The newly Republican House has a lot of expectations placed upon it—as one would expect considering the electoral landslide last November. Amidst the vote on repealing ObamaCare, many on the left called them time wasters for even going through with the vote, and decided also to pick them apart for the spending reductions that they claimed they were going to do.
Part of the line that was heard throughout the media was that it was one thing to announce that you’d cut spending back in the campaign, but when the Republicans looked at the real picture, they wouldn’t be able to keep this promise without alienating their base. They’d been perfecting this one since November.
Only, the Republicans decided to call their bluff:
[T]he “Spending Reduction Act of 2011” proposed by members of the conservative Republican Study Committee, chaired by Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, would reduce current spending for non-defense, non-homeland security and non-veterans programs to 2008 levels, eliminate federal control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, cut the federal workforce by 15 percent through attrition, and cut some $80 billion by blocking implementation of Obamacare. [House GOP Lists $2.5 Trillion in Spending Cuts]
Of course, many people will scream about their project being cut, but when you’re this far in the hole, you need to get down to essentials.
To me, it’s just like your family budget. Sure, it might seem like you need that Smart Phone, Turbo Speed Connection, and every one of the 15 million cable television channels, but the fact is that you really do not. Certainly, other things will have to take their place, but there are other options available—and if the government is not providing a service, you can bet that someone will provide the service soon enough.
Reduce Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare back to 2008 and hold them there? I don’t think so.