Daily Kos Community,
I have a busy weekend ahead of me, so I will not be able to respond to comments until Monday. Please leave comments because your wisdom is the backbone of my campaign. Today, I would like to talk about fiscal responsibility. If you missed my introductory post, you can find it at http://www.dailykos.com/...
I believe that the government should have to live within its means just like the average hard-working people of this country. It is nonsensical after the Clinton years that we still allow Republicans to label themselves as the party of fiscal responsibility. There are several proposals that I support that will allow Democrats to contrast the point of fiscal responsibility with Republican fiscal recklessness.
First, I realize that in order to reign in the federal deficit that there must be a discussion of budget cuts. I propose the creation of a military-base-closing style commission that will evaluate wasteful government spending and examine ways to close tax loopholes. This will allow us to cut wasteful government expenditures and make sure the current tax system adequately pays for necessary government services (education, health care, etc.), while we discuss ways to reform the tax system.
Second, in order for the citizens to take us seriously as the party of fiscal responsibility, I will offer a broad-based budget reform bill. This bill will include a pay-as-you go system; require a two-thirds vote by Congress for emergency spending and tax breaks, establish a "rainy day fund" to hedge against economic downturns, and propose a congressional budget resolution.
Finally, I will push for legislation that denies bonuses and pay raises to members of Congress and political appointees if there is a deficit. There is no greater deterrent to government spending then threatening those in power with an individual pay ceiling if they cannot manage the people's money. The average American family cannot take someone else's money to pay their debts and neither should the government.