Is Washington D.C. Doomed to Repeat Sacramento’s Mistakes?
Rep. George Radanovich
Over the years, Californian’s have gained a unique perspective on the consequences of bloated government, burdensome regulations and sky-high taxes. While there are some who believe that continuing these same methods of dysfunctional government and irresponsible fiscal policies is the answer to California’s problems, I am reminded of an old saying: “When you
find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”
Our state is now faced with near insurmountable deficits as we look to the federal government for more bailout money. Entrepreneurs and businesses are leaving the state in droves as we increase taxes that make it near impossible to run a successful business. Worse, draconian environmental regulations are dramatically restricting water flows from the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta that have cost the Valley 40,000 jobs and almost $2 billion of income.
Despite the hole that California finds itself in, our federal government is repeating California’s mistakes with the same, economically crippling results. The federal budget for fiscal year 2010 is $3.5 trillion, which will increase our national debt to $11.5 trillion by 2014. President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus bill has not saved or created the jobs
that it promised—in fact we have lost 3 million jobs since the beginning of the year. On top of that, Congress is on the verge of passing an $800 billion national energy tax and a $1.2 trillion government takeover of the healthcare industry that will place extraordinary mandates on small businesses and the middle class.
Congress needs to stop digging and start filling in the fiscal hole that we are in—big government, higher taxes, and excessive debt didn’t work for California and it’s the wrong way for Washington to address our nation’s economic recovery.