receive must be spent at 80-85% efficiency (quite a task when we know the average return on any tax dollar is only 50-53% efficient).
Privatize. Privatize. Privatize. Wherever possible, give government services over to private sector entities. How much more efficient might our postal service be? How about AmTrak? How about road work and infrastructure building?
Kneecap public employee unions especially. So long as those entities continue to extort ruinous contracts out of the government, no amount of budget cutting will ever be enough. The unions have yet to justify their contribution to the continuing greatness of America, so get rid of them.
Lets see now,…..
it appears that the Republican rhetoric is that we are going,……
to have to rely congressional parliamentary procedures to turn the tide,…
of this progressive onslaught.
However, the moving forward of the progressive agenda,…..
for as long as anyone cares to remember has been fueled by ,……..
the principle of;,…"BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY"
Washington congressional legislation / repeal is merely the tip of the iceberg.
We've already spent a gazillion dollars on "investing" in trasportation and education, you big dolt, and what do we have to show for it? Schools of higher education with tuitions that are completely out of control and a post graduate population with six figure debt working at Walmart. Sell off and privatise the student loan busines.
Transportation? Sell off or abandon Amtrak, cease construction on all high speed rail lines. These are endeavors that are always going to be subsidized, always going to be money pits and Congress has left the people with no more room for another money pit.
The only thing you should be doing is CUT CUT CUT. Cut the Department of Education except for a small staff to send block grants to the states during a 5 years transition period. Cut the FCC. Cut the EPA. Get rid of outdated agricultural subsidies. Get rid of the NEA and out of public communication all together. Scrap the TSA. Get rid of NASA. These are just off of the top of my head.
But you guys are the experts, right?
If the entitlements and wasteful DOD projects are not firmly addressed, you all may as well be up on the Hill whistling Dixie all day.
Please be serious about this Republic. It's the only one we've got.
You Republicans have been talking a good game since the election, but until you deliver something worth while, it's just that. Talk. Repeal obamacare. Subpoena all of the czars and find out exactly what they've been up to. Stop Pigford. Defund and investigate the FCC and EPA, scrap the Dept of Education. Pass the Fair Tax. Anything less than leftist heads on sticks and mainstream media types melting down on air is unacceptable. Stop screwing around and get busy!
We need to go after savings on large and smaller expenditures. As people at home have found out, saving smaller amounts adds up too.
…..terminate taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and Party conventions.
This is part of the subsidization of the TWO PARTY system. Another major part is funding of the primary elections themselves!
Because it is less than now? LOL!
During the Ron Paul campaign he put things in perspective – he said the TOTAL revenue from the Federal income tax was equivalent to the DIFFERENCE between the spending then (in ~ 2008) and 2000. So, he would ask rhetorically, are you saying we can not revert to the 2000 spending? It was an argument to completely ELIMINATE the IRS and pretty hard to argue against.
Stop spending money on illegal wars around the world and most of the issue is addressed.
There is only one serious plan I have seen from Washington, only one. Rand Paul is the only serious Senator with a serious plan of action. If we are to save our Republic everybody needs to read this plan, and call their Congress persons. It is time to cut Washington from our wallets. You cannot believe anything from the left, they will always say what they think you want to hear, and do the exact opposite. History shows this to be a fact. The Democrats told Reagan that they would cut spending, and they did not. So, with this being the case. You have to ask, are they for real? With history as our guide, and experience the answer should be NO.
http://www.fox41.com/story/13911626/rand-paul-pro...
"The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves."
George Washington
Dear Rep. Rokita.
Good to know you get it. Now quit wastin time tellin us what we figured that out in 1994. Less talking, more doing please. We ain't gittin any younger or more solvent.
There is only one serious plan I have seen from Washington, only one. Rand Paul is the only serious Senator with a serious plan of action. If we are to save our Republic everybody needs to read this plan, and call their Congress persons. It is time to cut Washington from our wallets. You cannot believe anything from the left, they will always say what they think you want to hear, and do the exact opposite. History shows this to be a fact. Democrats told Reagan that they would cut spending, and they did not. So, with this being the case. You have to ask, are they for real? With history as our guide, and experience the answer should be NO. http://www.fox41.com/story/13911626/rand-paul-pro....
There is only one serious plan I have seen from Washington, only one. Rand Paul is the only serious Senator with a serious plan of action. If we are to save our Republic everybody needs to read this plan, and call their Congress persons. It is time to cut Washington from our wallets. You cannot believe anything from the left, they will always say what they think you want to hear, and do the exact opposite. History shows this to be a fact. Democrats told Reagan that they would cut spending, and they did not. So, with this being the case. You have to ask, are they for real? With history as our guide, and experience the answer should be NO. http://www.fox41.com/story/13911626/rand-paul-pro....
There is only one serious plan I have seen from Washington, only one. Rand Paul is the only serious Senator with a serious plan of action. If we are to save our Republic everybody needs to read this plan, and call their Congress persons. It is time to cut Washington from our wallets. You cannot believe anything from the left, they will always say what they think you want to hear, and do the exact opposite. History shows this to be a fact. Democrats told Reagan that they would cut spending, and they did not. So, with this being the case. You have to ask, are they for real? With history as our guide, and experience the answer should be NO. http://www.fox41.com/story/13911626/rand-paul-pro....
There is only one serious plan I have seen from Washington, only one. Rand Paul is the only serious Senator with a serious plan of action. If we are to save our Republic everybody needs to read this plan, and call their Congress persons. It is time to cut Washington from our wallets. You cannot believe anything from the left, they will always say what they think you want to hear, and do the exact opposite. History shows this to be a fact. Democrats told Reagan that they would cut spending, and they did not. So, with this being the case. You have to ask, are they for real? With history as our guide, and experience the answer should be NO. http://www.fox41.com/story/13911626/rand-paul-pro....
There is only one serious plan I have seen from Washington, only one. Rand Paul is the only serious Senator with a serious plan of action. If we are to save our Republic everybody needs to read this plan, and call their Congress persons. It is time to cut Washington from our wallets. You cannot believe anything from the left, they will always say what they think you want to hear, and do the exact opposite. History shows this to be a fact. Democrats told Reagan that they would cut spending, and they did not. So, with this being the case. You have to ask, are they for real? With history as our guide, and experience the answer should be NO. http://www.fox41.com/story/13911626/rand-paul-pro....
There is only one serious plan I have seen from Washington, only one. Rand Paul is the only serious Senator with a serious plan of action. If we are to save our Republic everybody needs to read this plan, and call their Congress persons. It is time to cut Washington from our wallets. You cannot believe anything from the left, they will always say what they think you want to hear, and do the exact opposite. History shows this to be a fact. Democrats told Reagan that they would cut spending, and they did not. So, with this being the case. You have to ask, are they for real? With history as our guide, and experience the answer should be NO. http://www.fox41.com/story/13911626/rand-paul-pro....
I agree !
Sarah runs directly towards gunfire…like Marines. She is the only Conservative ON POINT…She is the ONE! Democrats' hatred of her underlines their FEAR of her patriotism and her desire to reBirth America back to the Founders' Intent. We have a great leader, support her.
Hell, if I had it MY way, Washington76 …I'd Gut and Cut 85% of the Federal Government and RAID the Federal Reserve Buildings in a heartbeat.
Hear Hear
Well said
Obama is busy in the back room counting voting blocks…….Let's see, , the youth, the blacks, the illegals, the Muslim Islamists, the socialists, marxists, communists…. Yeah that's about right. . . It's still a 50/50 shot that he'll win re-election.
HOW MUCH LATINO / HISPANIC pandering do we have to watch Obama do? He sees the Latinos as his future, and remember, many of their Countries are Communist!
Today he has the Columbia V.P in the White House with Hillary Clinton. Who tomorrow? Brizil? Chili? Venezuela? Puerto Rico? (do they pay US taxes?) Dictatorship is Obama's only agenda. Destroying our Economy was step one.
I hear what you are saying, but I am going to wait and see if you and all the others follow through.
Bravo Father, you are right on point.
Pray that Representative Rokita doesn't catch the D.C. Big Government disease while he is serving there.
Cutting congressional budgets by only 5%? That's less than half what should be cut. The $100 billion turns out to be closer to $84 billion and for repeal of the healthcare law, can you get 67% of congress to go along with it? You'll need it to get over the poser's veto.
Every time America goes to the ballot box, we vote ourselves more than we want to pay for. Now the cold hard realization is beginning to set in and we're going to fix it with a small bandage.
We fund China's space program with the interest we pay them and watch while our jobs go overseas because we have the highest corporate tax in the world.
Wake the F up America. This congress is only the start in a long hard road back to being free again.
618 million is real money, but only a drop in an ocean of debt. You and the rest of congress had better understand that "We The People" want our country back. We did not give you or any other congressman the mandate to spend our money. You all need to take a very serious look and closing down military bases overseas and stop sending money to other countries as bribes.
Congress Quietly prepares to Renew PATRIOT Act
http://www.dailypaul.com/node/154338
"The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves."
George Washington
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