Date: 2007-01-16
Speaker: LINCOLN DAVIS (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Tennessee

When we talk about different coalitions. obviously there are many in this particular Congress. probably some several hundred different caucuses that deal with health care. deal with many different issues. But the one caucus in this House that deals with fiscal responsibility and a strong national defense basically is the Blue Dog Coalition. And when the Blue Dogs were established. here is basically what they said: We are dedicated to the financial stability and national security of the country. notwithstanding partisan political positions and personal fortunes and do hereby agree to organize a Coalition to serve the interests of our country. That government has an important and constructive role to play in defining an equal opportunity society built upon principles of individual rights and freedom and dedicated to creating conditions that serve the general welfare and prosperity of the people. That the people have entrusted the representatives of our country to transcend politics. personal careers and fortunes in order to pursue the common good. That a government too large and intrusive stands in the way of an opportunity society. That government must live within its allotted resources. That the burden of the American taxpayer should be reduced whenever possible. That government agencies are created to serve rather than to restrict. regulate. and punish the American people. That government should encourage work over idleness. personal independence over government dependence. and a free market which is not controlled. dominated. and excessively regulated by the government. That the American Tax Code should be simply structured and designed to create incentives for income earning. saving. and investments in jobs and in expanding opportunities. That personal responsibility is essential to the preservation of freedom and that government must strictly hold accountable those who are victims of criminal and irresponsible behavior. That government should be -a force that affirms traditional American values and stands against the forces that threaten them. That government should always be aware that it is a creature of the American public. that it answers to the public for its failures and successes and should never be so arrogant as to use its powers to diminish personal rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution. Sounds pretty ambitious. doesnt it? But in fact we hear those who serve in this House Chamber. We hear those of different party persuasions talk about these particular ideas and how they have enacted those. Lets talk about fiscal responsibility. I went back and did a little research. In the early 1990s. government was taking about 22.1 percent of gross domestic product in 1992 of the American workers paycheck. of business paycheck. That is 22 percentplus. For the next 8 years under the Clinton administration. we saw government reduce itself. or be reduced not by itself. let me porrect that quickly. I have never seen government reduce itself. but we saw those in government. Democrats and Republicans. working together to reduce the spending in government. to 18.5 percent of gross domestic product as of the 2001 budget area. in that 8year period of time. It has now climbed back up to where it is 20.8 percent. and that is gross domestic product. There has been more increase in spending in the last 6 years in the budgets of the United States than in any time in history other than the Great Society years of the Johnson administration. The principles I just read are ashamed of that. and those of us who serve here who are Blue Dogs are ashamed to say that the code that we have established for those of us who serve as Members of Congress of the Blue Dog Coalition are ashamed of what has happened in the last 5 to 6 years. Deficits have skyrocketed.- We have gone from $5.8 trillion in national debt to where it is a little over $8 trillion of national debt. A lot of that has .been because the 12 principles that we have and hopefully will be putting in place in this U.S. Congress in the next 2 years. had they been implemented and been in place. we would not have seen this outlandish spending. nor would we have seen the American taxpayer be obligated to the debt they have. My chief of staff just had a newborn baby who he says cries a lot. I said. Beecher. have you explained to him. ittle Willis. that he just inherited $29.035? That debt is going to be his to pay.