I often say that Washington can learn a lot from using some good ole Georgia common sense.
Earlier this month, after one of my town hall meetings, a mayor of a small town in my district told me a story about the struggles her city has been facing. With the economy in the worst state since the Great Depression, unemployment has shot through the roof and many businesses in Hoschton, Georgia have been forced to downsize or shut down completely.
The mayor, Erma Denney, told me about how tough times have also required her to make some bold choices about Hoschton’s budget. Ultimately, in efforts to keep the town afloat, she ended up slashing their budget by a whopping 67 percent. Mayor Denney said to me, “Everything has to be put on the table… nothing can be impossible to cut.”
Washington: take note.
It’s long past time for the Obama administration to stop spending money like there’s no tomorrow. There is a tomorrow, even though right now with over 9% unemployment and a 28-year-high misery index, it’s looking pretty bleak. America’s runaway spending has gotten so far out of control that it’s hard to get a grasp on the amount of debt our nation is in, or how long it would take to repay the $14.4 trillion we have borrowed.
But rather than focusing on absolutely necessary cuts to our budget, the Obama administration’s answer is to turn a blind eye to our financial problems. Instead, the administration continues to tout both their failed stimulus plan and their assault on our healthcare system. And they are clearly oblivious to the destruction caused by their massive pro-government, job-killing, liberal agenda.
Just this week, the White House chief of staff, Bill Daley, got caught off message in a moment of honesty when asked by some business executives why the size and scope of the federal government keeps growing. Daley’s answer: “Sometimes you can’t defend the indefensible.”
Americans don’t want those kinds of arrogant excuses anymore — they want solutions. They want less spending and more jobs. They want the burdensome regulations removed from the backs of small businesses that can put so many people back to work. And they want more free choice and less big government when it comes to their day-to-day lives.
We can accomplish all of this without spending trillions of dollars that we just don’t have, like the president and his cronies have made customary. But first, Washington needs to follow the lead of small cities, small businesses, and families who are tightening their belts across the country. The small Georgia town that cut 67 percent of its budget to deal with its insurmountable fiscal crisis ought to be a blueprint for the Obama administration.
Rep. Paul C. Broun, M.D. represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District.