Ehrlich on Washington column, June 4, 1995

с EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Week of June 4, 1995 DON’T LISTEN TO BUDGET DEMAGOGUES Last month the House of Representatives passed, and I supported, the first serious attempt by Congress to restore a sense of federal sanity to the budgetary process. The budget resolution authored by Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich (R-Ohio) balances the federal budget by 2002. It cuts wasteful spending by eliminating three cabinet departments, 13 agencies, and 284 redundant federal programs. It increases overall federal spending in a responsible manner and rescues some necessary and popular programs, such as Medicare, from imminent bankruptcy. Most importantly, the Kasich budget plan puts an end to the immoral practice of saddling our children with massive debt. A child bom this year will have to pay $ 1 87, 1 50 in taxes over the course of his lifetime just to cover his share of interest on the national debt. By the Clinton Administration’s own estimation, future generations may be facing an 84 percent tax rate unless we put an end to the runaway spending habits of the past. The numbers speak for themselves— America is in the midst of a budgetary crisis that will worsen significantly unless we act now. For the sake of our children and our nation, we need to address this situation in a responsible manner. To do otherwise is, in my view, a serious violation of the public trust. I am fortunate to serve in a Congress where a majority of members— Republicans and Democrats alike-are willing to make the tough but necessary choices. Unfortunately, old guard liberals still cling desperately to status quo politics. They are content to criticize specific aspects of the House-passed bill while failing to offer their own substantive alternatives.