Even after a month having passed, we still have a very bitter taste in our mouths over the Federal budget for the current fiscal year. But that’s what disappointments usually do, they leave bitter after-tastes. The main reason for this condition is the total despair over what to make of the current Congress. It could be easily summed up as “Business as usual” after having witnessed and just analyzed the drama of the budget battle that took place in Washington D.C.
Let’s recall: After the Democrats who had been in total control of Congress for the past several years had not even tried to pass a budget for the 2010/2011 fiscal year, the Republicans had campaigned last year on the promise to voters to cutting at least one hundred billion dollars out of the budget if they were to be elected as a majority. The voters bought their campaign promises, trusted them and voted the Republicans into a majority in the House of Representatives while they increased the number of Republicans in the Senate, balancing that chamber to a closer 53 Democrats versus 47 Republican. In essence, a smaller majority for the Democrats.
As soon as the new Congress was sworn in this past January, the Republican House leaders announced that they could not cut one hundred billion dollars out of the projected 3.7 trillion dollar budget since several months had already past. The one hundred billion number was therefore prorated downward to just 61 billion dollars based on the remaining number of weeks until the end of September.
As was to be expected, the Democrats from the President on down started to voice their strong opposition to this move by their political counterparts. They claimed that these cuts were“draconian” in its totality and would bring great harm to Americans and the liberal media happily played along and flooded the people with stories of hardships for many individuals and families who would be deeply effected by budget cuts. The proposed cuts of $61 billion represented only 1.65 percent, but for the Democrats this was Armageddon and they maligned the Republicans for even trying to do such a dastard deed.
Now let’s put this in perspective. If we assume that a family has to cut back on their financial outlays due to hardship caused by a reduction of income, the father talks to his teenage son and says: “Son, things are a little bit tough right now and I am cutting your allowance down from $100 a month to $98.35, I hope you understand!” Does anybody believe that the son would be calling this a draconian cut and that he could not get by with that reduced amount of money? Of course not. The teenager would understand and that would be the end of it. This demonstrates the total irresponsible and shameful mindset and behavior of Democrats.
Now then, in the real world, when the final budget deal was finally reached in early April, the cuts only amounted to $38 billion or roughly one percent of the total. That is a laughable small amount and yet the Republicans hailed it as a historic event and they celebrate their great achievement. It was a disgusting display of arrogance and betrayal of their campaign promises.
It is truly disappointing to witness the way these people behave and act and it is equally difficult to feel any sense of pride over the way this “budget battle” was fought and ended. There are five hundred thirty five member in Congress, if they were all asked to stand very close together and they were covered with a giant tarp; attacking this gathering with a baseball bat, one would never hit the wrong person. In other words, the American Congress is not an institution the American people can be or should be proud of.