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Party of fiscal responsibility? GOP 40-0

by The_Cynic | January 29, 2010 at 09:01 am

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Jon Stewart said, I believe, "The Republicans hate Obama more than they love their country" whether this will fan out to be proven as correct, I am not really sure - some Republicans must love their country more than detest the current president.

Yet we also have to look at the call of the Republicans, as the mantra goes, 'We are the party of fiscal responsibility' - odd then that they would vote forty to zero in re-instating PAYGO as shown below.

Vote Summary

Question: On the Amendment (Reid Amdt. No. 3305 ) Vote Number: 12 Vote Date: January 28, 2010, 11:41 AM Required For Majority: 3/5 Vote Result: Amendment Agreed to Amendment Number: S.Amdt. 3305 to S.Amdt. 3299 to H.J.Res. 45 (No short title on file) Statement of Purpose: To reimpose statutory pay-as-you-go. Vote Counts:YEAs60
NAYs40

PAYGO, last used by a president that left office with a surplus, was voted on yesterday. Now why would the Republicans vote against an act that would bring about some semblence of fiscal responsibility?

After the expiration of PAYGO, budget deficits returned. The federal surplus shrank from $236.2 billion in 2000 to $128.2 billion in 2001, then a $157.8 billion deficit in 2002—the last year statutory PAYGO was in effect. The deficit increased to $377.6 in 2003 and $412.7 billion in 2004.[3] The federal deficit excluding trust funds was $537.3 billion in FY2006.[7] In the first 6 years of President Bush's term, with a Republican controlled Congress, the federal debt increased by $3 trillion.[8][9]

We know which way Republicans in Congress want to go - they want to keep on the same track as G W Bush, and that would mean the US becoming bankrupt. Figure from the BBC today show that the US is climing out of recession very quickly:

The US economy grew by an annualised rate of 5.7% between October and December, official figures have shown.

If we are to add the two together we see that with Obama in office the economy is growing again, at a fast pace, the Dem's want to bring about fiscal responsibilty to Congress and spending, Obama has frozen large sectors of spending for 3 years.

Why, I ask again, do people elect Republicans?

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158

at 11:00 on January 29th, 2010

The problem is partisanship of both parties. Both automatically oppose any proposal of the other side.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 12:59 on January 29th, 2010

158 it's the same crap in Canada. Oppositions oppose without viable solutions and that is from any opposition, whether on the left or right.

They play to an electorate that takes soundbytes to form opinions. That's why spin machines and campaigns do so well.

Albert Milliron

at 17:51 on January 29th, 2010

President Obama has a PayGo executive order, has he followed it? Neither one has been fiscally responsible in years. I am hopeful that one day we have clean bills and balanced budgets... as you I am cynical.