Last night, I appeared on Darla Jaye’s show and one of the questions Darla asked was about how I would go about cutting spending as a member of Congress. It’s a great question, because from my experience in the legislature, I can testify to the fact that the pressure to spend money is always much more intense than the pressure to cut it. With interest groups and industries all looking for their slice of the pie, it is often all-too-easy for elected officials to lose focus on who they represent – the people.
On the show, I gave a bit of a short, legislature-ese answer about the budget process. Given the importance of this issue to America’s economic prosperity, I wanted to take this opportunity to expand on my point and outline my approach to the issue of government spending and how we can actually, for once, return to a situation where balanced budgets are again upon us and “limited government” is once again a principle we not only talk about, but actually follow.
Let’s be honest -- both Republicans and Democrats have failed in this area, and I believe Republicans must avoid becoming the party that just spends less than Democrats do. Of course, it’s easy to just say “we’ll cut spending” -- we must have the courage to say no to spending and, more specifically, no to the programs and agencies that are the basis for that spending.
That’s not to say all things the federal government spend money on are bad. It has certain roles to play, such as national defense, protecting our borders, prosecuting federal crimes, and other clear federal responsibilities. However, too often the federal government has gotten way too involved in areas it shouldn’t, and we need to start asking direct questions about the dire fiscal situation we are in.
How did we got here in the first place? Why was “such and such program” created to begin with? Was it even a good idea, or something that the federal government should be doing? In order to get a hold on this ‘spend trend” long term, we must throw out the entire mindset by which we approach budgetary decisions and replace it with a new focus founded on the principles of limited government, the Tenth Amendment, and that the money we are spending came from the pockets of the taxpayers.
As your Congresswoman, I would employ the following four-pronged test towards each idea I see in a budget or a piece of legislation brought before Congress:
- Is it a good idea?
- If it is a good idea, is it something the federal government should be funding?
- If it is something the federal government should be funding, can we afford it?
- If we can afford it, is it important enough to meet the standards of the taxpayers who foot the bill?
If a program, agency, or any other kind of expenditure meets that test, I will vote yes and defend my vote. If it doesn’t, I will vote no and defend that as well. It’s as simple as that.
Also, that test must not only be applied to new spending, but existing spending as well. We need a new system of zero-based budgeting, not the current system where the baseline is last year’s spending levels. Every dollar, every year must be justified.
Of course, I cannot do this alone. If I am honored to be elected as the next Congresswoman from the 3rd District, I will need the help, support, and encouragement of fellow conservatives as I take strong stands against the many forces which will resist our efforts to rein in excessive spending and big government.
The good news is, I don’t think I’ll have to worry. The thousands of people showing up at tea parties throughout the country have made it clear they are not going away – these are new voters, never before involved, taking control of their country through citizen activism and through the Constitutionally-protected right to redress one’s grievances.
Dennis Moore may not be listening, but I am.
Patricia Lightner
