Hartzler adds to summer reruns: No revenue problem, it's a spending problem, cut taxes

In her weekly newsletter, Fourth District Congresswoman Vicky Hartzer shows how well she has memorized Republican talking points:

We returned to Washington, this week, with the people’s representatives and members of the media clearly focused on the issue of the debt ceiling. President Obama began talks with congressional leaders at the White House and those talks will continue as we move toward what we are told is an August 2nd deadline for raising the debt. I can assure you I have no intention of agreeing to the idea of raising taxes to balance the budget.

Washington’s spending binge must be stopped. Feeding this out-of-control spending by raising taxes on everyday Americans and job-creating businesses is a non-starter. I have said it time and time again – Washington does not have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem. We cannot address reckless spending by taxing and punishing those we count on to provide jobs to Americans. Tax hikes on job creators would be a big mistake as they would further harm a fragile economy that needs all the help it can get to rebound. America needs jobs!

The jobless figures for June were released at the end of this week and they are NOT good! The national unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent last month. More disturbing is the fact the economy generated only 18,000 net jobs! Employers added the fewest jobs in nine months! Friends, our economy is at a virtual standstill. We need to change the course we are on and fast. Part of the problem is uncertainty created by requirements of the new health care law and other federal mandates while another part of the problem is Washington’s reckless spending which can only be maintained through tax increases.

The House has a plan to create jobs and I am actively working to implement it. We are cutting job-destroying red tape which – according to research by the Small Business Administration - costs small businesses $10,585 per employee each year. Our plan calls for keeping jobs here by lowering the corporate tax rate to make it competitive worldwide. It also includes steps to increase American energy production, which will bring down the price of energy and lower prices at the pump. It simplifies a job-crushing tax code that the SBA concludes cost Americans $160 billion for compliance in 2001. Most importantly, we create certainty in the economy by reducing the crushing burden of debt. Increasing jobs and eliminating our bloated deficit make a powerful combination that we need to create real economic growth and get people back to work.

In other news, the House voted this week on the 2012 Defense Appropriations Act which provides a 1.6 percent base pay raise for military personnel. It also contains funds for protective gear, clothing, subsistence and related expenses for active duty personnel and the reserve corps. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am pleased that this bill provides the funding needed to keep our national defense strong. The $671 billion package includes more than $100 billion to pay for new equipment and upgrades to help our brave men and women in uniform to conduct successful operations. It also contains much-needed funds to upgrade our aging fleet of Navy ships, Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft, Blackhawk helic