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Now we know, at last. The vote to exorcise the media-Halloween specter of “economic Armeggedon” or “Global Meltdown” has been cast. All the hue and cry ended in a whimper. Except for cries of default by “Tea Party” Republicans — default of courage.

The acid test vote on the federal debt limit indicates just how far we’ve got to go — those of  us who spoke about and supported “real change in the way Washington does “We the People”s business.” The Republican veto-proof majority did well to approve a “Cut, Cap and Balance” [CC&B] approach to the issue. Only nine Republicans, including Michelle Bachmann, defected — because they thought the CC&B cuts didn’t go far enough! Even with this, backed by support of CC&B by nearly 3/4 of Americans polled, the U.S. Senate voted down the initiative with a thud.1 House leadership, however, didn’t have the “stones…testicular fortitude” to then draw a line in the sand and say to the Senate and its President: “Enough is enough; this is our position; DEAL WITH IT!”

Thus, as of Friday, “We the People” were confronted with yet another bill and another House vote. The Boehner bill that finally passed was “Dead on Arrival” in the Senate, to become the subject of a backroom deal cut by the Senate President [still smarting from a Tea Party that had the temerity to challenge his senile eminence in 2010], the U.S. President [Teleprompter Reader-in-Chief] and the Speaker of the House [prime sponsor of the boner bill]. So we could look forward to another piece of major legislation cooked up through “secretive deals, gimmicks and tax increases.”

Opportunities — for the Tea Party to change the GOP or take it over — all these were highlighted by the tiring debate, fear mongering and “political posturing” over the debt limit. The ultimate possibility, as advocated by several TP-associated Members of Congress (MoCs) led by Rep. Ron Paul, would have been to refuse to vote to increase the debt limit. This would have provided the kind of real barrier to increased federal spending and debt that most people voted for in 2010.

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July 25, 2011

Letter Sent to State Representatives and Senators

RE:  The Debate About Raising The U.S. Debt Ceiling

Dear US Representatives:

This letter is the first in a series that communicates the position of tax paying members of the Bedford, NH Money Club on a number of pressing issues before the U.S. Congress.  The Bedford Money Club is a women’s financial literacy group affiliated with the Women’s Institute for Financial Education (WIFE.org)—the oldest non-profit dedicated to improving the personal financial literacy of women.  The Club eschews politics, but felt compelled to write these letters because we are appalled at how poorly governments are being managed at all levels in this country.  As citizens of a “donor” state that receives $0.71 for every $1.00 we send to Washington, we’re especially unhappy about the current situation.

Our first letter expresses our position on the debate concerning raising the U.S. debt ceiling.  We have been told that raising the U.S. debt ceiling is essential to preserving the AAA credit rating of the United States of America.  Consequently, we support raising the U.S. debt ceiling.  However, our support is contingent upon Congress immediately implementing significant budget and deficit cuts, rather than delaying these cuts until after the 2012 election year. You work for us, and we want to be in a position to fire you in 2012 if you fail to shrink the budget and debt as we have requested.  We do not want our country in this financial position ever again.  

We further explain our rationale in the letter that follows.

1. Don’t increase our National Debt:  The U.S. Debt Ceiling has been raised 80 times since 1940, and each time, policy makers have failed to take steps to bring spending in line with what the country can afford without becoming enslaved to foreign governments that might use this leverage against our national interests.   Raising the debt ceiling makes it harder for Americans to retain our freedom and control over how our money is to be spent.  Also, we lack confidence that our representatives will follow any increase in the U.S. Debt Ceiling with significant cuts to current and future budgets that would lead to a permanent reduction of this debt.  If you raise the debt ceiling, we want budget and deficit cuts to be made prior to any increase in taxes or tax code reform to offset any increase in the National Debt.  We do not want these cuts deferred or delayed.  We want smaller government now, not ten years from now.

2. Don’t Jeopardize the AAA Credit Rating of the United States and the U.S. dollar as the world’s Reserve Currency: 

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