(Editor's note: the following is a letter to the editor from Rep. Rob Woodall.)
Our 2012 deficit is $1.1 trillion. While the federal government took in just as much tax revenue ($2.4 trillion) this year as it did in 2006, the annual deficit has grown 340%.
Why?
Higher spending.
Notwithstanding what is being reported in the popular press, I can tell you with certainty that Washington doesn't have a revenue problem—it has a spending problem!
This Administration's higher spending has made it the first in history to run an annual deficit exceeding one trillion dollars. This Administration has continued this same record deficit spending for the past four years now.
To us, seeing such a dramatic increase in deficits while revenue remains steady is a sure sign that we need to curb our spending habits, but the President looks at the same facts and is demanding both more spending and higher taxes as a part of the "fiscal cliff" negotiation. That vivid divide between his understanding and that of Georgia citizens is why negotiations seem to be at a standstill.
Contrary to what is frequently reported, this fiscal cliff deal is not a tax issue—it's a spending issue. I want to reiterate that I will not consider any deal that does not begin to solve Washington's overspending. Eliminating deficits and debt are my top priorities, and I challenge the President to pair his proposed tax hikes (however misguided I believe they are) with substantial spending cuts so large and irresistible that you and I are compelled to vote "yes" for the entire package.
In a speech this week on the House Floor, I challenged the President to provide this bold leadership. You can watch the speech by clicking here. For the sake of ending the debts that we are passing on to our children and our grandchildren, I hope that he takes me up on it.
Many of you have taken part in my Telephone Town Hall series about the fiscal cliff. If you haven't or if you would like another update, know that my next Telephone Town Hall Meeting is this Saturday, December 15, at 9:30AM. Click here for details about how to call-in.
Thank you for all that you do. I look forward to hearing from you at Saturday's Telephone Town Hall Meeting, and hopefully I will have some encouraging news to share.
See also:
- Rep. Rob Woodall: "I Will Not be Complicit in Kicking the Can Down the Road"
- Woodall: Future Depends on '12 Elections
If this is even close to accurate, it is appalling. I know this taxpayer is fed up with the almost 50% of all households that take more than they contribute. Where is the courage to stand up to this madness?