Ben Wardlaw
Chief FUN Officer
http://facebook.com/benkwardlaw
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Please say "THANK YOU" to these courageous Congressmen and Congresswomen
Here’s the full list of House Republicans who voted against the three-week CR (bold indicates freshman member):
Todd Akin (Missouri)
Justin Amash (Michigan)
Michele Bachmann (Minnesota)
Roscoe Bartlett (Maryland)
Joe Barton (Texas)
Dan Benishek (Michigan)
Dan Burton (Indiana)
John Campbell (California)
Steve Chabot (Ohio)
Jason Chaffetz (Utah)
Jeff Duncan (South Carolina)
Jeff Flake (Arizona)
John Fleming (Louisiana)
Trent Franks (Arizona)
Scott Garrett (New Jersey)
Phil Gingrey (Georgia)
Louie Gohmert (Texas)
Trey Gowdy (South Carolina)
Tom Graves (Georgia)
Ralph Hall (Texas)
Andy Harris (Maryland)
Dean Heller (Nevada)
Tim Huelskamp (Kansas)
Bill Huizenga (Michigan)
Tim Johnson (Illinois)
Walter Jones (North Carolina)
Jim Jordan (Ohio)
Steve King (Iowa)
Raul Labrador (Idaho)
Doug Lamborn (Colorado)
Jeffrey Landry (Louisiana)
Billy Long (Missouri)
Connie Mack (Florida)
Thaddeus McCotter (Michigan)
Mick Mulvaney (South Carolina)
Ron Paul (Texas)
Steve Pearce (New Mexico)
Mike Pence (Indiana)
Joseph Pitts (Pennsylvania)
Ted Poe (Texas)
Denny Rehberg (Montana)
Scott Rigell (Virginia)
Dennis Ross (Florida)
Jean Schmidt (Ohio)
Christopher Smith (New Jersey)
Steve Southerland (Florida)
Cliff Stearns (Florida)
Marlin Stutzman (Indiana)
John Sullivan (Oklahoma)
Scott Tipton (Colorado)
Tim Walberg (Michigan)
Joe Walsh (Illinois)
Allen West (Florida)
Joe Wilson (South Carolina)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Should We Raise The Federal Government Debt Ceiling?
The next big fiscal debate will be on the impending collision with the federal government's debt ceiling. When the debate on raising the debt ceiling begins in earnest, it will sound much like the debate on the most recent continuing resolution. Except this time, President Obama is on much shakier political ground. In 2006, on one of the few occasions that Senator Barack Obama made a vote that was not cast as “present,” he voted against raising the debt ceiling. Before that vote, Senator Obama had this to say about raising the debt ceiling:
The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies.
Over the past 5 years, our federal debt has increased by $3.5 trillion to $8.6 trillion. That is “trillion” with a “T.” That is money that we have borrowed from the Social Security trust fund, borrowed from China and Japan, borrowed from American taxpayers. And over the next 5 years, between now and 2011, the President’s budget will increase the debt by almost another $3.5 trillion.
Numbers that large are sometimes hard to understand. Some people may wonder why they matter. Here is why: This year, the Federal Government will spend $220 billion on interest. That is more money to pay interest on our national debt than we’ll spend on Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. That is more money to pay interest on our debt this year than we will spend on education, homeland security, transportation, and veterans benefits combined. It is more money in one year than we are likely to spend to rebuild the devastated gulf coast in a way that honors the best of America.
And the cost of our debt is one of the fastest growing expenses in the Federal budget. This rising debt is a hidden domestic enemy, robbing our cities and States of critical investments in infrastructure like bridges, ports, and levees; robbing our families and our children of critical investments in education and health care reform; robbing our seniors of the retirement and health security they have counted on.
Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not going to investment in America’s priorities.
Well said, Senator Obama! 
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