WASHINGTON, D.C. —
It may be March Madness in the NCAA, but a rare burst of sanity played out this month on Capitol Hill. House Republicans passed an important funding measure well in advance of the deadline. This is not an unusual occurrence since we have done the same with previous government funding legislation, as well as multiple bills to address the fiscal cliff, sequester and a number of other contentious issues.
The twist this time is that the Democratic Senate actually took up the bill in a timely manner, made amendments and sent it back to the House for final passage. This exceptional event used to be known as “the legislative process,” and it represents a welcome change of pace from the chaotic, last-minute negotiations that have become the standard during the past two years.
Thanks to Congress doing its job, we will avoid the threat of a government shutdown when the current funding measure expires. The legislation, known as a “continuing resolution,” will fund government operations through the end of the fiscal year in September at a level that incorporates the $85 billion in spending cuts implemented by sequestration. Although there is broad consensus in Congress that the cuts should be more targeted than sequester allows, it is vital that the overall amount of reductions remains intact.
The continuing resolution includes House Republican provisions to provide the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments greater flexibility to implement the cuts in a manner that will mitigate disruptions. As the budget process continues, we will work to make additional reforms that will make the cuts smarter and less damaging to the military, while preserving the fiscal discipline they represent.
While passage of a fiscally responsible government funding measure is a step in the right direction, approval of the House Republican budget resolution represents a giant leap toward debt reduction. Each of the budgets we’ve passed since 2011 has achieved balance, but this is the first time the House has passed a plan to balance the budget in just 10 years. Furthermore, the Path to Prosperity budget reaches balance through economic growth and responsible fiscal policy.
Instead of raising taxes, we reform the complex and outdated tax system to make American businesses more competitive. We’d replace the current system that features the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world with a simpler, fairer system with just two brackets of 10 and 25 percent. Allowing American families and businesses to spend their money as they choose instead of sending it to the government would raise gross domestic product by 1 percent in 2014, according to Stanford University economists. This would mean an extra $1,500 in the budgets of American households next year and more than $4,000 in 10 years when GDP growth increases by an additional 3 percent.
By comparison, under the misguided policies of the Obama administration, GDP growth last month was a dismal 0.1 percent.
The Path to Prosperity budget is miles away from the Senate Democratic alternative, which raises taxes by more than $1 trillion and never achieves balance. The American people can now choose between a budget that taxes and borrows more to pay for bigger government, or a budget based on the principle that taxpayers should not be punished for Washington’s irresponsible spending. We’ve tried the Democratic way for four years, and the results are high unemployment, stagnant household incomes and economic growth that is anemic to nonexistent. If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results, the Path to Prosperity is the ideal cure for congressional March madness.
U.S. REP. TOM COLE, R-Moore, represents Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District.
Opinion
Economic growth, tax reform key features of House budget
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Don’t leave Oklahoma!
May is graduation season. As I have done every year as lieutenant governor, I have given multiple commencement speeches. Advice flows freely during this time and it usually runs the gamut. What to do, what not to do, how to do ‘x’, be sure not to do ‘y.’ Too often commencement speakers speak in big generalities. So general, the message is frequently lost or forgotten.
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Last-minute funding proposals not in state’s best interest
All indications point to this being the last week of this year’s legislative session. The Legislature will go home a week early. This is good news for Oklahomans as not only will there be cost savings but all Oklahomans should breathe a sigh of relief when the Legislature stops making new laws a week ahead of schedule.
As usual, the Legislature will take a number of important votes during the last week. Some will be forced due to attempts to introduce and pass far-reaching, new policies that should have been introduced much earlier in the year. -
BY THE NUMBERS: Oklahoma still needs to invest in its economy
After six months of stagnation, the Oklahoma economy finally appears to be expanding again albeit still weakly. Unfortunately, our leaders aren’t making the investments we need to give our economic prospects a boost.
Last week the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services reported that in April state General Revenue fund collections were 5.2 percent above the estimate and 14.7 percent higher than last year’s collections. Under normal circumstances, such a report would indicate that the Oklahoma economy was very strong. But this isn’t a normal circumstance, and April isn’t a normal month. -
Americans deserve the truth on Benghazi
Lately, the media has been consumed by the controversies surrounding the White House. Among these controversies is the horrific terrorist attack on the United States’ diplomatic compound in Benghazi that took place Sept. 11, 2012. As more people come forward with additional information regarding the attack on the consulate, many Americans, including myself, are still asking for the truth.
The Obama Administration and the State Department have been less than forthcoming with key information on Benghazi and recent information points toward a major cover-up. -
Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
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HEY HINK: Some people just are not cut out for command
Recent headlines cause me to remember an incident that occurred on an army base some years ago. Warning here: I’m taking some liberties with names and details, but the basic outline of events is accurate.
A certain company commander, let’s call him Captain Duntz, had command of a motor pool on a large army base in the continental U.S. -
We’ve become our own worst enemies
The past couple months have been marked by a seeming unprecedented number of man-made tragedies, as distinct from those caused by violent outbursts of the natural world, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
You don’t want to dwell too long on the negative, but we do have to take notice of horrific human events and we owe it to ourselves to respond to them in some way. We don’t always agree on those responses, however, and that usually exacerbates the problem. -
Let’s reimburse higher ed for remediation costs
The good news: Oklahoma schools are teaching phonics. The bad news: It’s in college.
Students at Tulsa Community College, for example, can take a college English course called “Spelling and Phonics,” which “helps students master basic spelling literacy, principles of phonics and decoding skills.”
This sort of higher education brings to mind former Boston University president John Silber’s quip: “Higher than what?” -
AGAINST THE GRAIN: Department of Commerce highlights Main Street successes
The 24th annual Oklahoma Main Street Awards Banquet was at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum last week. Oklahoma Department of Commerce Secretary Dave Lopez addressed the gathering, and spoke of how the Commerce Department works with Main Street organizations throughout the state that are working to improve their downtown areas. Lopez pointed out that the partnership between his department and those local organizations has brought new life to those communities and that the attendees would see some of that revitalization in a video presentation. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin also addressed the gathering, and said the Main Street program has resulted in more than $1 billion in investments in the state and more than 1 million volunteer hours in its 24 years of operation.
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OUR VIEW: Be Edmond needs your help
BMX star and local legend Mat Hoffman knows what’s it like to fall from great heights and find yourself at one of the worst low points in life. He also knows how to climb back up and tackle life’s problems head on.
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Don’t leave Oklahoma!
