The November 3rd Contract with America

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On Nov. 2, 2010, the Republican Party recaptured the majority in the House. In the Senate, Republicans now possess numbers sufficient to sustain a filibuster and stop objectionable legislation from getting to the floor.

Obamalism has now been arrested. Voters rose to say no to the two-year gusher of spending and the staggering increases in the annual deficit and the national debt. Under Obama and the Democratic congressional majority, the national debt, as a percentage of GDP, jumped from 69 percent to a projected 94 percent. Voters said, “Enough!”

Now what?

“Governing isn’t as easy as you think,” said retiring Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash. “Many of you have taken pledges that are contradictory. … You must be honest about the numbers, since our annual deficit now exceeds all discretionary spending combined. If you set as your goal to roll back the size of government, you have an obligation to answer the tough questions and show real courage, not just appeal to ideology. Treat the voters like adults.”

Politicians take contradictory pledges because voters send contradictory signals. Voters oppose tax hikes, even on the so-called rich. They agree that government is too large and understand that the three major drivers of domestic spending — Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — grow on automatic pilot and saddle future generations with trillions of dollars in unfunded liability.

But voters, especially older ones, still want to spare this or that program or entitlement from the scalpel. Voters dislike ObamaCare. But a majority finds it perfectly acceptable to mandate that insurance companies take on those with pre-existing illnesses. This, of course, stands the concept of “insurance” on its head by forcing companies to assume known risks rather than just unknown ones.

We need a November 3 Contract with America.

This Contract acknowledges that the Founding Fathers designed the Constitution as a contract that limits the size and scope of the federal government, not as a “living, breathing document” that supports whatever desires voters want and politicians grant. It challenges voters to face up to the train wreck of entitlement programs, annual deficit, national debt and interest payments on the debt. The Contract reduces government’s size and scope so that we never again jeopardize our prosperity — which threatens our national security by robbing Americans of the resources necessary to defend ourselves against our enemies.

The November 3 Contract with America addresses these issues without raising taxes or cutting benefits for those currently receiving them or who will soon be eligible for them.

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  • Mark

    Would be great, if only we had politicians that would be brave enough to do something like this, but it won't happen unfortunately.

  • Roy G

    Bailing out car companies must stop. We had 3, so if one had failed the others would takeup the slack. Bailing oiut unions has gotta stop. Let their people see their fraud and answer to it, not the American people. Bailing out State governments has to stop for the same reason. If California or other states have establsihed contracts with teachers unions, police unions, firefighters unions and established unsustainable pensions, then let them deal with the problem. It is not up to the Federal government or we as taxpayers to cover their stupid mistakes.

    • BoogiesDaddy

      Thank you Mr. Elder.
      You step on more toes here than in "The Ten Things You Can't Say In America".

      Unfortunately America needs the equivelant of chemo and radiation treatment. it's going to hurt. It might kill us anyways but the illness will for sure and at a much faster pace.

      The biggest obsacle will be the army of government employees who will understandably be afraid of what everyone else is facing right now. They might even reach for guns and religion.
      How did Obama put that? Some thing about things happenning fast and being put in a situation we are not accostomed to?
      I will be glad to welcome all of them into the "rise and shine" club.

      I've worked in the real world. They expect results!