Common Sense from Senator Coburn

Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. has an editorial in the Washington Examiner today stating the Massachusetts election was "not a referendum on President Obama, health care, or any single issue per se, but on the size and scope of government." The Senate is going to vote soon to raise the limit on U.S. debt by $1.9 Trillion. He is offering an amendment to the bill "to give my colleagues a chance to change their behavior by forcing the Senate to choose between raising the debt limit and cutting spending. The logic of the choice is simple: Millions of families in America have to make hard choices. So should Congress." What a contrast to others who say Americans are hurting in this recession, so the government should pull out all the stops, spend more, and worry about it later.

Coburn wants to eliminate duplicate government programs: The government has "105 federal programs to encourage students to enter the fields of math and science. Thirteen different federal agencies spend more $3 billion each year to fund these programs...why not have one outstanding program instead of 105 overlapping and mediocre programs?"

Some Senators are proposing a commission to investigate how to reduce the federal debt, but Coburn says "we already have a commission to set budget priorities. It’s called the United States Congress. If Congress lacks the political will to set priorities, we don’t need a new commission, we need a new Congress." (emphasis mine) In Coburn's eyes, creating a commission is just another way to duck responsibility.

I wish Coburn luck with his amendment, but I suspect Congress wants to keep all the duplicate programs. There is more to take credit for that way.