Taking action with real reform in 2011 (Rep. Todd Rokita)

We have heard for two years now that more spending and higher taxes are the only way to grow our economy and create jobs. It hasn’t happened and the American people called the Democrats’ bluff. Our debt is spiraling out of control and it must be stopped now.

Tonight the President promises to recalculate, to say that maybe lower taxes for some and a little less spending on a few programs are enough to somehow balance our budget and revive our economy. But this is the same plan he’s pushed for two years. Take a look anywhere in Indiana and you can see that has not happened. Nearly 1 in 10 Hoosiers is unemployed, and our national debt has reached $14 trillion. If government spending would revive our economy it would have happened by now.

Fortunately, there is another way. Since being sworn in on January 5th, I have joined fellow Republicans in voting to cut Congress’ budget and repeal the $2.6 trillion ObamaCare law. Later today, I will vote to cut an additional $100 billion in the next 12 months by slashing the Pelosi Congress’ budgets back to 2008 levels. And there’s more where that came from.

I am sure that President Obama’s address tonight will sound hopeful. He will give a good speech and promise that this time will be different. We need less talk and more action before we can believe that things have changed.

This post originally appeared on the Capitol & Washington blog.