Saturday, April 14, 2018

Sensenbrenner, Grothman Support Bill to Protect US From Sensenbrenner, Grothman


House action last week showed us another example of the incredible hypocrisy of this GOP-led Congress. Glenn Grothman (6th CD-WI) and Jim Sensenbrenner
(5th CD-WI) voted for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution.

In a pompous Thursday floor speech, Sensenbrenner declared that "This proposed constitutional amendment will give us the discipline that we have not had as we’ve sat and watched the deficit go up and up and up and away". He admitted, "Congress can’t discipline itself."

Sensenbrenner has been a Congressman since 1979. Based on his long-term record, It is clear that old Jim is one of those without discipline. He voted for the Reagan tax cuts. He voted for the Bush II tax cuts. He and Grothman voted for the Trump tax cuts. They are as responsible for mortgaging America's future as anyone in the House. Showboating with their goofy Balanced Budget Amendment does not disguise that fact.

We don't need a Balanced Budget Amendment to do the right thing. Fiscal responsibility is not rocket science. In order to balance a budget, we must take-in at least as much as we spend. During prosperous times, we should put-away a surplus as a buffer for less prosperous times.

The traditional Republican modus operandi, as followed by Sensenbrenner and Grothman, flies in the face of common sense. They borrow heavily to cut taxes during good times. They borrow heavily to cut taxes during bad times. They purchase every conceivable weapons system. This long-term fiscal irresponsibility gave us the large Reagan deficits. They took us from the Clinton budget surpluses to the huge Bush II deficits. They are now taking us from the economic restraint of the Obama years into a new economic dumpster fire.

The GOP tax scheme that was jammed through Congress in December will have a devastating effect on our national solvency. The CBO projects a return to trillion-dollar annual deficits. They project a mind-boggling $27 trillion national debt by 2027.

At the end of the GOP's reckless tax-cut-and-spend binge, average Americans will not be better-off. By the time that the full effect of the tax scheme has kicked-in in 2028, fully 80% of the benefit will go to foreigners. By 2027, an estimated 83% of the tax cut will go to the top 1% of earners. You and other average Americans will be forced to clean-up the Republican's economic mess.

After voting for this monstrosity of a tax bill, Grothman and Sensenbrenner have the gall to claim fiscal responsibility. They have the brass to strut around, pretending to be deficit hawks. They were both front and center in promoting the for-show Balanced Budget Amendment. In reality, they are deficit peacocks. While talking a good game, they vote for schemes that will make US deficits far worse.


If a Balanced Budget Amendment were to come to pass, the main effect would be to protect us from the fiscal malfeasance of Congress members like Sensenbrenner and Grothman. 

 
As expected, the proposed Constitutional Amendment went down in defeat on Thursday. Amendments require a 2/3 vote to pass the Congress. This proposal received only a 233-184 vote, with most "ayes" coming from Republicans.

We need more than cynical posturing from our Representatives. If Sensenbrenner and Grothman were were serious about the ballooning national debt, they would reduce the grossly bloated military budget. They would not have axed governmental revenue through their ruinous tax scheme. Their votes last week for a silly Balanced Budget Amendment were a ruse to distract us from their gross fiscal irresponsibility. We are not so stupid as to be fooled by their antics.



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