We Must Rein In a Government Gone Wild

Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:58:47 +0000 – By John BoehnerHouse Minority Leader

Congratulations to FOX on the launch of the new "FOX Nation."

With Democrats now firmly in charge of Congress and the White House, Washington is increasingly out of control. From a Treasury Department that refuses to cooperate with independent oversight to a Democratic budget that causes the national debt to explode to the President's firing of a private-sector CEO, Americans on a daily basis are seeing their government cross lines they never thought they would see their government cross.

As Americans become more incensed with government run amok in Washington, they are becoming more eager for a credible, energized alternative. This is why my House Republican colleagues and I have placed a strong emphasis on identifying better solutions and communicating them to the American people through the new media. Blogs, social networks, and the use of "next step" news and opinion websites like FOX Nation will play a big role in how House Republicans regain ground in the effort for a responsible government.

Democrats have controlled the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives for three months now, and from their actions, a discomforting narrative has emerged. It's a pattern of fiscal recklessness that is piling debt on our children and grandchildren--a pattern of flagrant indifference to waste and abuse of taxpayers' money at a time when every penny counts.

And this week's ratification of President Obama's budget by the Democrat-run Congress serves notice to Americans that never-before dreamed of levels of spending, taxation, and red ink are on their way. Republicans countered their complete lack of fiscal discipline with an alternative budget that curbs spending, creates jobs, cuts taxes, and controls the debt.

The majority's fiscal arrogance has sparked an insurgency not just among Republicans in Congress, but in communities and neighborhoods across America. "Taxpayer tea party" protests are erupting in city after city. In my hometown of Cincinnati, thousands of citizens recently gathered on Fountain Square to protest government policies that are forcing responsible Americans to subsidize irresponsibility. Similar protests are flaring up in cities and towns nationwide.

Americans are growing increasingly outraged, and for many reasons. Here are a few:

Energy Taxes.President Obama and Democrats want to enact a new national energy tax to pay for more government spending - a new tax that will cost each American family as much as $3,100 a year.

Bailout Chaos.Instead of outlining an exit strategy to get government out of the bailout business, Democrats want to expand the TARP program. Even worse, the Government Accounting Office says TARP has actually paid out $100 billion more than what Treasury Secretary Geithner claims.

Waste Abuse.Democrats are already conceding that the pork-laden trillion-dollar "stimulus" spending bill that became law in February will not achieve its goals of job creation. And days after enacting the "stimulus," Democrats passed an "omnibus" government funding bill loaded with approximately 9,000 earmarks that were inserted without scrutiny.

On the opening day of this Congress I vowed Republicans would not just be the party of "opposition," but the party of better solutions to the serious challenges facing our country. And in response to a challenge from President Obama, House Republicans put forward a stimulus plan that created twice as many jobs at half the cost.

Since then, dozens of House Republicans have volunteered for duty on solutions groups to develop ideas and to challenge the Democratic majority where they fail or refuse to lead. These include:

The Economic Recovery Solutions Group, led by Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), to develop ideas on housing, financial recovery, and to lead a "stimulus watch" with Senate Republicans.

The Health Care Solutions Group, led by Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), to solicit input from all Americans in crafting proposals to increase access to quality, affordable health care.

The Savings Solutions Group, which I lead, addresses Americans' number-one economic concern: restoring the savings lost during the present economic crisis and preventing Washington from causing more damage.

The American Energy Solutions Group, led by House GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN) to help America achieve energy independence through an "all of the above" energy strategy.

In the coming days, we will also launch the GOP State Solutions project led by with Reps. Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Mike Rogers (MI). House Republicans will work with reform-minded GOP governors and state legislators to fight Washington bureaucracy and inefficiency.

This is a time of great challenge for the American people. But there has never been a challenge Americans could not overcome. Our potential as a nation is unlimited because we are a people dedicated to freedom and liberty. Republicans know we can't spend our way back to prosperity, and we certainly can't achieve prosperity by saddling our children and grandchildren with debt. Join us as we fight to restore fiscal sanity and rein in a government gone wild.