America is in a financial crisis. For years, politicians on both sides of the aisle have ignored the 800-pound gorilla in the room — our climbing $14 trillion national debt. That trend seems like it will continue with reports coming out over the weekend that President Obama will request more government spending in the State of the Union. I had hoped that a detailed plan on how to curb our government’s overspending would be the focus of the president’s speech. However, it looks like what he really wants is, in essence, another stimulus. We all know that the stimulus package passed during the early days of this administration failed miserably and contributed to the $14 trillion debt. If we do not address the ever-increasing debt, America may sink into a dangerous financial abyss.
From 1789 to 1997, America’s national debt climbed to $5.4 trillion. In January of 2007, when Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid assumed power in the House and Senate, our national debt was $8.6 trillion. In just 48 months the Pelosi/Reid Congress did what it took previous Congresses 208 years to do — increase the national debt by $5.4 trillion to the record level of $14 trillion. The Democrats currently in charge continually look the other way when it comes to the national debt.
We must get our fiscal house in order. With President Obama set to call for even more government spending, it appears that the era of Washington’s fiscal irresponsibility will continue. The liberal policy on spending mimics that of drunken sailors — not to insult drunken sailors. Fortunately, the American people have weighed in by restoring control of the House of Representatives to Republicans. It now rests upon the shoulders of Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, and many others to be so bold as to say “ENOUGH” to Obama’s overspending.
At Citizens United, we have released a short video today highlighting the issue of the national debt. There will be an 800-pound gorilla standing in the well of the House tomorrow night that the president will not want to talk about. It looks like the president will just want to spend more taxpayer money to fund programs that will help his reelection efforts and feed the gorilla. Future generations of Americans will be paying for the mistakes that we are making today. I hope the president reverses his current course and has meaningful discussions with the Congress to bring down our debt. Please pass this video to your family and friends. We must get the word out about this fiscal and national security crisis. President Obama cannot continue to ignore the 800-pound gorilla in Washington.
David N. Bossie is the president of Citizens United and Citizens United Productions, and the executive producer of “America at Risk.”