By Jim DeMint || Today the Senate is voting to disapprove the debt ceiling increase as requested by President Obama. Unfortunately, this is a hollow gesture as Congress passed a deal last year that made the increase possible. It is disingenuous to vote for a deal that increases the debt by trillions of dollars and then vote later on a non-binding resolution to disapprove of it.
I opposed this deal because our nation is on the edge of a fiscal cliff. It’s much more important to fight for long-lasting reforms to save our country than make politically-expedient deals.
This watered-down debt deal created a debt commission, spending sequesters, and required the president to ask for debt increases in series of requests. In the end, the debt commission failed to produce any recommendations and several members of Congress are already seeking to undo the sequesters. Additionally, the debt deal sidelined Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R.-Wisc.) budget that was passed by the House and allowed appropriators to increase spending above his levels. As a result of this deal, the government is spending more, debt is exploding, and our nation is closer to bankruptcy.
Since President Obama has taken office, our national debt has increased by more than $4.5 trillion to pay for a failed stimulus, a health care takeover, and bailouts to special interests. It’s time to stop the reckless spending and debt that our children and grandchildren will have to pay for.
Americans are looking for courageous leadership to save our nation from fiscal collapse. Americans understand that we must pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to force Congress from spending more than we’re bringing in. I challenge members of Congress in both parties to open their eyes to what is happening in Europe, to stop with the meaningless show votes, and get serious about our debt crisis before it is too late.
Jim DeMint is a United States Senator from South Carolina. Read more from him here.
By snodgrass January 26, 2012 at 2:11 pm
“Americans are looking for courageous leadership to save our nation from fiscal collapse.”
We’re finding courageous leaders, Senator. We’re just wondering why you aren’t among them.
By SCBues January 26, 2012 at 2:12 pm
AMEN!
By ? January 26, 2012 at 2:39 pm
Exactly.
By johnb January 26, 2012 at 3:18 pm
Huh ?
By Skidmarks January 26, 2012 at 6:32 pm
Yeap.
By Joe January 27, 2012 at 7:04 am
How courageous was DeMint when things start going down? He was in office back then.
By scmajor January 26, 2012 at 2:20 pm
The nerve of this hypocritical obstructionist asshole.
Fuck you DuhMint.
By SCBlues January 26, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Double amen!!
By Common Sense January 26, 2012 at 3:17 pm
nailed it on the head!
By Bogart January 26, 2012 at 2:33 pm
What’s that around his neck,it looks like it may consume his chin?
By Alabaster II January 26, 2012 at 4:16 pm
Whoever took this picture must have been lying down. The thing around his neck, my dear is his double chin.
By ron January 26, 2012 at 3:45 pm
That’s right! Gubmint has done such a great job with Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, and the Postal Service, let’s just hand over another 20% of the economy and let the gubmint destroy our health care system…that will really save us all some money, right?
Can I get an amen?
By Lord hear our prayers January 26, 2012 at 3:57 pm
AMEN! Don’t forget Amtrak! AMEN!
By Liberaltarian January 26, 2012 at 4:11 pm
Actually, “Gubmint” has done a great job with Social Security, that program has always funded itself and has never contributed to the debt. Furthermore, Medicare costs less per person and is way more efficient than private insurance. As for the post office, I’ve never had any problems with their service, and if the private sector can figure out a way to replace them for cheaper prices, that is great. As for the Gubmint destroying the health care system, unless you are blind to all facts and logic, its already been destroed.
By Ed January 26, 2012 at 4:18 pm
That is true about social security. The reason social security is “in jeopardy” is because the government keeps borrowing from it. Social security more than pays for itself if the government would keep their hands off it…
By Take a deep breath and exhale January 26, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Medicare: $65 billion annual in fraud. Physicians, particularly specialist are leaving their practices or no longer taking on further Medicare patients due to poor reimbursement.
Medicare recipients on average receive 3 times in benefit compared to what they paid in.
Social Security went cash negative recently due to the effects of the recession and the payroll tax holiday for 2 years, as well as the demographic problems which were known since the 1940s. To put it back in the black, we need an immediate $267 billion dollars.
The postal service is mired in inefficiencies and pension legacy costs and continues to be a major money pit.
We haven’t even discussed our costly yet disastrous education system.
By eggaday January 26, 2012 at 7:44 pm
AMEN = TRUTH
but watch out for the adams F A M I L Y
By eggaday January 26, 2012 at 7:46 pm
duh duh duh duh click click
duh duh duh duh click click
duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh click click
By Ed January 26, 2012 at 4:10 pm
Wouldn’t the courageous thing to do be raise taxes on the top 1 or 2% who could be completely unaffected by the tax increase?
By Ed January 26, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Does DeMint have a clue how fucked the country would be had there not been bailouts and stimulus? He has lost in the wilderness.
By ron January 26, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Will Ultra-Liberal Warren Buffett pay his outstanding tax balance of over $1,000,000,000.oo?
Can I get another amen?
Amen!
By eggaday January 26, 2012 at 9:11 pm
duh duh duh duh click click
duh duh duh duh click click
duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh click click
AMEN
By RAS January 27, 2012 at 4:59 am
Buffet is not ultra-liberal; it’s just that he’s not ultra-greedy which makes him seem ultra-liberal. He points out the obvious unfairness of the tax code, and suddenly he’s on the conservative’s hit-list.
By ron January 26, 2012 at 4:17 pm
O Libertarian, two years ago my W-2 form–you know that TAX document with my PERSONAL INCOME information—was delivered to my neighbor!
The most critical letter I receive each year—sent to my neighbor!
That’s Gubmint for ya!
By Toby January 26, 2012 at 8:01 pm
While I believe the U.S. Postal Service is in need of serious reform,if not done away with, I do find it funny that you use one incident of a letter carrier possibly having a bad day to indict an entire system.
By Alabaster II January 27, 2012 at 9:39 am
Let’s hope for your sake that your neighbor didn’t open the envelope.
By RINO January 26, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Senator, is compromise in your vocabulary? Or, did you miss that day in school when your class learned that word?
By Shove it, DeMint January 26, 2012 at 9:04 pm
What has DeMint done for SC? NOTHING.
By eggaday January 26, 2012 at 9:12 pm
just so you all get the point about adams F A M I L Y
duh duh duh duh click click
duh duh duh duh click click
duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh click click
By political hack January 26, 2012 at 9:49 pm
Wasn’t there a candidate in the race who vowed to cut over $1 trillion from the government? Congress is an abyss of millionaire hypocrisy. They say things need to be “reformed” thereby destroying their own racket (don’t make me laugh) and yet when they all get together they vote themselves the loot. Talk is cheap.
By RAS January 27, 2012 at 5:14 am
Mr. DeMint, I will think you are serious when you are willing to sponsor the remove of some of the special treatment afforded the wealthy in our tax code. Things like “carried interest” (Romney’s Rule – not to be confused with Buffet’s Rule).
The beauty of such an initiative, should you have the “leadership” to handle it, is that it addressed two problems at once: unfairness in the tax code and the deficit.
By eggaday January 27, 2012 at 8:13 am
duh duh duh duh click click
duh duh duh duh click click
duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh click click
By ceilidh10 January 27, 2012 at 8:30 am
He’s retiring. Who gives a shit what this bag of hot air says ?