The Right Opinion
Under GOP House, Federal Debt Has Increased $6,766 Per Household
Americans who follow the workings of our government -- even if only casually -- presumably know that the Republican Party took control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the November 2010 elections.
Fewer likely know that the Republican-controlled House gained a veto over federal spending on March 4, 2011.
Fewer still may know that from March 4, when the Republican-controlled House gained that veto over spending, through Nov. 14, the national debt increased by $795,257,695,953.36.
That works out to about $6,766 each for what the Census Bureau estimates are 117,538,000 American households.
Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution says: "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law." That means that unless both houses of Congress approve legislation that authorizes the executive branch to spend money, the executive branch cannot spend that money.
In December of last year, the lame-duck Democrat-controlled Congress approved, and President Barack Obama signed, a continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded through March 4 of this year.
On Jan. 5, the new House of Representatives convened. A Republican-majority took control of the chamber and elected Rep. John Boehner of Ohio speaker of the House.
On March 1, the Republican-majority House approved a continuing resolution to keep the government-funded from March 4 through March 18. Since then, Republican congressional leaders have negotiated a series of continuing resolutions with President Obama and congressional Democrats to keep the government funded.
The latest continuing resolution will expire Friday, and the Republicans will pass yet another spending bill they will have negotiated with the Democrats.
Since March 4, federal spending has no longer been a Democrat-only responsibility -- as it essentially was in the previous Congress. Since March 4, federal spending has been the result of a Republican-Democrat partnership.
Liberals and establishment media figures often decry "gridlock" in Washington and suggest the system does not work because Congress does not enact more legislation.
But what we have had in Washington this year is the opposite of gridlock. We have had free-flowing spending, authorized by legislation approved by the leaders of both parties. This spending has far outstripped the significant tax revenues the government has extracted during the period from working Americans and has driven the nation vastly deeper into debt.
At the close of business on March 4, when the first Republican-backed CR took effect, the federal debt stood at $14,182,627,184,881.03. That equaled about $120,664 for every household in the country.
By the close of business on Nov. 14, the federal debt had climbed to $14,977,884,880,834.39. That equaled about $127,430 for every household in the country -- or an increase of about $6,766 per household during the period the Republican House had an effective veto over federal spending.
During that time, House Speaker Boehner also negotiated a deal with President Obama to increase the legal limit on the national debt by as much as $2.4 trillion.
What did House Republicans get in return for sending President Obama a series of must-sign continuing resolutions that allowed the federal debt to climb by $6,766 per household in less than eight months?
Did they include language in any of these must-sign spending bills that prohibited funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which subsidizes liberal talk radio and television? No, they did not.
Did they include language in any of these must-sign spending bills that prohibited federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation's leading abortion provider? No, they did not.
Did they include language in any of these must-sign spending bills that prohibited funding for the implementation of Obamacare? No, they did not.
Because the Republicans did not defund the implementation of Obamacare, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was able to issue an Obamacare regulation in August that will require every health care plan in America to cover sterilizations and all FDA-approved contraceptives, including abortifacients.
This regulation blatantly violates the right to freedom of conscience of every American who understands that abortion takes a human life.
It is a direct attack on the Catholic Church, which is well-known for its moral teachings against artificial contraception and sterilization.
A perfect storm is brewing in American life. The liberal assaults on our economic and religious liberty are converging.
We are as much in need of great leaders today as at anytime in our history. We will not find them among those who now run Congress.
COPYRIGHT 2011 CREATORS.COM
14 Comments
JTG
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 9:41 AM
Lack of backbone. Lack of leadership. Lack of will. Lack of respect for the voting class. Maintaining power over the constituency. This has to stop and we have to stop it.
grace
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 12:22 PM
"We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history, the stage of rule by brute force." --novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand (1905-1982)taken from today's Post
GMButler
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 1:11 PM
Yeah, keep that war machine running you Republitards (tools of the NWO) and keep the slavery going you Demoncrats (tools of the NWO). Five percent of the populous overthrew a tyrannical government a couple of centuries ago for far less insidious incursions into our freedoms. This time around ... say, with all the violence of the OWS demonstrators, where are the NATO airstrikes trying to topple Osama Obama? Hmmmmmm?
Howard Last
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 3:09 PM
Our biggest problem are the RINO's and the Republican Big Shots (you can't call them leaders). Look at their fair haired boy, Romney, who they are pushing for President. And am I the only one who wants to puke when they call Gingrich a Conservative? Look at who they have nominated in the past, McCain, Dole, Ford, Nixon, Bush 1 & 2.
Tex Horn
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 5:43 PM
Thank you, Mr. Jeffery, for some truth telling. There's a sore lack of that today. I, too, have been trying to convince people it's as important to rid ourselves of the RINOs occupying both houses of Congress as it is the democrat demagogues. Until that happens, we will see no significant change. And now, in the joke that is called the Super Committee, the Republicans have already rolled over on new taxes...and who knows what else. I guess "we'll know when they pass it."Looks like we're headed for another fiscal downgrade. We're already rated by some somewhere in the same fiscal shape as Greece and Italy in terms of debt. Every nation is making the assumption that will will pay our debts. Do you see that possibility? With this Congress, this President? I don't. It must be obvious to the Chinese that they will probably never be repaid for the US debt they hold. Could that be why they're having a huge military buildup?And, as Grace noted above in the Ann Rand quote, we're headed for the "...the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission..." If, that is, we're not already there.
MNIce
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 10:50 PM
If Mr. Boehner has this much trouble saying "No" to his political opponents, I'd hate to meet his children.
Juanita
Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 7:36 AM
All efforts by intelligent conservatives to group into peaceful action, bear no fruit. It is as if we are frozen in shock, and we are infiltrated by the opposition view upon the beginnings of our efforts. Then, there is the MSM pushing Romney down our throats, and too many citizens think he is a conservative. Predicting we are screwed before 2012 has even begun, may turn out to be an understatement. I pray to God I am wrong, but I have not seen the Christian moral majority rise up to turn this ship back to conservative waters. I am seriously having thoughts of escaping before an excuse for martial law erupts . . . And, I LIVE IN TEXAS!
Jsmith
Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 8:09 AM
Look, the Republican party was formed to get rid of slavery. Slavery's been gone for 150 years (almost).If they don't wake up (and there's almost no chance they will), its time to plow them under and replace them with a real conservative party.
Barry Payne
Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 11:35 AM
Why do 99% of voters keep voting for Republicans and Democrats? Do people really believe that either of these Parties have the best interest of America in mind? Most Party people I meet agree that their team is doing/done really badly but it would be much worse if the other side was in power. It is a sad state when people are willing to vote America into ruin just so they can brag that their team won an election.Barry Payne, Titular Despot Emeritus
Tex Horn
Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Juanita, you go, girl! I live in Texas also, and you're right, conservatives and Republicans are frozen in shock, and until we unleash on them, they will rule.
Tex Horn
Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 11:41 AM
Correction: Until we unleash on the liberals and Democrats, they will rule.
Rob in FL
Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 1:33 PM
OK, everybody who's written a comment to this article is unhappy with the current state of American political affairs, but I haven't heard anyone address the real root cause of our problem: the corrupt American electoral system. Until real electoral reform is implemented and the reason for our systemic political corruption is eliminated, the problem will continue and will worsen. The reforms I refer to are outlawing all financial contributions to political candidates (national elections should be taxpayer funded, with each viable candidate receiving the exact same amount of money and forbidden to spend more than they receive), eliminating gerrymandering, enacting real term limits, only allowing stakeholders to vote (taxpaying adults over 21 years of age or military veterans of any age), forbidding political lobbying in its current form (talk about “legal” corruption!), and removing the existing perquisites of political office (large salaries, expensive benefits packages, private jets, cost-free preferred medical care, etc.). Yes, I know that some of these reforms would require Constitutional change, but that is certainly possible, even probable, if the majority of Americans demand it... but I don't see that happening any time soon. The sad fact is that at least half of the people that now vote in national elections don't pay taxes and/or live off of government giveaway programs, so it's in their best interests to put corrupt politicians in office and keep them there, so long as those politicians keep funding government giveaways (welfare, food stamps, WIC, etc.). Yes, the situation is bleak, but it's not hopeless. Real American patriots need to make their voices heard by voting and supporting conservative candidates and causes. I've sent financial contributions to Congressman Allen West (who is NOT my Congressman), Sheriff Joe Arpaio (who is NOT my Sheriff), the NRA, and, of course, to the Patriot Post. Each of you should be asking yourselves what YOU have actually done to help the Conservative cause. If you can't answer that question affirmatively and with certainty, then you may want to take steps to change that situation.
Scott_T
Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 1:48 PM
You said it 'Rob in FL'. Our election process is way broken. Senators by popular vote was an amendment to the Constitution that should never have been made. Pres and VP running together on one ticket was a bad change. Voting by those with no stake is bad. Donations from non-voting entities (corporations, lobbyists, etc). And once the people found they could vote themselves a check, the system was lost forever. You will never 'out vote' that percent of the population who doesn't pay anything in and receives and lives on benefits received. Got to throw it all out and start over.
Tex Horn
Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 6:41 PM
Rob in FL: You make a great point about helping the conservative causes by putting your money where your mouth is. I would also add to your list Gun Owners of America (GOA): more conservative than NRA, although not as powerful. But they've made a difference on many issues important to gun owners.