Why I Wouldn’t Vote for Saxby Chambliss Many wrongs have occurred in the federal government from 2001 through 2006 while the Republicans controlled the White House and the Congress, including deception about the need to invade Iraq, warrant-less spying on citizens, illegal immigration and fiscal recklessness. Saxby Chambliss was in office from 2003 through 2006. He did nothing to try and stop these wrongs. Instead, he was complicit in them. Fiscally, Senator Chambliss now co-sponsors the Fair Tax proposal, even though the Joint Committee on Taxation and the President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform have reported that the revenue-neutral rate is roughly double the rate of the Fair Tax bill. Given his support for the recent record increases in government spending, cutting the government won’t happen. He voted in favor of passage of Medicare Modernization and Prescription Drug Act of 2003, that added Medicare Part D. In 2007, on "60 Minutes," then U.S. Comptroller General David Walker called the Medicare Part D addition "probably the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation since the 1960s." I believe that he is not ‘fiscally fit’ to be in the U.S. Senate. Every year that Saxby Chambliss has been in the House of Representatives and every year that he has been in the U.S. Senate, nondefense spending has increased. Every year that Saxby Chambliss has been in the House of Representatives and every year that he has been in the U.S. Senate, adjusted for inflation, nondefense spending has increased. In dollars, nondefense spending grew 75 percent from 1995 through 2007. In inflation-adjusted dollars, nondefense spending grew 35 percent from 1995 through 2007. See attached Press Release - October 28, 2008 (Atlanta, Georgia). Saxby Chambliss must, and he shall, as he has, serve special interests groups. For example, his campaigns have received over a million dollars to preserve and expand the farm subsidies racket. According to a 2007 article by John Frydenlund of Citizens Against Government Waste, "Large farm operations, with ten times the wealth of the average American family and average incomes averaging more than $230,000 - four times the income of the average American household - receive most of the subsidy payments." According a 2007 article by Brian Reidl of The Heritage Foundation, "... these subsidies cost the average household $216 in annual taxes in addition to $104 in higher food prices." Fortunately, many Americans are recognizing that both of the major parties have no interest in serving the people or the country. Rather, they serve the special interest groups that give them the money to attain or retain power. The
Republicans realize that, in addition to ordinary government and
defense, there are a few things that people want: Their entitlements,
subsidies, and lower taxes. The Democrats will give the entitlements and
subsidies with lower taxes on the middle class and higher taxes on the
wealthy. The Republicans will provide essentially the same government
with lower taxes on the wealthy. Their main financing tool: debt.
Federal spending grew from $1.79 Trillion in 2000 to $2.66 Trillion in
2006. That’s approximately 7 percent per year -- much higher than the
rate of inflation for this period (which averaged less than 3 percent
per year). See:
Press Release - $3.1 Trillion Budget is Outrageous (PDF). The voting record of Mr. Chambliss shows that he voted in
favor of all budgets passed while he was in office. Question: What will
the Republicans’ fiscal ways eventually do to the U.S.? Answer:
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO):
In GAO's publication titled The Nation's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook: January 2007, GAO said: "GAO's current long-term simulations continue to show ever-larger deficits resulting in a federal debt burden that ultimately spirals out of control." In short: They will destroy our economic system. It’s up to us to prevent the destruction. The Bail-Out Act recently raised the debt limit to $11.315 trillion. At a 5% interest rate (approximately the 30-year T-bill rate), $10 trillion produces $550 billion of interest expense for one year. (Some of the debt is owed to the Social Security Trust Fund, but that fund needs to be repaid in order for benefits to be paid.) There are approximately 115 million households in the United States, which means the interest expense breaks down to approximately $4,348 per household per year. The national debt clock recently added another digit to handle the 10 trillionth dollar of debt. Note that it took less than one year to add $1 trillion of debt. See attachments below.
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