Debt and Overspending

Our founding fathers, the visionaries that they were, knew that to establish national debt would hinder economic growth and opportunities for our nation. In fact, James Madison once said, "I go on the principle that a public debt is a public curse." A lot of folks in Washington don't seem to understand that we are spending money we just don't have.

In fiscal year 2012, the federal government spent 44% percent more money than it took in. To put that in everyday terms, for every $7 in revenue we have spent $11. The Congressional Budget office confirmed, this month, that we have exceeded a $1 trillion dollar deficit for the fourth year in a row.

This kind of spending and debt is not only reckless and irresponsible but also dangerous to economic recovery. It has some in Washington calling for increased government revenue through higher taxes on individuals and small businesses. Most anyone with common sense would you tell you that raising taxes in a bad economy is a recipe for disaster.

I have long believed that government does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. That's why I voted for a plan that would balance the budget in 10 years. This plan makes common sense spending cuts like repealing Obamacare, freezing federal spending, and most importantly, it puts our nation on a sustainable path toward paying down the debt.

I do not believe we should ask taxpayers to finance more overspending. We should do what Missouri families do in these tough economic times – do more with less.