Letters from Linden
by JACK LINDEN
This is a critical time in our history and many Americans, including elected officials, do not understand the workings of the current national debt issue. Some members of Congress owe their allegiance to groups within the Republican Party more than to the Constitution of the United States.
Raising the debt limit means that it is necessary to borrow money that has already been spent. It allows borrowing, but only for a specific purpose. Those monies have been spent over the years by both parties for various items – financing two wars, a prescription drug program, the bail-out of banks, the stimulus money to curtail the recession and income tax reductions introduced in the George W. Bush administration and continued in the Obama administration.
Republican members of the House of Representatives and some U.S. senators have signed an oath to Grover Norquist, president of a tax advocacy group, that under no circumstances will they raise any taxes or revenue enhancement of the tax code. By signing that oath, they are making the Constitution of the United States secondary to the wishes of this man and his group.
The “tea-party” group is also holding sway over members of Congress. Many of them campaigned on allegiance to the “tea-party” and Freedom Works. Both groups have threatened the Congressional members with “primaries” if they do not follow the demands of the groups.
Do these groups really understand the issue? Really?
Raising the debt ceiling has nothing to do with cutting the costs of government. We need the money – the debt – to pay what has already been spent. The Congresses prior to this spent the money and now we need to pay the bills. For those who argue that we could just pay the interest and worry about the principal later, they are not facing reality. When the principal comes due, it is due. There are plenty of examples of transactions that charge no interest if the principal is paid by a certain due date. Pass that due date and interest is charged at a very high rate to the entire amount borrowed. The same theory applies to our national debt.
As to cutting costs, we must remember that the all legislation pertaining to expenditures must originate in the House of Representatives. It doesn’t matter if the President or the Senate presents a budget. If they do, it is a “wish list.” The Republicans in the House of Representatives have the power to appropriate the monies to run the federal government. Granted, the Senate and the President must go along with that budget or the compromises that are made.
The major argument by those who oppose raising the debt is that the government will merely spend more. Those in the House should do their Constitutional duty and cease authorizing the expenditures of money. They cannot argue that by merely cutting programs, the debts of the United States will be reduced. How many families who incurred too much debt have had to seek second employment by the wage earner or his/her spouse seeking a job? We all know families like that.
By vowing not to raise revenue, those people who have sworn allegiance to anyone other than the Constitution are shirking their duty. Some call people who don’t pay their debts deadbeats. It seems to me that there are those in Congress and the nation who are willing to have our country called the same thing.
