catallaxy.net

Who can forget thirteen years ago when Newt Gingrich, Dick Armey and other fellow Republicans heralded a “revolution” that would bring about a much needed fiscal conservatism. During the Clinton years, there was no longer a federal deficit, but rather a federal surplus.

Since George W. Bush entered office these federal surpluses have turned into enormous deficits. Bush has spared the veto pen when Congress passed huge entitlement bills such as the Farm Bill and Medicare Part D. Bills that liberal Democrats such as Lyndon B. Johnson would heartily approve of if they were still around today.

Now, today, comes this scary news:

With the U.S. government fast approaching its current $8.965 trillion credit limit, the Senate on Thursday gave final congressional approval of an $850 billion increase in U.S. borrowing authority.

The Senate voted 53-42 to raise the debt ceiling to $9.815 trillion, the fifth increase in the U.S. credit limit since President George W. Bush took office in January 2001. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the higher debt limit earlier this year as part of the overall budget resolution and the legislation now goes to Bush for his signature.

“We have no choice but to approve it. If we fail to raise the debt ceiling soon, the U.S. Treasury will default for the first time in its history,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus.

“Plainly, especially in this credit crisis, we cannot let that happen,” the Montana Democrat added.

The U.S. Treasury Department has been pressing Congress to pass the debt increase quickly. Last week Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the government would hit its current $8.965 trillion debt limit on Oct. 1.

Somebody’s (the taxpayers) going to have to pay for all of this the sometime. And it ain’t going to be pretty.

The Club for Growth is calling on KY Sen. Mitch McConnell to stop his big spending ways. Mitch ain’t the fiscal conservative he’d like Kentuckians to believe he is.

 

Washington – When it comes to spending bills in the Senate, Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is looking more and more like his counterpart across the aisle, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

The Senate has voted on four appropriations bill so far, three of which President Bush has threatened to veto for exceeding spending limits, but Senator McConnell has voted for all of them without so much of a peep or whimper. He has also voted against every anti-pork amendment offered so far, including an amendment offered by Senator Coburn to eliminate funding for a Montana baseball field and North Dakota Peace Garden (Roll Call #335).

In contrast to the House, where Republican leadership has rallied the necessary votes to sustain a presidential veto on spending and is fighting for stronger earmark reform, the Republicans in the Senate, with a few exceptions like Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK), Jim DeMint (R-SC), and others, are marching in lockstep with the Democrats, rubber stamping one bloated spending bill after another.

“If Republicans want to convince taxpayers that they are fiscally responsible, they are going to have to start backing up their words with some votes,” said Club for Growth President Pat Toomey. “We urge President Bush to veto those bills that exceed his spending limits and encourage Republicans in both the House and the Senate to sustain the President’s vetoes. Finally, it would be nice to see Republican leadership acting like, well, like leaders.”

There are some in Frankfort pushing for an investigation of the head of the Legislative Research Commission. Mark Hebert talks about it:

Legislative Research Commission Director Bobby Sherman manages nearly 400 state employees. Now he’ll be looked at more closely. Sherman will be the subject of a workplace investigation, an investigation prompted by an anonymous letter and a push from female state House members.

“I am pleased to say that it looks like we’ll be moving forward and getting to the bottom of whatever it is, or if not, we’ll be able to determine if there is nothing,” says State Representative Kathy Stein (D-Lexington). “But I think there is something.”

The anonymous letter complained that Sherman’s relationship with an LRC employee had produced a harassing, hostile and biased workplace environment. That letter was sent to legislative leaders February 28.

There are good reasons to investigate activities in LRC. This is the weakest I’ve read.

I agree.