"THE WEEKLY WRAP" with Diane W. Collins
Budget Mania: FY 2011 Budget Finalized; House Passes Ryan's FY2012 Budget
Friday, April 15, 2011, 3:37 pm, Central
Archive: Publications, Weekly Wrap
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The Weekly Wrap "America, Are We Moving Toward a Totalitarian State? |
Welcome to the Weekly Wrap. I’m Diane Collins.
The potential shutdown of the United States federal government was avoided in theory last week. That theory was put into practice when Congress and the President passed and signed into law a short-term resolution, (H.R. 1363 as amended by the Senate) funding the government through this Thursday. H.R. 1473, the long-term continuing resolution finalizing the FY 2011 budget was passed by the House and Senate yesterday. The President is expected to sign the legislation into law today.
Included in the agreement not to shut down the government was the ability to have separate up or down votes in the Senate to defund Obamacare and Planned Parenthood. These were respectively drawn up and passed in the House as H. Con. Res 35 and 36. However, as expected the Senate abruptly dispensed with each rejecting both the defunding of Obamacare and Planned Parenthood.
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Speaker John Boehner Reviews HR 1473 Spending Cuts |
Unappealing as the Senate failure to pass both measures was, that is not what's giving me indigestion. The spin the Left put on the H. R. 1473 budget "cuts" was anticipated but, the audacity of some Conservative talk show hosts to pick up the swill and spoon it out left me literally ill. Come on... budget authority versus budget outlays?! Good grief. The difference? Authority is the amount a government agency is authorized to spend. Outlay is an average of what is projected to be spent by that agency based on current and past spending analysis. The projected "cuts" and / or "savings" (if you must) of H.R.1473 are based on budget authority. Of course they are! These are the amounts a government agency has available to spend. What? you want to leave that money on the table? That's the accounting method you want to adopt? Gee, let's see what the Left does with that. Somebody slap these guys.
Maybe the Reid-Schumer-Pelosi strategy combined with the Liberal Media spin is actually working on a few of you. Heads up. It's called divide and conquer. And, to you fifty-nine Republican/Conservatives who did not support Speaker Boehner and H.R. 1473 (and here's the list) you should understand that the "Tea Party victory" in 2010 was delivered by a ubiquitous majority composed of independents, conservatives, libertarians, Republicans, and even some disgruntled Democrats. Our numbers out-weigh those of any organized, "though loosely knit" Tea Party Chapter / organization. And, we really do have the ability to kick your butts out of office because in reality we are the people who put you there. So stop posturing for the next election and get behind the Republican leadership.
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Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) Presenting Republican FY 2012 Budget |
Friday the FY 2012 budget sponsored by Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Paul Ryan was presented on the floor of the House as H. Con Res. 34. The Progressive Caucus, the Republican Study Committee, and the Democrats respectively offered amendments. All were defeated. Chairman Ryan's FY 2012 passed the House in a final vote of 235 to 193.
Although few hold out hope for the Senate to pass the measure or President Obama to sign the Republican FY 2012 budget into law, Congressman Ryan is to be congratulated for leading. Paul Ryan, Alan Simpson, and Erskin Bowles are brave men. They boldly started the conversation that President Obama refused to address until Wednesday. Seems Obama like Bill Clinton needs to get up in the morning and test which way the poll winds are blowing before he actually knows "what he thinks." That's not the leadership.
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Left Protests Republican FY 2012 "Hands Off My Medicare" |
The major controversy over Ryan's FY2012 budget being advanced by the Left is that it harms seniors. Reality? The changes to Medicare don't effect anyone 55 or older and it doesn't address Social Security. Yet the Left held another ridiculous Capitol Hill protest spurred on by its leadership chanting, "Hands off my Medicare." Misleading would be euphemistic.
Here's a summary of Ryan's FY2012 Budget called The Path to Prosperity taken from page 7. I encourage you to read the budget in its entirety (73 pages.)
Spending Cuts: cuts $6.2 trillion in spending relative to President’s budget over the next ten years; $5.8 trillion in spending cuts relative to CBO’s current-policy baseline.
Spending Levels: Brings non-security discretionary spending to below pre-stimulus, prebailout levels.
Taxes: Stops all of President’s taxes; Reforms the broken tax code.
Corporate Tax: Lowers the corporate tax rate to 25 percent to promote job creation and global competitiveness.
Size of Government: Brings government down to below 20 percent of GDP by 2015; 15 percent of GDP in 2050.
Deficit: Brings deficits under $1 trillion in FY2012; Reduces deficits $4.4 trillion
relative to President’s budget; Puts the budget on a path to balance.
Primary Balance: Primary balance (spending – interest payments = revenue) is reached in 2015.
Debt Held by Public: Reduces the debt by $4.7 trillion relative to the President’s budget; Pays off the debt
over time.
Health Care: Repeals the job-destroying health care law.
Jobs: Spurs economic growth and job creation through real reform; According to the Heritage Center for Data Analysis, help
creates nearly 1 million new private sector jobs next year
In 2010, we said enough with lobby-driven, manipulative, self-serving politicians and sent everyday Americans to Congress to turn America around. But, it's like changing the direction of a huge ocean liner. Have patience with your leaders. The speed will pick up as more in Congress begin to understand not only the dangerous waters we're in but the fact that voting Americans are dead serious about the deficit. It's a Beltway problem you're dealing with and it's like herding cats. But, you have communicated well. In their insulated world they're just starting to understand what America knew a long time ago. Our problem? Conservatives only control one third of the government at the present time. So, continue to persuade. It is the history of our Republic to bring divergent philosophies together (kicking and screaming) in order to reach compromise. That doesn't mean you can't hang tough. It doesn't mean you can't out strategize... out negotiate. That's the art of politics. You just cut $78.9B in total from the FY 2011 Budget. You made history. And, as Speaker Boehner said, "It's a good start."
Stay the course. See you next week.
Contact: Representatives, Contact: Senators
Further Reading: