Being Calm and Focused with Priorities vs. Running Around Like Headless Chickens

I still remember the first time I helped my dad slaughter a chicken. I was six or seven years old. Dad told me to be sure and secure the chicken's feet. I apparently did not, for once the axe descended and the head came off, that chicken ran around the yard. Even after all these years, I still have a vivid memory of what a chicken looks like aimlessly running around without its head, blood spewing everywhere.

That is what the President and current leaders of Congress are doing. Yes, we have challenges, but we must keep our heads and use common sense to resolve those challenges. Instead, the President and Congress are running around wildly, with money gushing out everywhere as the solution to all of our problems- whether it be the economy, health care or protecting the environment. This is totally irresponsible and will ultimately lead us to financial ruin. As I have instructed new prosecutors through the years, it is imperative, especially in trial, to be calm, focus, prioritize and then deal with the issues starting with the most important one and working through to the least important one. That is the only way to effectively handle issues.

It is time for Congress to remain calm, focus and prioritize. We must focus on getting our financial house in order before tackling other issues. For example, health care reform is needed (not as currently proposed by the President and Democratic leadership), but that is premature until we reign in federal spending and taxation. As I said on May 7, what the Congress should be doing right now is:

" Establish a fiscally realistic, balanced and sustainable budget that keeps revenues and expenditures in line without needlessly raising taxes, and which eventually retires federal debt. A key part of that process requires the examination of all federal programs to determine the purpose of the program, whether that purpose is proper for the federal government to pursue and if it is producing the desired result. Until this process is completed: (1) All federal expenditures must be frozen; (2) No new taxes should be enacted and there must not be any increase in current federal taxes; and (3) Funding increases for an existing or new program must come from reduction of funds from or elimination of another program." On July 9, 2009, the Heritage Foundation issued a web memo including similar recommendations.

Congress should be primarily focused on and holding hearings on proposals that would get the budget in order, as described above. The bills we should be hearing and reading about in the daily news are ones such as Congressman Paul Ryan's "The Roadmap for America's Future" as proposed in 2008. Or, the "SOS: Stop Over-Spending Act"(s) of 2006, 2007 and 2008 as proposed by Senators Judd Gregg and Mitch McConnell and up to twenty-two other Republican senators. These type of bills are more important now than health care reform, climate caps or so called stimulus plans. The American people understand the concept that we should get our finances in order before taking on new, ambitious projects.

The American people will have greater confidence in and actually experience a long term economic recovery if the budget is brought under control. Instead, Americans now feel growing anxiety over increasing joblessness, continuing economic uncertainty and a more intrusive government in spite of "stimulus" money, government takeovers of industries and promises that things would be better by now.

It is time for the President and Congress to understand and follow this concept of getting the federal budget under control instead of running around trying to change everything in sight without having a solid financial footing in place first.