MFP editorial: Senate should follow House example with PAYGO

The Mankato Free Press's editorial board writes Congress not serious about budget.  The paper, long an advocate for fiscal prudent, notes the Concord Coalition's recent praises for Congress when it actually passed a budget resolution on time.

Unfortunately, the Senate will not agree to the House's pay-as-you-go, or PAYGO, rules for spending and instead continues to figuratively throw the costs on the national charge card.  The editors write:

The U.S. Senate seems to be the best example so far that sound fiscal policy is not good politics. The Senate continues to reject the pay as you go rules the House has adopted. Those rules call for offsetting new spending by reducing other spending or increasing taxes to make new policies revenue neutral so as not to increase the federal deficit . . . .

. .  .Minnesota’s representatives have a record that is somewhat short of stellar in fiscal discipline. Republican Sen. Norm Coleman has continually rejected the paygo idea. He continues to believe the economy will grow to make up the deficit.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar has endorsed paygo rules, as has Congressman Tim Walz. Rep. John Kline, the Republican who represents Le Sueur County, voted against the major paygo rules in the House, though he voted for a Republican plan that applied the paygo rules to discretionary spending and not the typical mandatory spending.

We'll have more here in a bit, but now we must go get some gardening in before the latest monsoon hits.

Comments

[MinnesotaCentral]

Area voters may like to know that Senator Norm Coleman voted against the budget agreement … as did John Kline. The Senate vote was marked by two Senators voting Present … both Republicans … both not running for re-election … in other words, they knew the budget proposal made sense but they did not want to against the Party Rulers.

Now, the fun begins. The budget is a target … the House starts it’s appropriations authorization votes this week include Veterans funding. It will be a long time as it moves through committees, but its good that the Democrats are taking the initiative unlike the Do-Nothing 109th Republican controlled Congress that just let the budget sit until the lame-duck session.

PayGo, extending the Bush Tax Policy, and the growing debt should be the top election issue. Through the first eight months of this fiscal year, the deficit has increased $168 billion more than the same period last year. About $50 billion relates to the Economic Stimulus Act (more, including my check, will be issued in the coming months). Defense outlays rose 10% (versus 7% last year), ... John Kline is on record that DOD should have no more than 4.4% increase ... HOW does John Kline think DOD should be cut?