Title: Letter to the Editor - Sample 2
Original CoS Document (slug): letter-to-the-editor-sample-2-1
Login Required to view? No
Created: 2023-05-10 10:05:49
Updated: 2023-05-10 17:29:19
Published: 2023-05-10 01:00:00
Converted: 2025-04-14T20:32:38.466893984
In 2023, Congress shows no evidence of “fiscal responsibility”, that notion is old news, history. It is a joke. Congress is supposed to use “the power of the purse” to negotiate deals and promote the best interest of “We the People.” They have the power to shut down the government, if necessary, but they are not using it. Now they use the “power” of the printing press, the omnibus bill, the blank check, and the empty promise of fiscal responsibility to get re-elected. That is what Congress is all about today, getting re-elected.
Is this working? No, our current National debt is $31.4 Trillion and growing fast. In 2021 the gross domestic product of the United States was $23.3 trillion. By the way, a trillion is a million million. We pay interest on this debt but have not touched the principle in forever. Interest rates on that debt are going up. This is a recipe for disaster. The last time we paid off the national debt was 1835.
Are we addressing the issue at hand? In a word, no. Revenues received by the federal government in 2021 were $4 trillion, of which $2 trillion was from individual income taxes. The federal government spent $6.8 trillion for the fiscal year 2021. Does that number include interest on the debt? I am afraid to ask.
In other words, we are broke, and our federal government is “fiscally irresponsible.” We are feeling some pain now, especially at the pump and the grocery store, but our kids and grandkids are the ones that will be paying dearly for this irresponsible behavior.
So, what can we do about it? We can use the Constitution.
Our founders expressly gave state legislators the power to propose amendments through Article V for the purpose of reining in an out-of-control Congress.
The movement to save America has already begun. Find out about it at www.conventionofstates.com.
Scott W. Bates
West Des Moines, Iowa