Republicans on America Speaking Out Miss the Big Picture

Republicans launched a new website at the end of May called America Speaking Out. This website was meant to be a forum for common citizens to voice their opinions, submit ideas, vote, and comment on others’ ideas in order to create a better dialogue between politicians and their constituents. I think this is an excellent idea, but the implementation has been lacking in several key areas. Aside from that, I received a particularly troublesome e-mail from Congressman Kevin McCarthy regarding the America Speaking Out website, the full text of which is below:

You’re Speaking Out And We’re Listening

America Speaking Out Community:

First – thank you and congratulations for being a part of a ground-breaking project that is changing the way Washington works. In just three weeks, 300,000 Americans have visited AmericaSpeakingOut.com to submit their ideas for a new governing agenda, casting close to 350,000 votes.

Even in this early stage, it’s clear that issues of spending and debt are weighing heavy on the minds of many Americans. The top user-submitted idea in the Fiscal Accountability – Spending category comes from user darby, who says:

“I very much want to see a strong Balanced Budget Amendment…We need this desperately.”

Developing and sticking to a budget is one of the most fundamental tasks for families and small businesses alike. Unfortunately, it’s become clear that for the first time in over 30 years, Speaker Pelosi and Democratic leaders in Congress aren’t even bothering with a budget. So the runaway spending continues, increasing our debt and deficit to record levels, without any apparent end in sight.

But your ideas are being heard.

Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) has submitted a plan to cut spending on America Speaking Out. In a video on the America Speaking Out homepage, he outlines the same frustrations we’ve heard from so many of you: Washington’s fiscal failures are unacceptable. We need to know where you stand on fiscal accountability and spending. Tell us how you feel by voting on and debating this idea or submitting your own.

Vote on Rep. Ryan’s idea or submit your own now.

Keep speaking out,

Congressman Kevin McCarthy

This e-mail was laden with so many inaccuracies in such a short amount of text that I was compelled to respond. Below is my e-mail response to Congressman McCarthy:

Congressman McCathy,

I want to thank you and your party for developing a website that allows average Americans to voice their opinions and provide an open dialogue with your constituents. However, I do take exception to some of your assertions, particularly in this e-mail.

You assert that it is the Democratic Party’s fault for exorbitant spending seen in government leading to citizens’ frustration. Your comment regarding the Democratic lack of adherence to a budget insinuates that they are responsible for all of the deficit spending that has put our country into a position where we have the highest public debt level of all time. This is factually inaccurate, and I am prepared to support that statement.

During the period of 1981 to 2008, Ronald Reagan accumulated $1.26 trillion in deficits, Bush Sr $934 billion in deficits, Clinton $324 billion in deficits, and W Bush racked up $1.98 trillion. This amounts to a total of just about $4.5 trillion in deficit spending BEFORE the current administration even took office. I acknowledge that the Fiscal 2009 and 2010 budgets have only added, and significantly, to this accumulated deficit figure. But it is quite simply unfair to burden the Democratic Party today with a statement like, “Unfortunately, it’s become clear that for the first time in over 30 years, Speaker Pelosi and Democratic leaders in Congress aren’t even bothering with a budget” – when the budget numbers offered by the CBO does not support that statement at all. It appears to be another incidence of partisan rhetoric meant to incite the public in order to win House and Senate seats in the fall. For your constituents, such as myself, who are interested and educated enough to fact check your statements, the statements you made below are merely examples of reasons not to trust you or your party. Please refer to the information contained at this link for supporting facts and documentation.

I would also like to make a few other points pertaining to the technicalities of economics and US government spending, which do not support your message.

Firstly, government spending is one of four main components of our GDP. Simply cutting government spending without shifting the goods/services produced to a private entity directly reduces GDP, and therefore, our economy. It is not as simple as “spend less” – because that short-sighted notion would have us in recession territory even if all other GDP components were held equal. Not all of the citizens in this country understand how the economy works, and they are therefore not qualified to remark on how cutting government spending effects our economy. So it is great for a politician to get the crowd all fired up on spending reduction platforms, etc., but those who know understand the reality is far more complex and can lead to destructive consequences if not implemented properly.

Secondly, Defense, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid represent over 60% of the 2009 US Federal Budget. Where I am going with this point is that reducing spending in other areas is admirable, and most likely very necessary for under performing programs, however it does not address the core of the problem. Almost none of the ideas submitted in the Fiscal Accountability addressed these major budget burdening programs. They focus on small-dollar, low-impact budget items that are great for stroking the ego and making each other feel good, but do absolutely nothing of a material nature to change the status quo. Until Washington is ready to admit that Social Security, Defense spending, and Medicare and Medicaid are the true reasons for our “runaway spending”, then nothing will change. You will assuredly fool most of citizens, but not all of us. Those of us who are actually engaged, doing research, and trying to be informed about their government are well-versed in the knowledge of what levers are truly driving deficit spending.

I appreciate your time and efforts for listening to the people. I am an accounting professional who is very interested in fiscal accountability and responsibility, but I do not think that the ideas you are receiving on America Speaking Out are going to get to the root of the matter. I also do not believe that making false assertions about a rival political party is appropriate or helpful in moving our country forward to a better, more balanced, budget.

Best Regards,

Jason Morgan

I don’t want to seem ungrateful for their attempt at creating a better relationship between politicians and their constituents, but I do wish that we could move past the finger-pointing phase and get down and dirty with some real solutions.