Federal Debt Ceiling Showdown Imminent

The 112th Congress is now in session.

During the Election of 2010, scores of Republicans campaigned on the promise that if they restored Congress to the GOP, they would put an end to the free-spending ways of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

Now that they have taken control of the U.S. House of Representative, the economic discipline they promised is coming—just in time. The debt ceiling of the United States is being quickly approached. The current national debt limit is $14.3 TRILLION. The federal government is expected to hit that debt ceiling in the next three weeks.

Before that time, the government must DO SOMETHING! The bottom line question for Congress: Will you raise the debt ceiling?

Mr. Obama and Democrats say RAISE IT. Conservatives say HOLD IT OR LOWER IT, BASED ON CUTTING SPENDING.

Shortly, every Member of U.S. Congress will have to make this all-important decision.

That’s where you come in. AmeriPAC will be using all media outlets at its disposal to promote fiscal austerity with just a little bit of leverage. Logic tells us two things. First, even if we cut spending to the bone, the debt ceiling is going to have to be raised. Thus, our choice is limited to how do we slow the growth of our debt? The more we slow the debt growth, the longer reprieve the taxpayers have. How do you slow the growth of debt? Get rid of wasteful spending. How do we do that? First, Congress must repeal ObamaCare and eliminate that spending albatross. The GOP leadership needs to bargain with the moderates on the left. Repeal Obamacare. Cut discretionary spending to the 2008 levels. It’s called a “quid pro quo.” It’s the language of bargaining on both ends of Pennsylvania Ave. But, to make this bargaining acceptable to the Members of the House of Representatives, we need the angry voices of a quarter million taxpayers reminding Congress who votes Congressmen out of office when they get angry. Are you angry enough to fax every Member of Congress?

The re-empowered Republicans are making it clear they will DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to get the spending cuts and policy rollbacks they want.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a frequent bridge-builder with Democrats, said he would NOT vote to increase the government debt ceiling unless Congress cuts discretionary spending to 2008 levels and agrees on major cuts. The government is expected to reach the current debt limit next month.

In reference to the cuts, I agree with Senator Graham. Cuts must come first! Failure to raise the debt limit would force the U.S. Treasury to be in a very drastic situation.

There’s U.S. Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina. He wants to hold the Democrat’s feet to the fire on debt issues. And so do I!

Some members from the Tea Party often sound as if they would not vote to raise the debt ceiling under any circumstances. That could make it extremely difficult for others to back away from the brink at the last moment.

I submit to you:

1. NO raise in debt ceiling until budget busting OBAMACARE is repealed!
2. NO raise in debt ceiling unless the U.S. Congress cuts discretionary spending to 2008 levels.
3. Or best case scenario—BOTH OF THE ABOVE!

Quite frankly, I am concerned about my children and my grandchildren. They are the ones who will receive the brunt of this fiscal irresponsibility!

The bottom line: We must get our national debt under control.

The longer we wait: the harder it is for our generation.

Please urge every Member of Congress to stand up and speak out for CUTTING SPENDING!

Top White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee warned this past Sunday on ABC that a Congressional failure to raise the nation’s debt ceiling early this year would be “catastrophic.” He said: “The impact on the economy would be catastrophic. I mean, that would be a worse financial economic crisis than anything we saw in 2008.”

But Senator Jim DeMint and other conservatives are undaunted by this challenge.

The reason why the United States is in this position is because President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress have been spending the nation into OBLIVION! The destruction of America has already started. And you and I must stop this fast-moving locomotive train! Clearly, fiscal responsibility says we must have a temporary raise in he debt ceiling. Fiscal sanity says that raising the debt ceiling without major spending cuts borders not only on insanity, but national suicide.

The solution is somewhat “simple”—but hard:

• Reduce spending
• Repeal Obamacare
• Implement a salary freeze on federal employees
• Cut back on foreign aid (especially to those who hate us)
• Stop all the bailout monies
• Rescind already approved appropriations designated as a bailout and money going to those who hate us, or who have pledged to destroy us
• Release funds set aside for supposed financial regulatory reform
• Decrease funding of the United Nations

U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) asserts: “I think America expects us to fight more spending, more debt.” He goes on to suggest that “… we should resist [raising the debt ceiling]. We need to have a showdown, at this point, that we are not going to increase our debt ceiling anymore. We are going to cut things necessary to stay within the current levels—which is over $14 trillion. So this needs to be a big showdown.”

Demint has drawn a line in the sand. Many conservatives have. This is the question Congress will have to answer very soon. If they come up with the wrong answer, the consequences could be devastating for the United States. Raise the debt ceiling? Lower the debt ceiling? What is the right decision?

Politico reports: “The vote (on the debt ceiling)… is a prime example of where rhetoric might meet reality for newly elected House Republicans. Refusing to increase the country’s borrowing capability was a major theme during the 2010 election season, as conservative Republicans promoted their deficit-hawk views by vowing to oppose measures that would allow the Treasury to borrow beyond the $14.3 trillion ceiling Congress set last year.”

And, there’s the reality. Do we simply forget the political rhetoric, and simply raise the debt ceiling every year to cover each new round of earmarks? Or, do we admit that we have finally overspent the nation’s ability to pay for its own largess? That means, hard choices must be made. We need to open the pork barrel piggy banks that have drained the U.S. taxpayer, and tell the free wheelers in Washington, DC — “no more!” We need to tell Washington to return America to its pre-2008 spending levels. That’s the price for a new temporary debt ceiling. We need to tell the politicians America can’t afford a nationalized healthcare system that will cost more than 10 times more than they claim it will cost in the first ten years. Restore sanity to America’s finances—repeal Obamacare and you can have the debt ceiling temporally raised.

A very serious discussion and debate must happen NOW about the control of spending, as it relates to the debt ceiling.

Thank you, in advance, for your support.

Sincerely,

Alan Gottlieb
Chairman, AmeriPAC
www.Ameripac.org

P. S.   Time is of the essence. Be sure to help me to urge every Member of Congress:

1. NO raise in debt ceiling until OBAMACARE is repealed!
2. NO raise in debt ceiling unless the U.S. Congress cuts discretionary spending to 2008 levels.
3. Ideally, BOTH OF THE ABOVE!