A New Year and New Opportunities

2011 promises to be an interesting year.

In the 8th Congressional District in 2010, we voted for "change" and to move in a new direction. I hope it is "change" we can count on, not the status quo.

Expectations are too high and accountability will be at the forefront of the voters.

First on the agenda - stop the spending. There is no reason spending has to be increased over the prior year just because the prior year's budget was used up. In a lot of cases, the budgets are used up so they don't lose the money going forward. If they have to find ways to use the money at the end of the year, guess what....they don't need all of the money they already have in their budget, let alone an increase.

Not only should spending increases be stopped, spending should be cut. Across the board cuts. It's not an easy decision, and I don't envy our new Congressman for having to make them. The bottom line is that we don't have choices in our homes when revenue slows down, we must cut our own spending.

We EXPECT Congress to act responsibly and do the same. We do not expect anything less than what we must do in our own homes. In fact, we expect them to do it in the "People's House".

Next up on the agenda - Obamacare. Defund, repeal, and replace are all musts. Taking a step back and looking at the make up of Washington D.C., we see a Republican House, a Democratic Senate and a Democratic Executive Branch.

Reality would say that the President will veto any repeal of his signature legislation, Obamacare. Unfortunately this is probably accurate, so we must continue to pressure ALL Congressmen and Senators to defund this slap in the face to the American people.

Only by defunding it can we hit the pause button. We will not be able to rewind this tragic bill unless we make changes in 2012. But those changes MUST start now. The Republicans in Congress must understand that they were the lesser of two evils in November's elections, not the choice many would make if given a more viable option.

Next on the agenda must be tax cuts. Holding the tax rates stable from 2001 and 2003 tax changes is not sufficient. A 2 year temporary hold on the tax rates only provides stability for Congress and Washington, D.C.

2 years is not a long-term solution to the joblessness, the economic rebound, or growth and entrepreneurship in the coming years. Anytime someone starts a business, there is budgeting and forecasting for the short-term, 1-5 years, and the long-term, 5-10 years or longer.

How can anyone budget and forecast anything when rates are unstable? Not only individual tax rates, but corporate tax rates. People are taxed at the corporate level, then taxed at the individual level, then taxed again on their discretionary income through sales tax, use tax, etc.

Finally, people are taxed again when they die. They are taxed again on all of the things they have already been taxed on TWICE while they were living.

Is taxing more stimulative? It only serves to fill the pockets of the out 0f touch politicians in Washington D.C. and in Springfield.

We, as the citizens of the 8th District, MUST pay attention to what the politicians are doing. We MUST hold them accountable, and we MUST be VOCAL. This is the only way they will know we are watching them. It is the only way to remind them that they work for us, not that we work to pay their salaries.

2011 promises to be an interesting year. We must not yield, we must not let up, and we must keep going.

If we don't, who will be to blame?

We, The People will be.