It was essential that Congress avoid the highly damaging effects of going over the fiscal cliff. Inaction would have threatened to throw us back into a recession, and that was clearly unacceptable. So while I would have preferred an agreement that better addressed our historical shortfall in revenues, passing an imperfect agreement was far better than the alternative of returning to recession.
But the harsh reality is that we have delayed only for two months the damaging automatic spending cuts called sequestration. As we seek in the coming months a more comprehensive approach to avoid sequestration, one that will require both prudent spending cuts and additional revenues, it is imperative that we focus on the hundreds of billions of dollars lost to tax avoidance schemes. Closing offshore tax loopholes and ending corporate tax avoidance gimmicks will help us avoid the harmful automatic cuts to important domestic and national security priorities and make the tax system fairer.
Consumer tax credits for buying plug-in motorcycles, tax relief for algae-based fuel, film and television producers, NASCAR track owners, tuna factories in Samoa, a rum tax rebate, the list of handouts goes on and on..... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323320404578216583921471560.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop It's astounding that we continue to elect the likes of Levin and Stabenow who claim to be standing up for the middle class, while handing out our money to their corporate cronies.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/wegelin-co-pleads-guilty_n_2403572.html
Spending needs to be kept under control. If a household doesn't have enough money to get by for the month, you don't take money from the neighbors just because they have more -- you cut your spending down to essentials.
and then there's government waste.....
Article I, Section 9, of the U.S. Constitution requires that Congress pass a federal budget. Yet the U.S. Congress hasn't passed a federal budget since April 29, 2009; instead, they've opted for a Continuing Resolution year after year since then to avert a US Government shutdown. Since April 29, 2009, which the was the last time the U.S. Congress passed a federal budget, the average U.S. Congressman, senators as well as representatives, has earned roughly $522,000.00 in annual minimum salaries. Yes, that's a half-million dollars. As a DoD Civilian, I haven't done one damned thing to earn a 20% furlough-induced pay cut. And I can assure you that I have not received a half-million dollars in pay since April 29, 2009. Yet the six-figure-a-year masterminds of the federal budget universe can go to bed each night safe in the knowledge that their pay will not be negatively impacted at all. Can you sense my anger?