Absent political will, debt reduction has no chance

The Daily Jot


Daily reporting and analysis of current events from a biblical and prophetic perspective.


Wednesday, July 20, 2011



Absent political will, debt reduction has no chance



The buzz around Washington DC is that the Republican Party in the House of Representatives finally stood for something in passing the TEA Party Cut, Cap and Balance bill by a 234-190 vote. The bill cuts federal spending by $6 trillion and requires a balanced budget amendment to be brought before the states for ratification. Now all the conservatives are happy. Showed those tax hiking, big government liberals for sure. TEA Party activists are excited over the victory. But there is just one problem. The legislation does not have a chance to become law. Read the letters N-O-T--A--C-H-A-N-C-E. It does not have a chance for several reasons.



The Senate is full of pontificators who will not even allow the bill to the floor for a vote. Already, the Senate, aided by Republicans who care less about financial stewardship, are cooking up a trillion dollar tax increase that the president supports. The president will veto Cut, Cap and Balance and there are not enough votes to override the veto. They are too busy finding more ways to redistribute citizen's money to the government--not the poor, mind you. And not to pay the debts of the government--to redistribute the money to grow the government. Its time the American people see through this scheme. The Cut, Cap and Balance bill passed by the Republicans was window-dressing and politics as usual.



At the end of the day, its just a feel good, barely a moral victory. Not even the Congressmen who passed this bill likely believe it is anything more than an opportunity to go home and tell constituents that they voted to balance the budget and reduce the debt, but the Senate and the president wouldn't support it. That somehow gets them off the hook and makes it all right that business goes on as usual--more taxes, more debt, more political games. Cynical no, reality yes. If these 234 Congressman really wanted to see that bill pass, they should have the political will to shut down the government to get it. Not out of spite. Not because its good politics. But because it is the right thing to do for the future of the country.



Unless the House Republicans make a stand, this bill is the end of the fight, and they all will move on to another paradigm to pretend to solve the debt issue. Window dressing above accountability. We need Isaiah 50:7 Americans in Congress: "For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." These representatives need to press their belief in a debt free nation and not be ashamed. Good stewardship and accountability are basic tenets of Biblical living. Psalm 144:15 says, "Happy is that people, whose God is the Lord." Trouble is we are often far away from the Lord's precepts, even when it looks like we are close.



Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!

Bill Wilson