GOP: Gov't spending "dragging our economy down"

Rep. James Lankford, R-Okla., delivering the Republican party's weekly address, seized the opportunity to bash Democrats for fiscal imprudence.

"In the book of Proverbs it says a wise man leaves an inheritance for his children's children; unfortunately Washington is consuming our children's inheritance," Lankford said. "Americans get it: Washington overspending is now dragging our economy down rather than lifting our families up."

Lankford cited President Obama's tardy submittal of his budget to Congress in four of the last five years - and the Democratically-controlled Senate's inability to even pass a budget for almost four years - as evidence of poor financial stewardship.

However, "With the swearing in of a new Congress and the inauguration of President Obama," Lankford said, "this is an opportunity for a fresh start."

• Poll: Americans want compromise over debt ceiling
• House GOP to seek three-month debt limit hike

"But because government debt really does affect all of us," Lankford vowed, "Republicans will not simply provide a blank check for uncontrolled spending, irrational borrowing, and constant nickel and dime tax increases."

[Gregory_Clifford]

Republicans might look to the pie chart of our national debt and see that we owe much of it to ourselves. The largest foreign holder is naturally, China, because that's were we buy our stuff daily. The debt and deficit are clearly caused by this trade debacle "policy" that excludes their share of taxation and doubles-up on our own workers and producers to cover for it.

That sort of "proud American" arrogance that demands that it can't hurt us, is ridiculous, and must, and can be corrected. But the idea that we can lower government, worker, and household spending and consumption to fix it is silly. No way! If we did that, there would be no profit in sending us products, and we don't have the experienced workforce, the machinery, nor the investment to do it ourselves. Without our consumer economy running as it is now or better, we'd have nothing at all, and we'd be powerless to protect ourselves.

Guns in households won't protect America, even from ourselves. A strong and vital economy with everyone sharing in that "dream" and working for it, will! Congress, get on the stick and do it now. Take that trillion dollar coin and pay it off, you'll be paying America first! Since most dollars are held outside the U.S., you'll be paying the citizens best!

[tsigili]

Dragging? Hardly an adequate word for the fiscal mess we are in, with a spendthrift in the WH.

[WhereisOT]

"In the book of Proverbs it says a wise man leaves an inheritance for his children's children; unfortunately Washington is consuming our children's inheritance,"

"inheritance"?
You talking about clean air to breath, clean water to drink...A Planet thats liveable.....Better Education, better chances for Education...
Better paying Jobs..Better Public Servants who represent ALL People... Color of skin doesn't matter...A land in which Women make their own health care decisions...A Common Humanity...Nope that makes too much sense...

Again, the hell is wrong with whatever these things are...
Wheres the mouthy nutjob hate/fear monger rand paul at...
Hows the People of Kentucky doing with the epidemic of Prescription drug abuse..."Give" them more guns...that will help...

Disposable Life in America..."rights" over all while in the womb...
Come birth...Get some learning, maybe...grow up, get a job for non livable wages...Be bleed dry by "employers", be lied to by control freaks, "live" in fear of EVERYTHING propaganda brought to you by certain trash "media" and then "retire" days before you die...having to fight what IS the republican animal for everything from birth till death...

[stamicrach]

Lankford has apparently been hibernating in a remote cave for the last four years.!

Apparently, Boehner rattled his cage and wake him up long enough to make this statement.

Reid and Boehner have only to look in a mirror (along with all the other members of Congress) to see who is responsible for the failure to pass a budget bill in the last four years.

Looks like we are going to have four more years of bickering and the pot calling the kettle black.

SAD! SAD! SAD!

[tvwatcher5345]

lankford and the republicans should read the first half of psalm 52 (google it)

[cubscout09]

James Lankford is just another tentacle of the Kochtopus.

[TheDocD]

It is a fresh star, maybe now we can change the Senate rules so the Repuklicons can stop filibustering everything then say the Democratic Senate isn't doing anything (because the Repuklicons keep blocking everything).

They stop it then blame the Democrats. END THE FILIBUSTER NOW.

[TheDocD]

I guess the RepukliCONs forget that the majority of the debt was from THIER SPENDING ON TWO UNPAID FOR WARS.

Lets start the reducing with REDUCING CONGRESSES PAY BACK TO 1970 RATES. And if they don't work THEY DON'T GET PAID. They should also be working a minimum of 48 WEEKS A YEAR.

[nearl451]

Are there people so ingorant of how the economy works that they do not understand that spending represents a type of demand and actually drives the economy?

We need to cut spending and increase revenue for a completely different long term reason: Long term fiscal soundness.

The reason why people ran away from the sequester was because they were afraid that a mere $100B cut in spending per annum would hurt the economy.
It would not have had that much impact as the private economy is stable, but that was the reasoning.

[bantamei]

It is republican economic policies that drag the economy down. Republicans are poision for the economy.