The Debt Limit: I Told You so

The panic stories haven't yet begun, but they're coming. Soon you will hear the familiar shrieks from Federal Reserve officials bullying against any opposition to raising the debt limit one more time.

The media, too, will be telling you there is no other option. To stop borrowing endlessly will result in death, chaos and an end to life in America as we know it.

Worse yet, Republicans will posture about the need to cut spending, but most will go along with more borrowing — providing Barack Obama with all the funny money he needs to continue his scorched-Earth policy destroying the U.S. economy. What am I talking about?

The Treasury is now just $149 billion away from hitting the new debt ceiling set last in September. Without immediate real cuts in the budget, which are highly unlikely, that limit will be reached in January.

So here we go again.

I hate to say it, but I told you so. In fact, besides the 22 House Republicans who voted against the last hike in the debt limit, I am pretty much alone in American public life as an advocate of the "No More Red Ink" philosophy.

I hope that is about to change because there's an old adage that says, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results." It's time to stop doing the same thing over and over again. It's time for Americans to rise up in anger and demand "No More Red Ink."

What would that mean? How could it be done? It would mean that at least one house of Congress would have to say no to more borrowing. I actually thought that's why some of us elected Republicans to control the House in 2010. Most of them pledged to do just that. But they caved in to the establishment politics of Washington, which includes their own leadership.

However, they will get another shot to do the right thing very soon. I am determined to do everything I can to lobby the House Republicans to just say no. We need to make it a 2012 campaign issue. We need to get the Republican presidential candidates to weigh in. (At least two of them were among the House Republicans who voted correctly last August.)

But most of all, we need to organize and lobby the House Republicans very hard. That's why I am bringing back, for a second try, the "No More Red Ink" campaign that generated more than 1 million red letters to the House Republicans earlier this year. I believe following the abject failure of House Speaker John Boehner's compromise with Obama in August, more House Republicans will take a principled stand in opposition to endless borrowing.

What I am saying to you is not something you will hear from the TV talking head, robot-like pundits. No, borrowing is not the end of the world. It's the beginning of recovery for America. It's the beginning of fiscal responsibility and discipline. It's the beginning of a return to constitutionally limited government. And we can do it overnight — with one simple no vote by House Republicans.

I truly believe this vote is every bit as important as the one we'll all participate in next November when we choose a president. Why? Because, if you believe Obama is taking a wrecking ball to the Constitution and the economy, this is the way to pull the plug on him right now — with one vote in Congress.

And let's face it, if we're going to trust the Republican Party next November, shouldn't we expect its members to do the right thing in January? Is there really a fundamental difference between the parties? Let's find out now!

Please support the new "No More Red Ink" campaign right now. Help me spread the word far and wide.

To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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