President Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform announced Tuesday that it would hold its first meeting on April 27th. The purpose of the commission is to address our nation’s near- and long-term budget crisis, which has now reached near epic proportions.
The Congressional Budget Office recently revealed that interest on the national debt will become the single largest line item in the U.S. annual budget within 12 years. This was before Congress passed the new entitlement program that will add billions more to our debt in the near-term. It also assumes low interest rates, which most experts believe is improbable.
To put this in perspective, the best-case scenario is that in 12 years, and realistically in fewer years, interest payments on the debt will exceed expenditures for all other single purposes including national defense, Social Security, and Medicare. How could this happen? Because we have continually elected professional politicians who are more interested in cutting deals to get reelected than in implementing meaningful budget reform.
The creation of President Obama’s fiscal commission is a perfect example. Senate Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi refused to establish a Congressional commission that would develop recommendations to present in a straight up or down vote before Congress. President Obama declined to use his political capital to push this legislation through, instead focusing his attention on worsening our country’s financial condition by creating a new entitlement program for 32 million people.
President Obama’s commission will develop a plan and present it to Congress later this year – in time for the President to stand before the American people to proclaim he cares about this issue. If only he were serious. If only he had used his position to reduce the deficit instead of making it worse.
I have served in the military, held a top secret security clearance, and engaged in critical missions. Our nation is in desperate need of leaders who will devote their lives to addressing the monumental issues that face us. You have my duty-sworn pledge to attack the political pandering that has led to our great country being on the brink of self destruction. You have my word that I will stand up to the professional politicians in both parties who put self interest before the people’s interest. We as citizens must take back our country by force at the election box, and you have my word that I will carry through with the mission until the job is complete.