JP’s Notebook (06/15/2013)
- 10:54pm The story about a secretly recorded conversation and the nonprofit in Aliquippa...
Automatic spending cuts, known as sequestration, take effect on March 1. These cuts, proposed by President Obama as part of his 2011 deal to increase the debt limit, are indiscriminate and fail the first step of good budgeting: prioritization.
Our national debt and chronic trillion-dollar deficits are unacceptable. They damage economic growth and threaten future prosperity. We need to control spending so that we do not run out of money for critical items such as seniors’ and veterans’ health care, infrastructure projects, and a robust military capable of deterring aggressors. This is not the way to do it.
Instead of these arbitrary, across the board cuts, which will impact selected domestic and military programs, President Obama and the Senate should work with the House to take a scalpel to spending.
The House has twice passed alternatives to the sequester, but the Senate has not voted on those solutions or any of their own.
Our federal government will spend more than 3.7 trillion dollars this year. Replacing the sequester requires finding $84 billion in smart cuts to that budget. Here are a few things we could eliminate to begin replacing the sequester:
- $2.2 billion by ending the federal government’s cell phone giveaway;
- $100 million in Environmental Protection Agency grants to foreign countries;
- $7.7 billion by implementing recommendations of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration to reduce improper payments;
- $1.8 billion by eliminating President Obama’s “renewable energy” fund;
- $10 billion by eliminating President Obama’s public health slush fund; and
- $26 billion by enforcing the eligibility standards for food stamps.
Instead of looking for ways to curtail the spending binge he started, President Obama wants a third tax hike on hardworking Americans in less than three months. No one in Washington should be talking about raising taxes when the federal government is wasting billions of hardearned taxpayer dollars.
Instead, we should prioritize the spending that is important and cut the spending that is not. Western Pennsylvanian families and businesses do that every single day and expect the federal government to do the same.
On behalf of my constituents in Western Pennsylvania, I call on President Obama to bring forward a credible plan that does not raise taxes and replaces his indiscriminate cuts by taking a scalpel to wasteful government spending.
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so cool to see Congressman Rothfus having an article on the BC! will he be writing more for here?
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Based on the comments I’m reading, it appears that Rep. Rothfuss has attempted to be a “regular guy” and has failed in the attempt. Do they have something like the BeaverCountian for rich white Teabaggers? He’d find a more receptive audience there.
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“2.2 billion by ending the federal government’s cell phone giveaway”
This is funded by a tax that is applied to people on their phone bill. Will you be doing away with the Universal Service Fund fee or will this money just go to line some rich guys pocket? My guess is the latter.
I have no problems with spending cuts however maybe instead of trying to break the backs of the poor and middle class we should start at the top. Propose a pay cut for congress. The rest of the country might be willing to give a little bit more if it didn’t appear that they were getting the shaft while the rich don’t give up anything.
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“$2.2 billion by ending the federal government’s cell phone giveaway;”
we spend how much doing WHAT?
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You’re hitting all the right buttons Keith. Foreign aid , cell phones food stamps. No mention of corporate tax loop holes , the bloated military and security state budgets. Does Center and Beaver really need a navy to protect us from Al qaeda ? How about subsidies to the oil companies and agri buisinesses? You get my drift. That’s your friends up in the heights who would be getting cut not to mention your ideological soul mate Vogel with his dairy subsidy. But you know how to play the BC yahoos, you’ve got them hooked. Just put out the code words and when all else fails pull out the old stand by .Gays , guns and abortion.
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Bloated military? Do you realize that our men and women…, from this area,….were shipped out to war in a greyhound bus to Norfolk before hopping to the Middle East. Our military is desimatted….. Hussain Obama is killing our military…We are neck deep in in Iran, North K, and Afgan and he’s going to cut our military….. I’m sick of party politics…that’s all this is…
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Please!!!!! We’re spending almost twice as much as we were 10 yrs ago .Higher levels than during the cold war. More than the rest of the world combined. The largest Airforce in the world is the US Airforce. The next largest is the US Navy. Need I go further with this?The threats against this country are a result of foreign policy blow backs. Stop f*****g with Muslims and they’ll go back to killing each other. But we won’t because of special interests. APAC, military industrial complex and other economic interests . Greyhound bus ? So what. They are fighting for some one else to make a buck, Gryehound is one of them . It’s their choice. Put a draft on and see how long these wars go on. Either you’re a true believing sap or you’re making alot of doe off of it. Whatever I don’t care my children won’t be going for none of that BS and I don’t want to pay for it.
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I agree with you Jackson – 100%.
Keith did it again .. voted NO on the Violence Against Women Act.
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Yeah,Bloated….What are we fighting for anyway? Terra? girl scout cookies? End these stupid, useless,expensive wars.
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“Instead of looking for ways to curtail the spending binge he started, President Obama wants a third tax hike on hardworking Americans in less than three months. ”
You know he isn’t asking for that. He’s asking to close some loop holes benifiting only the very rich.
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“On behalf of my constituents in Western Pennsylvania, I call on President Obama to bring forward a credible plan that does not raise taxes and replaces his indiscriminate cuts by taking a scalpel to wasteful government spending.”
You mean on behalf of your very well off donors. Call all you want, you also know Obama agrees with most of the economists that we can’t just cut our way out of this and won’t just put this on the backs of the middle class on down.
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This is my first ever post. One doesn’t need to read between the lines to see where you stand. God help us if a disaster resembling Sandy happens here. Shame on you.
In your list of “things” to eliminate I don’t see any mention of cutting corporate welfare, bloated congressional salaries and benefits and other “privileged” items.
I did NOT vote for you the first time and I will NOT vote for you.. ever.
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You were elected to represent all people looks like you are also a one term Congressman you were not elected by republicans you were elected by democrats that thought you would represent there is still time
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throw this man out of office asap..
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YES THROW THE MAN OUT OF OFFICE! HE WANTS TO STOP WASTING TAXDOLLARS ON STUPID SHIT WE CAN’T ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN!!!!!!!! IF WE STOP SPENDING MONEY ON STUPID SHIT WE MIGHT HAVE TO LIMIT THE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT! OH NO!!!!!!
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Bite me,Rothfus,You rich,squinty-eyed corporate ass kissing dork
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Very eloquent. He may be a dork, but your rant makes you what??
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A ranter…..All the Best.
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Keith if you’re really sincere about health care for the elderly why don’t you intoduce a bill to fully fund Friendship Ridge. That would sure top Vogel’s bake sale deal. My guess is you’re just blowing smoke .
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Jackson,
It is not up to Keith to use federal funds to support a Beaver County elderly benefit. You see it is not up to the federal government to stick it’s nose into everyones local business. We should make sure our Beaver County commissioners do the right thing.
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Over 80% of the residents at FR are on medicaid a federal program. The financial problems there are a result of cuts coming from the federal government. It is most certainly a responsibilty of his to see that it is funded. He did say we need to fund critical needs like senior’s health care. Didn’t he? Must just be a little BS to soften his image. Right?
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Rep Rothfus, The sequester was supposed to be so harmful that the President and Congress would be compelled to act and come up with a agreement before it kicked in. Because of a lack of leadership in both parties that is not going to happen. Hopefully the voters, God willing, are going to remember this and vote all of you out of office.
Also, Dod spending increased from $380B in 2003 to $672B in 2013. Does the military really require $672B a year to operate? I didn’t see anywhere on your list even one proposal to cut any of their spending. Why are they not being asked by the GOP to share in the savings?
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You ran for office touting yourself as a “regular guy”. People mistakenly voted for you because the other guy was from Johnstown and you were more local. A “regular guy” doesn’t vote against relief for storm victims and against violence against women. A Teabagger listening to his moneyed backers votes like that. Just keep voting the way money tells you, and you’ll be back in the law office in 23 months.
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Ummm last time I looked PA Is a blue state, y’all should be so happy you voted for “O” and now your complaining. Liberals…SMH
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Rothfus continues this BS line about Obama being a big spender. A look at the actual budget numbers shows a completely different story. In FY 08 discretionary spending was $1.12 T, 5 years later it is $1.26T. Hardly out-of-control and not even keeping up with inflation. Also, the biggest portion of that goes to the DoD, a sacred cow to the GOP. So were are all of the cuts going to come from? Some honesty from our Representative would be very welcomed.
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Here is an idea. Let’s first accept responsibility for government due to poor voter turnout, everyone should vote but doesn’t. In this day and age we shourl be able to make voting more accessible. Now let’s ablolish all parties, no more republican, democrat, teaparty, liberals, independents etc. Allow people to run and if they get into office and don’t do what they said during the campaigns they are automatically thrown out of office no severance pay, pension etc same as you or I for lying on their application. We the people have the power and it is time we let our voices be heard. Where else do you get a job and then decide on your wage and benefit and say screw the employer (the taxpayers) it is time to reign in government but not on the backs of the taxpayers regardless of low or high income. Government has gone from hardworkers to the elite rich club who are clueless to the concerns of everyday people and we have no one to blame but ourselves.