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Nov. 28, 2004 Almost immediately following the re-election of President George W. Bush, Congress acted to heighten the debt ceiling. This act is a frightening reminder of 2002 and 2003, when the United States hit the previous debt ceilings because of heavy overall spending by the Congress. Democrats, still limping from their defeats across the board in the 2004 Election, committed a heavy sin by allowing the Republicans a free pass to do as they plase. The latest increase in the debt ceiling – some $800 billion – has set off the alarm within the Democratic Party, as House and Senate Democrats band together to criticize the President’s increase in spending. This alarm is overdue, and has remained nearly wholly silent for four years as Democrats have focused their attacks on the War in Iraq. The ill-preparedness of the Democrats to counter the fiscal irresponsibility of President Bush and the Republican Party has cost us dearly. Democrats must inform the American people that Republicans are not the “fiscal conservatives” they claim to be. Since Republicans won the White House in 2000, the debt ceiling has seen over $2 trillion in increases – over half coming in 2003 and 2004. Democrats must appeal to the sense of Americans and let them know directly that the policies put in place by the Republican Party over the past four years have been anything but conservative and responsible. To be successful, Democrats must not point out simply that George W. Bush is not a fiscal conservative, but must act on the fact that the Republican majorities in both houses of Congress authorized the bills that were ultimately signed by President Bush. Democrats must make the case directly to the American people that Republicans throughout the government have been preaching one thing and doing another. The idea that Democrats are labeled as fiscally irresponsible is a fact that must be fought at every level before, during and after the 2006 Midterm Elections. If we can expand our majorities on the economy issue, as well as focus voters on the fact that saying one thing and doing another is not moral, the end result could be a hit for the Republican Party on both an economic and ethical standpoint. In this sense, Democrats must move back to being fiscal hawks, and must admit the unwelcome chance of possible cuts in programs in order to balance the budget. However, Democrats must also work to find ways to balance the budget – or at least cut the ballooning deficit – without tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans or a general tax increase. It sounds like a tall order – and it is – but it is a tall order that can be filled if we focus more on building the policies of our own party than on bashing President Bush. By dispelling the falsity that Republicans are “fiscal conservatives,” and nominating a Democrat who has voted against omnibus spending increases and increases in the debt ceiling, we deny the Republicans increased support for their economic policies. If by increasing our speaking about economic policies and pointing out the errors of the Republican Party in forming coherent, sound economic policy, we can increase our majority on the issue by several points, that would be considered a profound success. In our focus on taking the Republican majority on social issues back, we must not neglect to consolidate those areas where we are in the majority. The deficit and national debt are not the only issues we must touch on to expand our majorities; we must also work on informing the people of the Republican Party’s irresponsibility on the subject of tax cuts. ------------ About the author: Max Burns is a 17-year-old Democrat with moderate, centrist ideals. He blames John Kerry's 2004 loss on John Kerry, and is authoring a pamphlet on how to refine the Democratic Party for Victory in 2008 and beyond. For more information, check out The New Democrat. Read the fantasy-fiction novel "Alcardia". Email: DeMBurns@gmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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