Until the public gets the point that the over spending can’t go on indefinitely we will continue to elect representatives who will promise to spend more.
We have been screwed for a long time. It’s just now starting to get to the painful part.
Figure this out. Government borrowing and printing crowds out Private Sector, savings and investment, especially for the foundational small businesses, which are what keep Big Business afloat (aside from their proximity to DC and Wall Street.)
We have no idea how painful the fix will be because most want to push it down the road and let the next generation deal with it. That's why we keep electing people who make promises but never intend to follow up on them. Trump was the first guy to come along and say we need to stop this bleeding, find the corruption, fix it, and get the economy moving again. A strong economy is the way the debt will be repaid, but the spending cuts are what we will all have to accept at some point. Might as well be now and latter.
Government programs, funding support for everything from schools to community programs to what until recently was funded through NGOs (USAID), etc etc. Welfare, food stamps, ADC, General Relief, Planned parenthood, and every conceivable special interest handout.
We are now a country (I can't accurately describe us as a "nation" at this point) of 350,000,000 people, many (most?) of whom have no idea how governance is supposed to work under our Constitution and all of whom are interested primarily in what's in it for them. This includes the people who are supposed to represent our interests. That anything gets done under these circumstances is miraculous. Ever since we decided it was a good idea to vote ourselves rich, with the encouragement of our political class who cater to this whim in order to get elected we have been on a trajectory of ruin and destruction. You can only eat so much of your seed corn until there is nothing left to plant. So to a certain extent I can appreciate Massie's braying, although personally I find his sanctimony hard to take. It is disturbing to realize that we are, in the words of His Greatness, Mark Steyn, "the brokest nation in the history of the world." Yet here we are. Trump, whom I love dearly is doing what he promised and would likely be doing more cost-cutting but for the fact that he is opposed by approximately half of the people in this benighted country as well as all of the corporate media and democrat party members and voters. He is like the coxswain of a college scull in which half the rowers are pulling in one direction and the others pulling opposite to them. Under present circumstances, to make any progress toward the goal of fiscal sanity seems unlikely at best. But God bless him, Trump is doing all he can and he does deserve our support.
The founders warned us about these issues you raise.
A few constitutional guardrails on Congress would solve a lot of this frustration: term limits, required balanced budgets (and passed budgets every year), deficits only in extreme cases (war), transparent spending from source to end-user. There are many more.
Congress is out of control and in need of a straight jacket - all of them - both parties. Their performance review gave us NGOs because they were too lazy to manage programs and spending for same. They gave us CRs instead of annual budgets.
Our worst enemies are the RINOs who attack us from within our party.
You are over the target here. What country can possibly believe that deficit spending is a good idea year after year? Answer: one run by corrupt people. Both parties are the same.
It's a conundrum, because passing constitutional amendments is a long, laborious process uncertain to succeed, even for laudable goals like these; and simply passing them in Congress is useless. This has been abundantly proved by the history of the Debt Ceiling. Good idea in theory, but not in practice, because Congress itself passed it and Congress can overrule it, as they have innumerable times. It's no more than a ceremony, like lighting the Christmas tree.
One thing that MIGHT get such a drastic change passed would be some national calamity: maybe a big war, or a huge natural disaster, like the long-overdue mega-quake along the west coast, or Yellowstone erupting. But nobody should look forward to THAT.
" . . . passing constitutional amendments is a long, laborious process . . ."
Exactly! You don't bring a knife to a gun fight. The problem is HUGE and will take a response just as large to fix it.
To do nothing must mean it really doesn't matter to you because I don't see any substantive proposals. A Thomas Massie response I must say. . .
Nothing will stop Congress (certainly not themselves) except an outside force bigger than they are. Over-turning term limits and balanced budget amendments (once these long-desired changes are passed) will cause a civil WWIII to change (which requires a major vote in Congress).
Spot on. But I disagree on how many oppose cost cutting. It is far more than 50%. Everyone know the debt is a problem, but no one wants to give up anything they already have or receive. We are all money addicts in one way or another. Fixing the spending problem is a monumental if not impossible goal at present because the problem is so big no one wants to do what is required. But it will get fixed at some point regardless, either on our terms or because the dollar crashes.
It will never be fixed by those who cause the problem.
An outside Constitutional Convention will fix it and I have not seen a single other option that can address this.
We aren't changing spending with the "Big Beautiful Bill" and will be bankrupt in only a handful of years. Your wealth will be confiscated because your bank account is the 'full faith and credit" of the US government.
In your scenario, the debt problem will fix itself. That is, the can cannot be kicked down the road any longer because the can is gone. I don't know, you may be right. But until the problem demands it, nothing will change it appears because all we have in congress are sheep right now. Not a backbone to be found.
Just saying that until hard men and women decide to risk their jobs to save the country from a debt problem that will not go away on its own, the problem will keep getting worse. As I said in my main comment, Trump is a spender but he gets the fact that there is far too much corruption, waste and employees in the government. He also gets that the only way out of our debt problem is by returning this country to self sufficiency. He is willing to risk his fortune and his life to get us back on track. Sadly, the congress is not willing to do the same. No one goes to congress to save money, they say they do to get elected, but they all become spenders because that's how they get re-elected. As I said previously all so, we all remember the member who gets a new National Park or Monument approved but we don't remember the guy who gets the money approved to run and maintain the same. That's why most of our parks are in disrepair and not manned properly to protect them.
To his credit, Trump is generating as much new revenue as the Executive branch can generate. It is impressive.
Congress's profligate spending will use what he has raised in a single bill and give the money away to a foreign entity. And, yes, Trump is a spender, but in a ROI strategy that he can explain.
At the point we can't kick the can down the road any longer it will not be the voters who stop it, or Congress. It will be whoever comes to claim payment on the debt we owe. It will be too late and your retirement and savings account will be in the hands of our lenders.
Massie is a one-trick pony. While U.S. debt is of major importance there are other fish to fry. At this point he has Obama syndrome. His narcissism is eclipsed by his obsessions and laziness.
Then who is going to put their foot down and start the debt discussion and mean it? Both parties think...........no believe that spending is what they were elected for. Who is donating vast amounts of money to candidates who promise not to spend money?
The difference between Massie and Trump is Trump acts on everything he says - even with radical plans - to solve the problem. Trump is action, action, action. Massie just bitches about it and talks in pipedreams.
If he'd turn his words into a plan, he'd be much more significant.
Those States - like MA - with overextended SNAP/EBT expenditures have been okaying Santa Claus with illegals. If they stopped feeding and housing and medicating them, their budgets would be in far better shape. NY, MA and CA in particular have been illegally and expansively welcoming illegals and using Fed money to keep the illegal/homeless NGO teams fat and happy. And the illegals coming. Billions.
Insanity, right? No, they know they will get bailed out by the feds in some way if they wait. California would have defaulted years ago if the feds thru corrupt spending bills had not bailed them out. It was common knowledge to everyone. Too big to fail, that is the California mantra. Add congressional seats by demanding illegals be counted in the census and then those added seats help funnel money back to their states. That is true insanity from a national perspective.
But, but, the Big Beautiful bill bent the knee for SALT tax relief - which specifically helps NY, CA, IL, etc. with their over-spending as Santa Claus.
Murkowski got the most votes, but I live in NC and voted for Tillis. I want him out. We don't need to be a 'swing' state. Here the only area that counts is Raleigh, a leftist group if ever there was one. The bulk of North Carolinians are the salt of the earth, black, white, and any other color, who understand 'right', 'wrong', and see most politicians for what they are - self serving leeches. Every day, I believe the Silent Majority is becoming less and less silent and America will be the better for it.
Oh, and if you don't see President Trump in Teddy's speech that starts "It is not the critic who counts ...", go back and read it. Generally the cost of trying to do right is to get some scars. If you don't have any, you aren't doing enough. Trump has his, and those of us who stand with him and love this country have some ourselves.
I was tempted to vote Tillis because his recent actions to thwart Ed Martin but when I thought about the broader impact of the names on the list, Tillis is only an occasional issue. Murkowski is an issue about 99.5% of the time and eliminating rank-choice voting in Alaska (and removing her) would be a larger return on investment IMO.
How about getting rid of both of them? We don't need to choose one or the other here. Ed Martin is a fighter. Tillis is in someone's pocket. Murkowski is just ignorant and hostile to the party because no one cares what she thinks.
Your analogy fits Murkowski perfectly as "teats on a boar" is a transgender sow since a boar is an intact male. Murkowski would try to pass legislation protecting the "teats on the boar" voters in her state.
AND, because the State Republican Party apparatuses are the ones picking and promoting who the Republican candidates will be. MAGA has to take over the state parties.
I am not sure that is true. There have been some real war veteran heroes who ran for offices to try to bring dignity and right to the position. I think most get sucked into the world of high stakes influence and game playing subtly and get in over their heads with only a self damning recourse to get out. The ones I knew did.
The trouble with commenting on sites like this is that brevity is required to keep the threads moving. It this case, I was just making a general statement that we are all flawed, and not everyone who goes into politics after a military career is doing so to give back. I have worked for too many general officers whose egos were on steroids. They are used to saying something and it gets done immediately. One was not a good human. The military teaches you to take on a problem and solve it quickly. Politics doesn’t work that way. There are a lot of prior service military folks (non general officer) serving today that appear to be better suited for politics than in past decades. But I will say it again, being good at being a soldier does not mean you will be good at politics.
Sorry, I have to disagree with you on this one, Don. As usual, the devil is in the details. For example, one of the Republican compromises is that Medicare patients can now only get transgender surgeries covered if they are an adult. This bill is big but not really very beautiful. That's why Speaker Johnson had to pull a Pelosi and pass it in the dead of night as she did with Obamacare and other Omnibus legislation.
We are all human and are prone to mistakes, including Tom Massie, me, you, and President Trump. This bill busts the budget and increases our debt while we have skyrocketing interest rates. Moody's recently downgraded our country's credit rating. This is unsustainable.
You and I will be okay, but I fear for our grandchildren.
Perhaps you are looking at this from a static point of view. By the time our grandchildren are our age there will have been many more changes and innovations that we cannot imagine. That glass is always half full and half empty. Only our own perspective is mutable.
Works both ways, I assume you are looking at it a the glass being half full. But no one knows what is coming and it isn't necessarily good. I have learned thru life if you don't deal with your problems when they occur they always come back to hurt you down the road. Time to get our fiscal house in order before we are the EU.
The longer we wait to deal with the debt, the worse it will be for us, not congress. As for your grandchildren, I would change that to read "grandchildren and great-grandchildren". The debt will be $ 40T very soon. We add something like $3B in interest a day. Totally unsustainable if not total insanity. We will likely not fix the debt, but it will sure as hell fix us at some point.
Agree. The senate is expected to make changes to the bill and many expect those changes to create more spending and debt. The senate republicans are generally even more liberal than those in the house.
I plan on keeping my screen name until the plethora of evidence I've seen, heard, and read over the years that indicates Epstein killed himself is disproved by new evidence. Have you noticed that no evidence supporting Patel's and Bongino's opinion has been forthcoming. We were promised files months ago and only received small binders with information redacted that was revealed years ago.
I'm convinced there are way too many VIP's from all quarters on that client list that make it highly unlikely to ever make it to the light of day.
Here’s my scenario: “certain people” had a chat with Epstein in prison, letting him know in no uncertain terms that his days were numbered. Thus, he may well have taken his own life rather than spend the rest of it looking over his shoulder, waiting for the inevitable.
Just please nobody try to convince me that two prison guards sat back with their feet up on their desks sleeping a couple dozen feet away from Epstein - within eye shot - and slept soundly through Epstein hanging himself with enough intensity that it broke his neck in three places all while the cameras just happened to cease functioning.
I guess I'd rather be called a conspiracy theorist than a fool (gullible-stupid). I blame Hillary's dozen+ Arkancides.
Haha! I’m 100% with you, despite my little imaginary scenario there. I most assuredly don’t think he killed himself, and found Patel and Bongino’s statement to the contrary beyond baffling.
And I think doing so only served to make me and many, many others feel there’s even way more “there there” within the entire Epstein drama for some reason ( none good) they refuse to expose. They didn’t do themselves - or the country - any favors by so flatly negating it.
It illustrates - actually it shoves in your face - the control and power of the deep state even as Trump runs the country. Patel and Bongino - two of the most outspoken fighters of corruption - have been compromised. I will give them a big break because I don't know what they are up to, but their abrupt flip-flop shows the power of the deep state. There is something deep in the FBI that is bigger than Patel.
Epstein's murder is the deep state laughing at you as they destroy your way of life.
I don't know. There is no evidence we will ever see to convince me one way or the other on this issue. Epstein was scum and far too much time has been spent on him. You have to trust someone and I choose to trust Kask and Dan right now until I see evidence that they were lying. It could well be that there is not sufficient evidence that Epstein was murdered for them to say so. All I know is this scum is no longer hurting women. Too bad his female accomplice is still wasting O2. She is just as bad as he was.
Yes, I believe the Democrats have been shredding evidence by the ton, which does make it harder to make the legal cases that are needed. We will get some cases at some point.
But--in our favor is the fact that the Left keeps making NEW mistakes that we CAN immediately pursue them legally on (e.g., the judge that aided the illegal's escape from ICE; the New Jersey mayor and the US Rep. that interfered with ICE, etc.).
True, full-fledged Karma is going to have to come for the Left in other ways.
I would strongly suspect Moody's is playing politics, and chose this moment to downgrade the US's credit rating. Moody's could and should have done it many times earlier during Democratic presidencies. There have been scandals in the past with the credit-rating firms--just like the companies that do election polling, these firms have an agenda.
Perhaps the purse-strings house should pass a law (or curate a rule of procedure) that says no Congressman may criticize a pending bill in any public forum unless they have a substantive alternative that can be implemented in place of the pending bill.
When spending has no limits because the mint printing presses can run 24/7, the bills produce like rabbits. We allow it and have no excuse to complain.
The best control (although it never generates much interest anywhere including here) is an Article V COS. There are only two ways to throttle Congress from their current addiction to spending:
(1) They control themselves to not over-step. (Impossible until pigs can fly)
(2) The states limit them with Constitutional amendments which will eliminate their deep pockets.
The arguments previously were it was "too risky" before the 2024 election to do such a radical thing under Biden and before the election. Well, here we are - Trump won. How many more excuses will we manufacture to DO NOTHING against a Congress who won't manage themselves?
The Republicans - even most conservatives - are guilty of what we criticize about Thomas Massie. That is, we have it in our power to enact Term Limits, strict balanced budget controls, required passed budgets for any spending to occur, etc.
We'll never do it because it is always "too risky" to do it with a States' convention.
It is less risky than what Trump has already accomplished by himself! Imagine the state we would be in if we had a handful of amendments stopping Congress from their abuse?
Shrugged, the solution you propose is not feasible, and also is extremely dangerous. The House of Representatives has an extremely aggressive and disciplined Communist/Marxist/Democratic wing, which is within 1 or 2 votes of overtaking us. It would be absolutely insane to have any constitution-related convention at this time, because I'm telling you the Democrats would pull out all the stops to outnumber us at the convention (including multiple ass***ination of Republican representatives to the convention). Then they would run the Convention, and once and for all trash our Constitution.
I think you are looking to "someone else" to solve this problem, instead of in the mirror. We The People have the power to kick out any Congressperson we don't like by our votes--term limits would only further empower the non-elected Washington staffers and DC deep-staters to lead "continually novice" Congressmen around by the nose.
Far simpler and much more effective, is to get involved in your state Republican Party. There is no way to avoid this. MAGA has to do this. MAGA is already doing it, but we need to do it even more to take control in all 50 states of the Republican party apparatuses. We weed out the RINO roots at their source, before they make it up the ladder to Congress.
Yes, I have heard this many times before. And nothing ever changes. As of today, the Dems have a slight advantage in the Mid-terms (Rasmussen). Back and forth, back and forth. And, Congress just keeps doing their damage whether the Whitehouse is red or blue..
The founders were geniuses and created the miracle of our Constitution. Written within that document - at the original writing - was the genius provision to compete with Congress' right to change the Constitution because we would come to a day when Congress would serve their own interests at the expense of the voters' interests.
The genius founders did that, ratified in 1787.
Are we there yet?
Please go back and look at the red/blue county election map for 2024. It is almost entirely red. It takes 38 states voting to make a change. We have never had more "red" than we do now. Things will never change unless we change the Constitution to require term limits and balanced budget spending.
We are living in the days we were warned about. We deserve the results if we fail to use the tool that was given to us to fight it.
Term limits are not the answer. And I believe the Constitution does already require Congress to present a budget, but Congress has just ignored that requirement for some decades now (because presenting a budget would make it obvious that we are spending too much, and also would provide a detailed road map of where to cut the spending.
So if Congress today just ignores the Constitution, why would having another Convention to tweak the Constitution accomplish anything?
"So if Congress today just ignores the Constitution, why would having another Convention to tweak the Constitution accomplish anything?"
Fair question. The answer is because the Congresspeople who continually break the rules won't be in office. Term limits prevent them from running. We get a constant flow of new blood. Half of those in congress now wouldn't seek office if some of these amendments were passed because they can't get their 'gravy'.
How about an amendment of making lobbyist money illegal? No kickbacks. No campaign donations. No leaving Congress as a millionaire. Take away the incentive to steal and they don't show up. The amendments can also be written with stronger oversight/enforcement.
If the last four years - and two attempted assassinations that have Secret Service and FBI complicity written all over them - don't bother you enough to say 'enough is enough' about this government being out of control then so be it.
"the Constitution does already require Congress to present a budget, but Congress has just ignored that requirement for some decades"
Thanks for proving my point.
We've already lost our Constitution. It is GONE. We watched four years of lawfare and did nothing. The Constitution is GONE. The leftists, RINOs, deep staters all do what they want with no Constitutional restrictions. And they stay for life because it pays them to do so.
Will a new amendment or three guarantee a stop to this? NO, but it will place enough roadblocks in front of them to not try.
How bad does it have to get before we trust the same founders who designed this country?
A balanced budget amendment is need with only exception for war declared by congress. Congress will NEVER police themselves otherwise. The call of money spending is too great for them to resist.
No, I do not believe the call of money spending is too great for them to resist. All they have to do is say "No". Normal people with even average principles can do this, and normal people can successfully resist selfish, greedy choices; and normal people will speak up if bad forces are trying to blackmail or corrupt them, like that young congressman from North Carolina (Madison Cawthorn) who was vocal about the attempts made on him.
There are normal, morally steady people available to run for office. But they first have to make it past the hurdle of the state Republican Party apparatuses (which are too mixed a bag when it comes to moral probity), that choose the candidates.
I agree with you, but how does that get fixed? Let's face it, the parties choose the people who they believe have the best chance to get elected and [promise to get them what they want. I just don't see that changing much.
It changes, if WE are the people running the state Party apparatus. And it's not hard to get into those positions--the top Party positions are publicly elected on the (IIRC) primary ballots. Like school board positions, hardly anyone votes in these races. Just get your neighbors, church friends, etc. to turn out for you and you've practically got it.
Good column, Don. I have always liked TR's The Man in the Arena. Depending on your view though, there are some who would view Massie as rhat man.
I do not believe Massie is the answer because he sides with the commiecrats and tried to stand in the way of whittling down the debt crisis. He is a good example of someone who would throw away a basket full of good for a handfull of perfect. My biggest peeve with the BBB is this crap about State and local taxes. This was wrong from the start. We taxpayers in states more fiscally responsible should not be subsidizing the states who have highest taxes. Those states have held the rest of us at gunpoint far too long. Fix your own problems before you resort to taking from others.
The SALT issue is a marxist-blue-state creation. They refuse to fix it because the national deductions give them some cover. Mike Lawler (R-NY) knows this and really needs to shame his own citizen-constituents. THAT however, takes (BIG) balls that involves risk but, the bold often get the plaudits and the votes.
Agree ; it is also unconstitutional due to the fact that it forces citizens in lower taxed ( red ) states to support the lifestyle choices of those blue states . Discrimination at its worst.
While Massie vote pisses me off, it does come close to my anger at the cowards who voted present or didn't vote. At least he stood up on his hind legs.
Doesn't seem to be much outrage directed towards the two dipshits who couldn't figure out how to set their alarm clocks so they didn't miss the biggest vote for their careers thus far. There is no excuse for them. At least Massie is willing to risk his job to support a position. The two who missed a big vote need to be called out and dealt with. That is their only purpose in congress and they blew it.
There is more talk about eliminating the penny coin since it costs much more than $0.01 to mint. This would be easy to do here in the 21st Century if every transaction was rounded down by adjusting the sales tax down. (And I would include electronic payments).
Re-value the penny to three dollars - instantly get a $3 coin at no expense & massively {300%} increase the spending power of the whole nation, and national savings will skyrocket. MAKE THE PENNY GREAT AGAIN!
My grandmother worked at a bank when I was very young and she would bring home pennies and we would try to find the ones we needed to fill our collection albums. I have a 1899 penny, minted the same year as she was, to remind me of her.
I shoulda picked Murkowski, but that rag is way more corrupt than Tillis and that tells a story. I think even when she dies she will still hold orifice. Pity the word shame is not in her black heart.
Trump knows both parties will never cut spending and he simply wants to grow the economy like last time. Real men who are grown up.
Ray of hope: I hear there is text in the "BBB" that allows recisions and impoundments to be had by the Dept directors; they don't have to spend all of the money congress allows.
Rand Paul has become a disappointment to me for the same reasons you pointed out about Massie. Seems to be disagreeing just to be disagreeing with PDT. I want them to get behind PDT and do what he wants and let's see how it shakes out.
The Big Beautiful Bill stands as a symbol for how far the country has fallen and the ugly reality of politics. It is given that the PR machines on both sides are not providing us with a full view of its macro effects. They are selling bits and pieces. Depending on their view, their story is that too many oxen are being gored or not enough. "Art of the Deal" Trump understands the game. He understands his revolution cannot be won on day one. Trump is willing to accept a shorter than ideal first step toward reversing America's march to financial oblivion. The BBB is that first short step. As Don cogently states, Massie only serves as an impediment to Trump's march forward. He is more interested in self-promotion than supporting the war effort. He reminds me of a few flag officers who recently departed the Pentagon. They didn't understand the integral purpose of their existence either.
You are correct, Two Trillion in deficit spending must stop. But politics is the art of the possible. Trump is cutting spending, especially the waste and fraud, despite opposition from Congress. He cannot undo in 120 days what Congress and the Dems have created over decades.
I miss Dan Bongino on the radio. He was a great replacement for the GOAT, Rush Limbaugh III.
Of course being a radio host grants candor a federal employee rulebook does not allow.
Bongino could tweet: "As an (now) employee of the US federal gov't, I WILL disappoint you".
Thomas Massie? Yeah I get the Paulian vibe but, the US economy needs growth as much as YOU feds need to adopt the internal will to CUT SPENDING. Spending deemed necessary and especially, unnecessary. Congress should focus on WHY do they compromise the necessary with the unnecessary? IF they can answer that question, we may actually see REAL spending reform.
In a safe district, it's easy to be an Ilhan Omar (yep, I went there) or a Thomas Massie. The alternative always looks much, much worse.
What was worse was Biden-marxist-dems purposeful draining of the cash value of the middle & upper middle classes in favor of foreign strangers of ANY stripe just to get control over the largest segment of the US population to build that OLIGARCHY INC Sanders & AOC truly covet...even as they pretend to rail against it.
Thomas Massie can stick shake all he wants, he could compromise a smidge and still get easily re-elected. The left is excellent at the Long March. A few zealous Conservatives get elected and suddenly think the world has turned on the marxists, forgetting, they have their own Long March to take back the turf principled Massie types surrendered long ago.
The problem is both parties. We need to admit it. They see their job as spending, giving Americans something whether or not it is good for the country. That's how we end up with so many National Parks, Monuments and such but no money to run or take care of them. Everyone loves a park and the person who got it done but no one remembers the guy who got the money to run and take care of it.
It was a useless bill. Did not address the real problem, which is the medical industry that will blow us up pretty soon. Did not accomplish any deficit reduction and pushed out the cuts to a point where they are unlikely to be made. What else to expect from useless republicans?
Until the public gets the point that the over spending can’t go on indefinitely we will continue to elect representatives who will promise to spend more.
We have been screwed for a long time. It’s just now starting to get to the painful part.
Growing the non-government economy is one solution. The dems only know how to grow the government.
Figure this out. Government borrowing and printing crowds out Private Sector, savings and investment, especially for the foundational small businesses, which are what keep Big Business afloat (aside from their proximity to DC and Wall Street.)
We have no idea how painful the fix will be because most want to push it down the road and let the next generation deal with it. That's why we keep electing people who make promises but never intend to follow up on them. Trump was the first guy to come along and say we need to stop this bleeding, find the corruption, fix it, and get the economy moving again. A strong economy is the way the debt will be repaid, but the spending cuts are what we will all have to accept at some point. Might as well be now and latter.
The sad truth is that about 80% of voters want the freebees the over spending produces for them. Most of the public will never give up their trinkets.
The founders warned us about this design problem. Congress won't do a "Thomas Massie" because it will cost them votes and possible failed reelection.
The adage "It's all about the money" in this scenario is "The money is all about the votes".
80% ? What freebies do eighty percent of the voters receive ?
Government programs, funding support for everything from schools to community programs to what until recently was funded through NGOs (USAID), etc etc. Welfare, food stamps, ADC, General Relief, Planned parenthood, and every conceivable special interest handout.
As long as we have a party that continues to play Robin Hood rock bottom is far far away.
Big debt is not a problem until Dems say it is a problem.
See Japan, worse on debt every year for 30 years, now 250+% debt/gdp ratio -- no crisis.
Problems, yes. Crisis, not yet.
We are now a country (I can't accurately describe us as a "nation" at this point) of 350,000,000 people, many (most?) of whom have no idea how governance is supposed to work under our Constitution and all of whom are interested primarily in what's in it for them. This includes the people who are supposed to represent our interests. That anything gets done under these circumstances is miraculous. Ever since we decided it was a good idea to vote ourselves rich, with the encouragement of our political class who cater to this whim in order to get elected we have been on a trajectory of ruin and destruction. You can only eat so much of your seed corn until there is nothing left to plant. So to a certain extent I can appreciate Massie's braying, although personally I find his sanctimony hard to take. It is disturbing to realize that we are, in the words of His Greatness, Mark Steyn, "the brokest nation in the history of the world." Yet here we are. Trump, whom I love dearly is doing what he promised and would likely be doing more cost-cutting but for the fact that he is opposed by approximately half of the people in this benighted country as well as all of the corporate media and democrat party members and voters. He is like the coxswain of a college scull in which half the rowers are pulling in one direction and the others pulling opposite to them. Under present circumstances, to make any progress toward the goal of fiscal sanity seems unlikely at best. But God bless him, Trump is doing all he can and he does deserve our support.
The founders warned us about these issues you raise.
A few constitutional guardrails on Congress would solve a lot of this frustration: term limits, required balanced budgets (and passed budgets every year), deficits only in extreme cases (war), transparent spending from source to end-user. There are many more.
Congress is out of control and in need of a straight jacket - all of them - both parties. Their performance review gave us NGOs because they were too lazy to manage programs and spending for same. They gave us CRs instead of annual budgets.
Our worst enemies are the RINOs who attack us from within our party.
You are over the target here. What country can possibly believe that deficit spending is a good idea year after year? Answer: one run by corrupt people. Both parties are the same.
It's a conundrum, because passing constitutional amendments is a long, laborious process uncertain to succeed, even for laudable goals like these; and simply passing them in Congress is useless. This has been abundantly proved by the history of the Debt Ceiling. Good idea in theory, but not in practice, because Congress itself passed it and Congress can overrule it, as they have innumerable times. It's no more than a ceremony, like lighting the Christmas tree.
One thing that MIGHT get such a drastic change passed would be some national calamity: maybe a big war, or a huge natural disaster, like the long-overdue mega-quake along the west coast, or Yellowstone erupting. But nobody should look forward to THAT.
" . . . passing constitutional amendments is a long, laborious process . . ."
Exactly! You don't bring a knife to a gun fight. The problem is HUGE and will take a response just as large to fix it.
To do nothing must mean it really doesn't matter to you because I don't see any substantive proposals. A Thomas Massie response I must say. . .
Nothing will stop Congress (certainly not themselves) except an outside force bigger than they are. Over-turning term limits and balanced budget amendments (once these long-desired changes are passed) will cause a civil WWIII to change (which requires a major vote in Congress).
Spot on. But I disagree on how many oppose cost cutting. It is far more than 50%. Everyone know the debt is a problem, but no one wants to give up anything they already have or receive. We are all money addicts in one way or another. Fixing the spending problem is a monumental if not impossible goal at present because the problem is so big no one wants to do what is required. But it will get fixed at some point regardless, either on our terms or because the dollar crashes.
It will never be fixed by those who cause the problem.
An outside Constitutional Convention will fix it and I have not seen a single other option that can address this.
We aren't changing spending with the "Big Beautiful Bill" and will be bankrupt in only a handful of years. Your wealth will be confiscated because your bank account is the 'full faith and credit" of the US government.
In your scenario, the debt problem will fix itself. That is, the can cannot be kicked down the road any longer because the can is gone. I don't know, you may be right. But until the problem demands it, nothing will change it appears because all we have in congress are sheep right now. Not a backbone to be found.
Are you suggesting we will just stop printing money one day?
We will print money even as the debt we can't pay results in our lenders paying a military visit to collect their payments.
Until the US dollar is no longer the reserve currency, our printing presses will not stop.
I love Trump but he has the presses running as hard as Biden did. Maybe harder.
Just saying that until hard men and women decide to risk their jobs to save the country from a debt problem that will not go away on its own, the problem will keep getting worse. As I said in my main comment, Trump is a spender but he gets the fact that there is far too much corruption, waste and employees in the government. He also gets that the only way out of our debt problem is by returning this country to self sufficiency. He is willing to risk his fortune and his life to get us back on track. Sadly, the congress is not willing to do the same. No one goes to congress to save money, they say they do to get elected, but they all become spenders because that's how they get re-elected. As I said previously all so, we all remember the member who gets a new National Park or Monument approved but we don't remember the guy who gets the money approved to run and maintain the same. That's why most of our parks are in disrepair and not manned properly to protect them.
To his credit, Trump is generating as much new revenue as the Executive branch can generate. It is impressive.
Congress's profligate spending will use what he has raised in a single bill and give the money away to a foreign entity. And, yes, Trump is a spender, but in a ROI strategy that he can explain.
At the point we can't kick the can down the road any longer it will not be the voters who stop it, or Congress. It will be whoever comes to claim payment on the debt we owe. It will be too late and your retirement and savings account will be in the hands of our lenders.
Well put Steve !!
Massie is a one-trick pony. While U.S. debt is of major importance there are other fish to fry. At this point he has Obama syndrome. His narcissism is eclipsed by his obsessions and laziness.
It seems that Massie is trying to be for the House what Rand Paul is to the Senate.
They both are driven by their values but it rarely results in substantive legislation.
We don't elect theologians.
Then who is going to put their foot down and start the debt discussion and mean it? Both parties think...........no believe that spending is what they were elected for. Who is donating vast amounts of money to candidates who promise not to spend money?
Going along to get along is an infantile philosophy.
The USA needs more Thomas Massies, fewer paid for sheep.
Agree with caveats.
The difference between Massie and Trump is Trump acts on everything he says - even with radical plans - to solve the problem. Trump is action, action, action. Massie just bitches about it and talks in pipedreams.
If he'd turn his words into a plan, he'd be much more significant.
Those States - like MA - with overextended SNAP/EBT expenditures have been okaying Santa Claus with illegals. If they stopped feeding and housing and medicating them, their budgets would be in far better shape. NY, MA and CA in particular have been illegally and expansively welcoming illegals and using Fed money to keep the illegal/homeless NGO teams fat and happy. And the illegals coming. Billions.
Insanity, right? No, they know they will get bailed out by the feds in some way if they wait. California would have defaulted years ago if the feds thru corrupt spending bills had not bailed them out. It was common knowledge to everyone. Too big to fail, that is the California mantra. Add congressional seats by demanding illegals be counted in the census and then those added seats help funnel money back to their states. That is true insanity from a national perspective.
But, but, the Big Beautiful bill bent the knee for SALT tax relief - which specifically helps NY, CA, IL, etc. with their over-spending as Santa Claus.
So, we're supporting it.
Murkowski got the most votes, but I live in NC and voted for Tillis. I want him out. We don't need to be a 'swing' state. Here the only area that counts is Raleigh, a leftist group if ever there was one. The bulk of North Carolinians are the salt of the earth, black, white, and any other color, who understand 'right', 'wrong', and see most politicians for what they are - self serving leeches. Every day, I believe the Silent Majority is becoming less and less silent and America will be the better for it.
Oh, and if you don't see President Trump in Teddy's speech that starts "It is not the critic who counts ...", go back and read it. Generally the cost of trying to do right is to get some scars. If you don't have any, you aren't doing enough. Trump has his, and those of us who stand with him and love this country have some ourselves.
I was tempted to vote Tillis because his recent actions to thwart Ed Martin but when I thought about the broader impact of the names on the list, Tillis is only an occasional issue. Murkowski is an issue about 99.5% of the time and eliminating rank-choice voting in Alaska (and removing her) would be a larger return on investment IMO.
How about getting rid of both of them? We don't need to choose one or the other here. Ed Martin is a fighter. Tillis is in someone's pocket. Murkowski is just ignorant and hostile to the party because no one cares what she thinks.
Murkykow only got elected due to her crooked daddy who was governor amongst other offices. He left her enough to buy a seat.
1000 likes. You explained exactly why I voted for her too.
Tillis +Mudckow =teats on a boar.
Your analogy fits Murkowski perfectly as "teats on a boar" is a transgender sow since a boar is an intact male. Murkowski would try to pass legislation protecting the "teats on the boar" voters in her state.
I agree. Tillis is one of the true Decepticons paid for by all the corrupt Big's.
None of us are naive here - these folks go to Sodom on Potomac and it changes them into the dark side.
I'm thinking that most of them were pretty flawed to start with, they were just better at hiding it than the people they ran against.
AND, because the State Republican Party apparatuses are the ones picking and promoting who the Republican candidates will be. MAGA has to take over the state parties.
Most of them are failed lawyers. It is SO nice to have business people running the administration; or people that have had real jobs with risk.
I am not sure that is true. There have been some real war veteran heroes who ran for offices to try to bring dignity and right to the position. I think most get sucked into the world of high stakes influence and game playing subtly and get in over their heads with only a self damning recourse to get out. The ones I knew did.
The trouble with commenting on sites like this is that brevity is required to keep the threads moving. It this case, I was just making a general statement that we are all flawed, and not everyone who goes into politics after a military career is doing so to give back. I have worked for too many general officers whose egos were on steroids. They are used to saying something and it gets done immediately. One was not a good human. The military teaches you to take on a problem and solve it quickly. Politics doesn’t work that way. There are a lot of prior service military folks (non general officer) serving today that appear to be better suited for politics than in past decades. But I will say it again, being good at being a soldier does not mean you will be good at politics.
Bullfight critics, ranked in rows
Crowd the enormous plaza full
But only one is there who knows
And he's the man who fights the bull.
~ Domingo Ortega, Spanish bullfighter
Sorry, I have to disagree with you on this one, Don. As usual, the devil is in the details. For example, one of the Republican compromises is that Medicare patients can now only get transgender surgeries covered if they are an adult. This bill is big but not really very beautiful. That's why Speaker Johnson had to pull a Pelosi and pass it in the dead of night as she did with Obamacare and other Omnibus legislation.
We are all human and are prone to mistakes, including Tom Massie, me, you, and President Trump. This bill busts the budget and increases our debt while we have skyrocketing interest rates. Moody's recently downgraded our country's credit rating. This is unsustainable.
You and I will be okay, but I fear for our grandchildren.
Perhaps you are looking at this from a static point of view. By the time our grandchildren are our age there will have been many more changes and innovations that we cannot imagine. That glass is always half full and half empty. Only our own perspective is mutable.
Works both ways, I assume you are looking at it a the glass being half full. But no one knows what is coming and it isn't necessarily good. I have learned thru life if you don't deal with your problems when they occur they always come back to hurt you down the road. Time to get our fiscal house in order before we are the EU.
The glass being half full or half empty is immaterial when you are thirsty. Only the water is important !
The longer we wait to deal with the debt, the worse it will be for us, not congress. As for your grandchildren, I would change that to read "grandchildren and great-grandchildren". The debt will be $ 40T very soon. We add something like $3B in interest a day. Totally unsustainable if not total insanity. We will likely not fix the debt, but it will sure as hell fix us at some point.
Everyone is forgetting the midterms right around the corner!!
What drives people’s votes? Their pocketbook!! Getting the tax cuts through, on addition to the tariff effects, will lift ALL boats!
If we gain supermajorities in Congress we can do whatever the hell we want!
If we lose either of them the entire Revolution could be lost.
Yep. I think most of us would even feel better if they would just make a dent in the debt.
Ahh yes, I remember Pelosi's infamous quote - "we have to pass the bill to know what's in it!"
Agree, but the Senate may make radical changes to it so the jury is still out.
BTW: Patel and Bongino say that Epstein DID kill himself. Will you hang on to your screen name?
Agree. The senate is expected to make changes to the bill and many expect those changes to create more spending and debt. The senate republicans are generally even more liberal than those in the house.
I plan on keeping my screen name until the plethora of evidence I've seen, heard, and read over the years that indicates Epstein killed himself is disproved by new evidence. Have you noticed that no evidence supporting Patel's and Bongino's opinion has been forthcoming. We were promised files months ago and only received small binders with information redacted that was revealed years ago.
I'm convinced there are way too many VIP's from all quarters on that client list that make it highly unlikely to ever make it to the light of day.
Here’s my scenario: “certain people” had a chat with Epstein in prison, letting him know in no uncertain terms that his days were numbered. Thus, he may well have taken his own life rather than spend the rest of it looking over his shoulder, waiting for the inevitable.
Just please nobody try to convince me that two prison guards sat back with their feet up on their desks sleeping a couple dozen feet away from Epstein - within eye shot - and slept soundly through Epstein hanging himself with enough intensity that it broke his neck in three places all while the cameras just happened to cease functioning.
I guess I'd rather be called a conspiracy theorist than a fool (gullible-stupid). I blame Hillary's dozen+ Arkancides.
Haha! I’m 100% with you, despite my little imaginary scenario there. I most assuredly don’t think he killed himself, and found Patel and Bongino’s statement to the contrary beyond baffling.
And I think doing so only served to make me and many, many others feel there’s even way more “there there” within the entire Epstein drama for some reason ( none good) they refuse to expose. They didn’t do themselves - or the country - any favors by so flatly negating it.
Thanks. I thought I was going crazy when that interview was aired the other day. I can handle lies as long as they don't make me believe them.
I expected much better from those two. Perhaps there is a bigger mission underway and they are playing to the scripted roles.
It's all above me - and my interest in the drama. I just want to know the truth some day.
Does it really matter how he died? The guy was scum. Someone just did something about it and now he will no longer prey of women.
Yes. It matters a great deal.
It illustrates - actually it shoves in your face - the control and power of the deep state even as Trump runs the country. Patel and Bongino - two of the most outspoken fighters of corruption - have been compromised. I will give them a big break because I don't know what they are up to, but their abrupt flip-flop shows the power of the deep state. There is something deep in the FBI that is bigger than Patel.
Epstein's murder is the deep state laughing at you as they destroy your way of life.
I don't know. There is no evidence we will ever see to convince me one way or the other on this issue. Epstein was scum and far too much time has been spent on him. You have to trust someone and I choose to trust Kask and Dan right now until I see evidence that they were lying. It could well be that there is not sufficient evidence that Epstein was murdered for them to say so. All I know is this scum is no longer hurting women. Too bad his female accomplice is still wasting O2. She is just as bad as he was.
Yes, I believe the Democrats have been shredding evidence by the ton, which does make it harder to make the legal cases that are needed. We will get some cases at some point.
But--in our favor is the fact that the Left keeps making NEW mistakes that we CAN immediately pursue them legally on (e.g., the judge that aided the illegal's escape from ICE; the New Jersey mayor and the US Rep. that interfered with ICE, etc.).
True, full-fledged Karma is going to have to come for the Left in other ways.
I feel you are right but pray you are wrong my friend.
I would strongly suspect Moody's is playing politics, and chose this moment to downgrade the US's credit rating. Moody's could and should have done it many times earlier during Democratic presidencies. There have been scandals in the past with the credit-rating firms--just like the companies that do election polling, these firms have an agenda.
💯%!
Isn't Moody's the one who ok'd the mortgage traunch's? Just asking a question.
Perhaps the purse-strings house should pass a law (or curate a rule of procedure) that says no Congressman may criticize a pending bill in any public forum unless they have a substantive alternative that can be implemented in place of the pending bill.
We'll call it "Produce or STFU" rule.
But isn't a good part of the problem that we have too damn many bills?
When spending has no limits because the mint printing presses can run 24/7, the bills produce like rabbits. We allow it and have no excuse to complain.
The best control (although it never generates much interest anywhere including here) is an Article V COS. There are only two ways to throttle Congress from their current addiction to spending:
(1) They control themselves to not over-step. (Impossible until pigs can fly)
(2) The states limit them with Constitutional amendments which will eliminate their deep pockets.
The arguments previously were it was "too risky" before the 2024 election to do such a radical thing under Biden and before the election. Well, here we are - Trump won. How many more excuses will we manufacture to DO NOTHING against a Congress who won't manage themselves?
The Republicans - even most conservatives - are guilty of what we criticize about Thomas Massie. That is, we have it in our power to enact Term Limits, strict balanced budget controls, required passed budgets for any spending to occur, etc.
We'll never do it because it is always "too risky" to do it with a States' convention.
It is less risky than what Trump has already accomplished by himself! Imagine the state we would be in if we had a handful of amendments stopping Congress from their abuse?
Shrugged, the solution you propose is not feasible, and also is extremely dangerous. The House of Representatives has an extremely aggressive and disciplined Communist/Marxist/Democratic wing, which is within 1 or 2 votes of overtaking us. It would be absolutely insane to have any constitution-related convention at this time, because I'm telling you the Democrats would pull out all the stops to outnumber us at the convention (including multiple ass***ination of Republican representatives to the convention). Then they would run the Convention, and once and for all trash our Constitution.
I think you are looking to "someone else" to solve this problem, instead of in the mirror. We The People have the power to kick out any Congressperson we don't like by our votes--term limits would only further empower the non-elected Washington staffers and DC deep-staters to lead "continually novice" Congressmen around by the nose.
Far simpler and much more effective, is to get involved in your state Republican Party. There is no way to avoid this. MAGA has to do this. MAGA is already doing it, but we need to do it even more to take control in all 50 states of the Republican party apparatuses. We weed out the RINO roots at their source, before they make it up the ladder to Congress.
Yes, I have heard this many times before. And nothing ever changes. As of today, the Dems have a slight advantage in the Mid-terms (Rasmussen). Back and forth, back and forth. And, Congress just keeps doing their damage whether the Whitehouse is red or blue..
The founders were geniuses and created the miracle of our Constitution. Written within that document - at the original writing - was the genius provision to compete with Congress' right to change the Constitution because we would come to a day when Congress would serve their own interests at the expense of the voters' interests.
The genius founders did that, ratified in 1787.
Are we there yet?
Please go back and look at the red/blue county election map for 2024. It is almost entirely red. It takes 38 states voting to make a change. We have never had more "red" than we do now. Things will never change unless we change the Constitution to require term limits and balanced budget spending.
We are living in the days we were warned about. We deserve the results if we fail to use the tool that was given to us to fight it.
Term limits are not the answer. And I believe the Constitution does already require Congress to present a budget, but Congress has just ignored that requirement for some decades now (because presenting a budget would make it obvious that we are spending too much, and also would provide a detailed road map of where to cut the spending.
So if Congress today just ignores the Constitution, why would having another Convention to tweak the Constitution accomplish anything?
"So if Congress today just ignores the Constitution, why would having another Convention to tweak the Constitution accomplish anything?"
Fair question. The answer is because the Congresspeople who continually break the rules won't be in office. Term limits prevent them from running. We get a constant flow of new blood. Half of those in congress now wouldn't seek office if some of these amendments were passed because they can't get their 'gravy'.
How about an amendment of making lobbyist money illegal? No kickbacks. No campaign donations. No leaving Congress as a millionaire. Take away the incentive to steal and they don't show up. The amendments can also be written with stronger oversight/enforcement.
If the last four years - and two attempted assassinations that have Secret Service and FBI complicity written all over them - don't bother you enough to say 'enough is enough' about this government being out of control then so be it.
"the Constitution does already require Congress to present a budget, but Congress has just ignored that requirement for some decades"
Thanks for proving my point.
We've already lost our Constitution. It is GONE. We watched four years of lawfare and did nothing. The Constitution is GONE. The leftists, RINOs, deep staters all do what they want with no Constitutional restrictions. And they stay for life because it pays them to do so.
Will a new amendment or three guarantee a stop to this? NO, but it will place enough roadblocks in front of them to not try.
How bad does it have to get before we trust the same founders who designed this country?
A balanced budget amendment is need with only exception for war declared by congress. Congress will NEVER police themselves otherwise. The call of money spending is too great for them to resist.
No, I do not believe the call of money spending is too great for them to resist. All they have to do is say "No". Normal people with even average principles can do this, and normal people can successfully resist selfish, greedy choices; and normal people will speak up if bad forces are trying to blackmail or corrupt them, like that young congressman from North Carolina (Madison Cawthorn) who was vocal about the attempts made on him.
There are normal, morally steady people available to run for office. But they first have to make it past the hurdle of the state Republican Party apparatuses (which are too mixed a bag when it comes to moral probity), that choose the candidates.
I agree with you, but how does that get fixed? Let's face it, the parties choose the people who they believe have the best chance to get elected and [promise to get them what they want. I just don't see that changing much.
It changes, if WE are the people running the state Party apparatus. And it's not hard to get into those positions--the top Party positions are publicly elected on the (IIRC) primary ballots. Like school board positions, hardly anyone votes in these races. Just get your neighbors, church friends, etc. to turn out for you and you've practically got it.
Good column, Don. I have always liked TR's The Man in the Arena. Depending on your view though, there are some who would view Massie as rhat man.
I do not believe Massie is the answer because he sides with the commiecrats and tried to stand in the way of whittling down the debt crisis. He is a good example of someone who would throw away a basket full of good for a handfull of perfect. My biggest peeve with the BBB is this crap about State and local taxes. This was wrong from the start. We taxpayers in states more fiscally responsible should not be subsidizing the states who have highest taxes. Those states have held the rest of us at gunpoint far too long. Fix your own problems before you resort to taking from others.
The SALT issue is a marxist-blue-state creation. They refuse to fix it because the national deductions give them some cover. Mike Lawler (R-NY) knows this and really needs to shame his own citizen-constituents. THAT however, takes (BIG) balls that involves risk but, the bold often get the plaudits and the votes.
Agree ; it is also unconstitutional due to the fact that it forces citizens in lower taxed ( red ) states to support the lifestyle choices of those blue states . Discrimination at its worst.
While Massie vote pisses me off, it does come close to my anger at the cowards who voted present or didn't vote. At least he stood up on his hind legs.
Doesn't seem to be much outrage directed towards the two dipshits who couldn't figure out how to set their alarm clocks so they didn't miss the biggest vote for their careers thus far. There is no excuse for them. At least Massie is willing to risk his job to support a position. The two who missed a big vote need to be called out and dealt with. That is their only purpose in congress and they blew it.
My one cents worth on today’s news.
There is more talk about eliminating the penny coin since it costs much more than $0.01 to mint. This would be easy to do here in the 21st Century if every transaction was rounded down by adjusting the sales tax down. (And I would include electronic payments).
I’m worried that when they eliminate the penny I won’t be able to put my two cents in. 😂☕️👍
Due to inflation your 2 cents (and mine) isn’t worth what it used to.
That will be two cents please,thank you.
😂👍☕️
I'll buy that.
MAKE THE PENNY GREAT AGAIN!
Re-value the penny to three dollars - instantly get a $3 coin at no expense & massively {300%} increase the spending power of the whole nation, and national savings will skyrocket. MAKE THE PENNY GREAT AGAIN!
No downside!
My grandmother worked at a bank when I was very young and she would bring home pennies and we would try to find the ones we needed to fill our collection albums. I have a 1899 penny, minted the same year as she was, to remind me of her.
I am not very good at math so I’m have a hard time figuring out how to get change if I made a purchase totaling $2.73 and pennies are worth $3.00.
Anything to cut the States’ takes.
Or it's brother, Adjusting the sales price up. Afraid the retailing complex would never allow it. Admit $999.99 sounds much cheaper than $1,000.
I shoulda picked Murkowski, but that rag is way more corrupt than Tillis and that tells a story. I think even when she dies she will still hold orifice. Pity the word shame is not in her black heart.
Trump knows both parties will never cut spending and he simply wants to grow the economy like last time. Real men who are grown up.
Ray of hope: I hear there is text in the "BBB" that allows recisions and impoundments to be had by the Dept directors; they don't have to spend all of the money congress allows.
Rand Paul has become a disappointment to me for the same reasons you pointed out about Massie. Seems to be disagreeing just to be disagreeing with PDT. I want them to get behind PDT and do what he wants and let's see how it shakes out.
$/*
The Big Beautiful Bill stands as a symbol for how far the country has fallen and the ugly reality of politics. It is given that the PR machines on both sides are not providing us with a full view of its macro effects. They are selling bits and pieces. Depending on their view, their story is that too many oxen are being gored or not enough. "Art of the Deal" Trump understands the game. He understands his revolution cannot be won on day one. Trump is willing to accept a shorter than ideal first step toward reversing America's march to financial oblivion. The BBB is that first short step. As Don cogently states, Massie only serves as an impediment to Trump's march forward. He is more interested in self-promotion than supporting the war effort. He reminds me of a few flag officers who recently departed the Pentagon. They didn't understand the integral purpose of their existence either.
$2 Trillion annual deficits, each and every year of the Trump Presidency?
Insanity. 7% of US GDP is borrowed and wasted Government money?
Innumeracy much?
You are correct, Two Trillion in deficit spending must stop. But politics is the art of the possible. Trump is cutting spending, especially the waste and fraud, despite opposition from Congress. He cannot undo in 120 days what Congress and the Dems have created over decades.
I miss Dan Bongino on the radio. He was a great replacement for the GOAT, Rush Limbaugh III.
Of course being a radio host grants candor a federal employee rulebook does not allow.
Bongino could tweet: "As an (now) employee of the US federal gov't, I WILL disappoint you".
Thomas Massie? Yeah I get the Paulian vibe but, the US economy needs growth as much as YOU feds need to adopt the internal will to CUT SPENDING. Spending deemed necessary and especially, unnecessary. Congress should focus on WHY do they compromise the necessary with the unnecessary? IF they can answer that question, we may actually see REAL spending reform.
In a safe district, it's easy to be an Ilhan Omar (yep, I went there) or a Thomas Massie. The alternative always looks much, much worse.
What was worse was Biden-marxist-dems purposeful draining of the cash value of the middle & upper middle classes in favor of foreign strangers of ANY stripe just to get control over the largest segment of the US population to build that OLIGARCHY INC Sanders & AOC truly covet...even as they pretend to rail against it.
Thomas Massie can stick shake all he wants, he could compromise a smidge and still get easily re-elected. The left is excellent at the Long March. A few zealous Conservatives get elected and suddenly think the world has turned on the marxists, forgetting, they have their own Long March to take back the turf principled Massie types surrendered long ago.
The problem is both parties. We need to admit it. They see their job as spending, giving Americans something whether or not it is good for the country. That's how we end up with so many National Parks, Monuments and such but no money to run or take care of them. Everyone loves a park and the person who got it done but no one remembers the guy who got the money to run and take care of it.
It was a useless bill. Did not address the real problem, which is the medical industry that will blow us up pretty soon. Did not accomplish any deficit reduction and pushed out the cuts to a point where they are unlikely to be made. What else to expect from useless republicans?