In her latest newsletter, Fourth District Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler says she does not want to make the failure to pass the Balanced Budget Amendment a partisan issue, then spends the rest of her newsletter ripping the Democrats.
It is with a great deal of anger and dismay that I begin this week’s newsletter with word of the failure of Democrats in the U.S. House to support a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) to the United States Constitution. This piece of legislation, which is sorely needed if we are to get the federal government’s runaway spending under control, had the support of the overwhelming majority of House Republicans. But it failed to pick up support from enough Democrats to approve the measure and send it to the Senate. It is not my intention to make an issue of this magnitude a politically partisan one, but Democrats have put party ahead of what is good for America and it is time to call them out.
This should have been a bipartisan issue. But failure of House Democrats to approve this common sense measure requiring the federal government to rein in runaway spending is a defeat for the American people and a victory for the tax and spenders who want to condemn our children and grandchildren to an unfathomable debt burden. This was a golden opportunity to put America on the path to fiscal responsibility and it was an opportunity squandered.
The United States is $15 trillion in debt as we borrow 36 cents of every dollar we spend. This is unacceptable! Our responsible measure would have required that Congress not spend more than it receives in revenues unless three-fifths of both the House and Senate agree to higher spending. Furthermore, it would have required the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress. How could anyone oppose such a logical requirement?
The blame for this devastating blow starts at the top of the Democratic Party. President Obama is opposed to a Balanced Budget Amendment. In addition, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer made clear his opposition to the bill and actively instructed his party members to vote against this bipartisan effort aimed at stopping Washington’s job-crushing spending binge. This is an amendment he voted FOR in 1995! Both should be ashamed of themselves for letting down the American people.
Rest assured, I am not about to give up on the need to put a stop to runaway federal spending. I will fight for reforms to get us on the path to a balanced budget and continue to pass job-creating legislation to grow our economy while still fighting for a Balanced Budget Amendment in the future.
On a positive note, the House passed an extremely important piece of legislation this week – a bill I am proud to co-sponsor. The Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 822) will allow any person with a valid concealed right-to-carry gun permit or license, issued by a state, to carry a concealed firearm in any state allowing the same rights to its citizens. I firmly believe that the right-to-carry is an extension of our constitutional rights guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment. This bill will protect the rights of lawful gun owners who must be allowed to protect themselves and their families within or outside the borders of their home states.
This legislation does not create a federal licensing or registration system and it does not allow federal bureaucrats to set standards for right-to-carry permits. It will, however, require states to recognize each other’s right-to-carry permits, just as a driver’s license issued by one state is recognized throughout the country. I call on the Senate to follow the lead of the House in standing up for the Constitution and the rights of law-abiding citizens and pass this important bill.
Finally, I was happy to be honored by the Republican Study Committee, the party’s conservative wing, with its RSC Golden Turkey Award which highlights absurd – yet obscure – government regulations. The RSC gave me the award for raising awareness of the egregious Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruling trampling on private property rights at Lake of the Ozarks and for introducing a bill (H.R. 3244) to stop FERC from forcing the implementation of its decree that more than a thousand homes be torn down. I am proud to have been able to bring this issue to the attention of other representatives of the American people – some of whom are experiencing similar outrageous acts in their own districts. Since introduction of the bill, FERC has backtracked, to some degree, on its ridiculous order. I plan to still move forward with my bill to ensure this government overreach never happens again and private property rights are protected in the future.
2 comments:
I guess she forgot to notice there were several Republicans that voted against it also. They realized this is not the same as a simple household budget to balance as households don't have a national defense, which she wholeheartedly endorses, that has to be included in that budget. It is not as simple as she is trying to portray.
From reading her present and past newsletters, She is one of the most partisan politicians in Washington DC. She represents all that is wrong with our government. She is another of the republicans that have pledged to Grover Norquist. I wish she were pledged to her constituents and to the constitution of the United States of America.
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