Watch out!  Just when you thought the Democrats couldn’t spend any more of our money, here they come again!

I was pleased to see President Obama shift his focus recently back to jobs and the economy. It is by far the most important issue right now.

However, I was dismayed that the administration still believes that the federal government can spend our way to prosperity. Private sector investments will create jobs - not big government spending.

I agree with the President that we need to help small businesses access credit and provide tax incentives to encourage investment and put people back to work. After all, small businesses create 70 percent of the jobs in the country.

But the last thing we need is a new government spending spree under the guise of another “stimulus and jobs” package.

Despite record federal deficits, the administration continues to announce more and more spending.  In fact the proposals being pushed in congress by the Democrat leadership add up to more than $170 billion.  Yes, I said BILLION!  And remember, that is on top of the $787 BILLION stimulus package they pushed through last year!

I’m not certain who the President and the Democrat leadership are hearing from, but as I travel across the state in Florida, I hear one clear message from voters:  Stop spending and get our deficit under control!

The President has proposed using TARP funds to help pay for another stimulus package.  Those funds were approved as an emergency loan to help prevent the collapse of our financial markets. Any left over or unspent TARP funds should be used immediately to pay down our national debt.

When the Obama administration insisted on pushing through Congress a $787 billion stimulus package, the American people were told it would create or save hundreds of thousands of jobs.  We were told that if we passed this boost to the economy right away, unemployment would not rise above 8%.  Soon after the stimulus was rushed through Congress, members of the administration made numerous public appearances, each one trumpeting jobs saved in a community or state.

 Now most Americans recognize that the stimulus package didn’t work.  I voted against the bill because I did not believe it was targeted enough toward the entities that would create and/or save jobs - small business owners.  Over 70% of all American jobs are created by this group.  Unfortunately, the administration and Democrats in Congress chose to largely ignore them with their $787 billion bailout package.  I also felt that we were spending far too much money that we don't have. 

To no surprise, as the facts and figures began to surface, the initial claims of the administration that they had in fact saved almost a million jobs proved to be unreliable. 

For example, researchers at the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity found 440 ‘phantom districts’ listed on Recovery.gov, consuming $6.4 billion and creating or saving nearly 30,000 jobs. Phantom congressional districts!  You would think that would be something that the Federal government could easily check and verify, wouldn't you?  I could list example after example of erroneous claims being made by the administration, such as Head Start of Augusta, Ga. claiming that they saved 317 jobs, when in reality they gave a one-time raise to 317 employees.  Why did they make a false claim?  Because the Administration's stimulus “help” line told them to.

If government does not have the trust of the American people, nothing it claims or tries to do will be acceptable.  Much of what is wrong in Washington can be corrected by three things:  transparency, accuracy and honesty.  Washington has a lot of work to do to fix a broken system, but those three steps would be a good start.

For too many years official Washington has been on a spending spree.  We must take steps now to restore fiscal responsibility.  An economy in trouble requires all of us, politicians in Washington, as well as every day Americans, to exercise fiscal responsibility. 

The American people have made it clear that they value fiscal responsibility in their elected officials.  Managing public money is a matter of public trust.  The American people have elected each member of Congress to safely manage their money. 

I have consistently called for a Balanced Budget Amendment.  I believe that is the first step toward restoring fiscal responsibility.  Once Congress is required by law to balance the budget, we will be able to eliminate fraud and wasteful spending. 

We must learn the important lessons of this economic crisis.  Record deficits are not the answer.  Paying $800 billion a year just to service our debt is not the answer.  Increasing government spending during these tough times is not the answer.  Restoring fiscal discipline is the answer.  By doing so we will become wise stewards of taxpayer money and at the same time we will be taking the necessary steps to protect the future of our young people.

I know that the economy continues to be the most important challenge facing us today.  Unemployment is at its highest rate in the last 26 years.  The American people are struggling to pay their bills.  But they are doing exactly that.  Every pay day they balance their budget.  They cut spending where they have to in order to do that.  How can Washington do any less?

Cross posted at Vern Buchanan

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Absolutely not, but it is time for strong leadership in Washington. We must begin to take fundamental, positive steps to reduce the deficit. We need to act responsibly, to stop the out of control spending and to work together to get the economy back on track.

As Ronald Reagan said, for too long our government has operated on the following premise: “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it.” It’s this kind of thinking that’s led to massive expansion of government into the private sector and led to our growing national debt.

To say that we can't indefinitely sustain deficit spending is an understatement. Don't let anyone tell you that increased government spending doesn't affect each American. The average American worker now has to labor 111 days just to pay for federal spending, according to Monika Ciesielska, from the Center for Fiscal Accountability. She writes that although tax freedom day actually dropped ten days this year over the previous year, the Cost of Government Day advanced nearly a month.

Personally, I think Washington needs to take a deep breath and take their hands out of taxpayers’ pockets. Because I firmly believe leadership isn’t a knack for spending taxpayer money, but instead leadership is realizing when not to spend money and when you have to, knowing how to stretch each dollar in a positive direction.

Now is the time to cut spending, look for waste and not take on new programs that we can't afford. 

Cross posted at Vern Buchanan, United States Congressman.

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For the first time in the history of our great nation, the deficit has reached $1 trillion.  Experts predict that federal spending could very well exceed revenues by almost $2 trillion by this fall. To become a fan of Vern Buchanan on Facebook click here.

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