Best of Right Opinion

• Kay Coles James: Make Congress Prove It Can Curb Its Out-of-Control Spending Habit
• Hans von Spakovsky: It’s Past Time for the Mueller Probe to Wrap Up
• Tony Perkins: Trump’s New Regs Move Tax Dollars Away From Abortion
• Ken Blackwell: President Wants Market Reforms to Reduce Drug Prices
• Joe Bastardi: More Reason for a Climate Ambulance Chaser Watch: Summer

For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.

Opinion in Brief

Kay Coles James: “What if the total amount the federal government could spend in a given year was directly linked to how well our economy was doing? We could forge that connection if the government’s total budget (including all spending and special-interest tax loopholes) was limited to a fixed percentage of the nation’s wealth (defined as gross domestic product, or GDP). Under such a model, the government could only spend more money if the economy grew. And if the economy didn’t, the government would have to cut back on its spending. That’s the way my family operates, and I bet it’s how yours does too. … Now imagine that if the government ever spent more than was allowed (except in cases of declared economic or military emergency), across-the-board cuts would be imposed — with one important difference: Instead of starting with cuts to the programs we as citizens use, the cuts would begin with the salaries of the president, the vice president, and every member of Congress. That, too, is how the rest of America lives. After all, who among us gets paid if they don’t do their job? Under this model, our elected representatives would face the same workplace pressures those of us with a job do every day — perform or get no pay. … These procedural reforms may seem like a stretch but, as I said earlier, we’re the creditors here. If Americans were to demand such changes, they would happen.”