House Keeps Spending Like There's No TomorrowHouse Democrats have voted to raise the nation's debt ceiling to $14 trillion — $2 trillion above the current level — to support a congressional spending spree that is oblivious to the nation's economic crisis. The debt hike was attached to the Defense Department appropriation, which Democrats figure Republicans must vote for — support our troops, support their spending. The action comes a week after the House of Representatives approved a $447 billion spending bill that includes 5,000 earmarks and increases government outlays 10 percent in a year when inflation is virtually undetectable. Recall that Democrats seized control of Congress in 2006 in large part by pounding Republicans for reckless spending. Since taking over, they've doubled the GOP's spending pace. Congress has done nothing to earn the public's trust. Even in a time of national crisis, lawmakers can't control themselves.
The explosion of the national debt leads to a weaker dollar and a larger obligation to China, our primary lender. If Congress can't restrain itself, it should at least be transparent. Spending bills should be stand-alone measures and not attached to essential legislation such as the defense appropriation, which is becoming quite a piece of Velcro. Congress also wants to attach to it an extension of the estate tax, set to expire in January. Taxpayers ought to be able to see on a vote-by-vote rundown who's spending their money. REPRINTED FROM THE DETROIT NEWS DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
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