Human Events reported yesterday on the latest financial slieght of hand done by the House of Representatives Democrats on Thursday night.
According to the article:
"Last night, as part of a procedural vote on the emergency war supplemental bill, House Democrats attached a document that "deemed as passed" a non-existent $1.12 trillion budget. The execution of the "deeming" document allows Democrats to start spending money for Fiscal Year 2011 without the pesky constraints of a budget.
"The procedural vote passed 215-210 with no Republicans voting in favor and 38 Democrats crossing the aisle to vote against deeming the faux budget resolution passed."
This is ridiculous. The Democrats didn't have the courage to actually pass a budget before the election in November, so they played political games.
The House Republican Budget staff pointed out:
- This is not a budget. The measure fails to meet the most basic, commonly understood objectives of any budget. It does not set congressional priorities; it does not align overall spending, tax, deficit, and debt levels; and it does nothing to address the runaway spending of Federal entitlement programs.
- It is not a 'congressional budget resolution.' The measure does not satisfy even the most basic criteria of a budget resolution as set forth in the Congressional Budget Act.
- It creates a deception of spending 'restraint.' While claiming restraint in discretionary spending, the resolution increases non-emergency spending by $30 billion over 2010, and includes a number of gimmicks that give a green light to higher spending.
- It continues relying on the flawed and over-sold pay-as-you-go [pay-go] procedure. Pay-go - which Democrats have used mainly to raise taxes, and have ignored when it was inconvenient - does nothing to reduce deficits or restrain spending growth in existing law.
- Outsourcing fiscal responsibilities. The measure is another hand-off by the Democratic Majority of Congress's power of the purse - this time relying on the Fiscal Commission created by the President to do Congress's job.
Unless you want to see this sort of foolishness continue (as your children and grandchildren are driven deepen into debt by the government), vote anyone who supported this "deemed as passed" budget trick out of office in November.
When the police officer stops you for running a red light, say "I deemed 30 mph as slow enough to be stopped therefore I am in congressional compliance with the law! End of discussion." (I hope.)