House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy to President Obama: the old stale ideas, more of the same, is not the solution

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

"Last week, the President gave his State of the Union Address.  The only proposals offered in the State of the Union address seem to be the same old stale ideas that will only lead to more taxes and more borrowing.  The President’s claim, that none of his proposals 'should increase our deficit by a single dime,' is hardly believable.  Especially since, under this Administration, the national debt has increased by 58.6 trillion dimes.  Let’s look at the facts since the President was first inaugurated in 2009:

·         The number of long-term unemployed Americans swelled from 2.7 million Americans to 4.8 million;

·         89.5 million people are no longer in the labor force;

·         The national debt has risen from $10.6 trillion to $16.4 trillion;

·         Gas prices have skyrocketed from an average of $1.85 per gallon to $3.60 at the pump;

·         Oil production on Federal lands and waters has declined by 14% since last year;

·         27% of student loan borrowers have past due balances.

 "What our country needs is a responsible budget that addresses deficit reduction by cutting spending and strengthening the long-term outlook of our nation’s entitlement programs.  The President and the Senate should join the House in submitting a responsible budget so that Congress can pass a budget that will balance and pay down our debt. Washington has a spending problem, and our growing debt burden is threatening to crush the opportunities of future generations.

 "We must also reinvigorate our free enterprise economy.  Families in our community are facing high gas prices, small businesses are struggling with the costs of regulations and complicated rules, and individuals are working more and more hours just to pay their bills. Let’s simplify the tax code so that hardworking Americans keep more of what they earn.  Let’s have small business owners spend their time innovating and creating, not filling out unnecessary paperwork.  Let’s expand domestic energy production by focusing on producing American energy from America in an environmentally respectful way, and in the process creating new jobs for Americans that need them.

 "Mr. President, we have an opportunity to tackle the challenges that face our nation.  More of the same is not the solution.  The time is now to outline real spending cuts which will reduce the debt burden on our children and grandchildren, rein in the regulatory burdens on our local small businesses, and simplify the tax code so that our economy can grow.  Growing up on the east side of Bakersfield, I saw my dad work hard to provide for our family and he even helped me start a small business which helped me pay for college and get a quality education.  These are the opportunities I want to provide to our future generations and the time is now to make that happen.