Opening up the dialogue

If we are serious about getting our nation out of debt then we need to have an adult conversation about our entitlement programs and the culture of spending on Capitol Hill. I am deeply disappointed in the President’s FY 2012 budget request. Not only does it ignore the larger issues at hand, it spends more than we have, taxes our hard working families and small businesses and adds more to our skyrocketing national debt. We are building up the federal machine- the bureaucracies and regulators, at the expense of the American free market system. 

First and foremost, we need to stop the mentality of spending more than we take in. Nowhere in America could a small business survive if it continued to spend more than it earns.  The President’s budget calls for $3.8 trillion in spending this year alone. That equals 25.3 percent of the GDP – the highest percentage since World War II. Furthermore, the President’s budget requires $46 trillion in spending over the decade, $8.7 trillion of which is NEW spending. We simply cannot afford his budget. We must cut spending and start living within our means.

Next, at a time when people in my district are experiencing double digit unemployment, the President’s budget calls for a $1.6 trillion tax hike on families and small businesses. Taxing those that are hurting will not create jobs and it is not going to turn around this faltering economy.  When we create new jobs, then we bring in new revenues. Taxing those that are already stretched too thin will not create the economic stability that Main Street is looking for; rather, it threatens to shutter more small businesses and cause even more workers to be laid off.

Finally, this budget does not seriously address the looming threat of our out-of-control debt and deficit. If we implemented this budget as is, the FY 2012 deficit would be nearly $1.65 trillion. We cannot afford this. Thirteen trillion dollars more will be added to our debt in the next decade. Rather than tackling these problems we are leaving them for our future generations to solve. We need to empower our future generations, not burden them with our wasteful spending.

We must wake up and realize that we cannot continue down this path. It is irresponsible. We need to start the discussion of fixing our broken entitlement programs and ending the practice of unfunded mandates. If our families are being forced to slash their budgets, then so should the federal government. I know many tough decisions lie ahead, but we no longer have the time to wait and leave the mess for someone else to resolve. Let’s begin the dialogue with the American people and begin to get our nation back on track. 

The people of our nation hold the key to the solutions we are searching for. Who says we can’t fulfill the promises made to our seniors? Who says we can’t dig our way out of this debt? I wasn’t raised in an America that says we can’t. We are a people who believe in American exceptionalism and it is time we stop putting off the discussion that we need to have today.  We cannot leave our children and grandchildren with broken promises. We must fix the flaws in our system so that we can continue to be the greatest nation on earth. 

Dr. Paul Gosar is serving his first term in Congress as the Representative to Arizona’s First Congressional District. As a healthcare provider and small business owner, Gosar is focused on bringing jobs back to the district, reforming health care, reining in government spending and ensuring that his constituents are involved in the solution process.