CONGRESS IS DRIVING US TO BANKRUPTCY!

I recently saw a scoop video (www.thescoop.us) of Rand Paul (R Kentucky) explaining why he would not be voting yes for an additional $40 billion gift to Ukraine.

I have similar feelings about America’s generous nature. I am inclined to give a substantial portion of my income to charity. I believe we all should. That being said I disagree more and more with our country’s repeated donations to countries with lower national debt than our own. I have said in many of my blog posts that, in my opinion, our congress must reign in their spending of our money.

Here’s what Rand Paul, and Davey Crockett, have to say about our government spending.

In his speech before the Senate Paul quoted an article found in Harper’s Magizine in 1867. That article recounted a speech made by two term congressman Davey Crockett (Yes, the same Davey Crockett who was “The King of the Wild Frontier”) who served in the 1820’s.

Crockett spoke in opposition to a bill that was introduced to give $20,000 to the widow of a military officer killed in action. Crockett was credited with saying that he respected the officer and empathized with the family. He went on to say, “We must not permit our respect for the dead, or our sympathy for a part of the living, to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity, but as members of congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money.” Crockett went on to say, “I’m the poorest man on this floor. I can not vote for this bill, but I will give a one week’s pay. I will give my check for one week, and if every member of congress were to do this it will amount to more than this bill asks for.”

Senator Paul reported that the bill did not pass and Crockett was asked why he spoke against it. Paul continued to refer to the Harper’s article and said that Crocket relayed that years earlier he was standing on The Capitol steps with some others, and they saw a gray light over Georgetown. It was a large fire. They all jumped into a hack (cab) and went there. Crocket said Many families lost their houses; some were left with only the clothes on their backs. Seeing how the victims were suffering he felt something must be done.

They brought a bill to the floor the next day that rewarded the victim’s $20,000.

Crockett said that later in the year he went back home to Tennessee and asked a constituent, Horatio Bunce, for his vote. Bunce said, “You’d better not waste your time on my vote. I shall not vote for you again. Your vote last winter shows that either you have not the capacity to understand the constitution or that you are wanting honesty and firmness to be guided by it. Because the constitution, to be worth anything, must be held sacred and rigidly preserved in all its provisions. The man who wields power and misinterprets the constitution is more dangerous the more honest he is.” Bunce continued, “No Colonel Crockett, congress has no right to give charity, individual members can give as much of their own money as they please, but they have no right to touch the public money for that purpose. While you were contributing to relieve one, you are drawing it from thousands who are even worse off than he.”

Congressmen could have donated their own money, but it was easier simply to give other people’s money.

Bunce’s last comment was, “When congress begins to stretch its power beyond the limits of the constitution there is no limit to it and no security for the people.”

I assume it was in an attempt to clarify what large amounts of money congress is trying to give away that Senator Paul pointed this out, if congress wanted to donate its own money to Ukraine they would each need to donate $400 million. To add to his point, he mentioned that the national debt is coming close to $30 trillion and that the total has grown $6 trillion in the last two years.

Is that OK with you. It is not acceptable to me!

Senator Paul did not leave it at that. The senator said that his office has cataloged over $50 billion in waste- THAT’S BILLION WITH A “B”.

Some examples he chose to share were:

A million dollar study on whether taking selfies in which the subject is smiling make people feel good.

The National Science Foundation budgets billions of dollars to study problems such as comparing the mating calls of the Panamanian city frogs with country frogs to determine if they are different.

The NIH spent two million dollars to study the burning question – Is a person more or less likely to eat their food if the person in front of them sneezes on it.

This, in my opinion, should not be allowed in a country with a surplus of money- I remind you that we are almost 30 trillion dollars in debt.

Senator Paul quoted the well known economist, Milton Friedman, as saying, “Nobody spends somebody else’s money as wisely as they spend their own.”

I believe we have too many elected officials who have never had to make a budget.

I think it’s a shame that Horatio Bunce, and likeminded people are not still with us. I would love to see a strong movement of voters with the stated goal of not re-electing anyone who allowed taxpayer dollars to fund any study of Panamanian frogs. Many of us complain about being overtaxed. Many of us are angered when we hear about frivolous spending, but not enough of us investigate the candidates to choose the one who will best serve the community, and spend our tax money as though it was there own.

How can a country that accepts a 30 trillion dollar debt succeed? Maybe the answer is it can’t.

Thanks for reading, please comment. Maybe we can find a solution!