McConnell Puts Politics Ahead of America

Carol E. Lee at The Wall Street Journal:

In one sign that top leaders worry they won’t reach a deal in time, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) unveiled a proposal that would allow President Barack Obama to raise on his own the federal borrowing limit by $2.4 trillion in three installments before the end of 2012, unless two-thirds of Congress votes to block it.

I’m pretty disappointed in McConnell. He’s been an alright conservative, but right now it seems he’s more interested in damaging Obama’s image than doing the right thing for the country. I understand the temptation to place the debt increase solely on Obama’s shoulders—after all his administration is the loudest voice promoting its increase—but as I’ve mentioned before, raising the debt limit does not solve the problem.

We are currently spending $1.78 for every $1.00 we take in¹. The Federal Government has a self-destructive addiction to spending. Since raising taxes to raise revenue is realistically not possible², and the most effective way to raise revenue (lowering taxes)³ is at odds with our president’s anti-colonial worldview, the only option that’s even viable is to cut spending. It’s a near miracle that we’re in a position to force the Federal Government to cut spending by 44% almost overnight.

Now is not the time to play politics.