Taxes & Spending
Taxes & Spending In the past decade, the federal government has grown at an alarming rate. With this growth has come outrageous spending. It is imperative, for the protection of individual freedom and the maintenance of our economy that we cut the size and scope of government and curb federal spending. The American people are understandably frustrated with their elected officials. They want, and I firmly believe they deserve, lower taxes, less pork barrel spending, and a transparent, ethical government. Throughout my career in Congress, I have fought tirelessly to protect hardworking American taxpayers. I am proud to have been named a “Taxpayer Hero” by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), a Congressional watchdog organization which rates members of the House and Senate on their effectiveness in controlling wasteful government spending, and a “Taxpayer’s Friend” by the National Taxpayers Union. I will continue to be an outspoken critic of earmarks. Earmarked money belongs to the taxpayers, yet politicians use earmarks to spend public funds for political gain and personal aggrandizement without the oversight provided by the regular appropriations process. As a result, waste, abuse and even fraud are much more likely to occur. It is necessary therefore, to require all requests for earmarks be made public with the name of the Member of Congress making the request, the purpose of the earmark, the name and address of the recipient, and the constitutional authority allowing the request. The National Taxpayers Union conducted a study of federal spending for the 1999 Fiscal Year. They found that had the Tenth Amendment been adhered to, the federal government would have spent $459.5 billion. Instead, the federal government spent $1.7 trillion in 1999, and that number has increased every year since. Spending is directly tied to taxes. The more the government taxes, the larger it becomes and the more it spends. Since the Sixteenth Amendment was enacted, the amendment creating federal income taxes, federal programs have grown exponentially. Washington currently has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Lowering taxes and cutting back on federal government programs is critical to protecting freedom and ensuring national prosperity. Related Documents:
Press Release
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Shadegg and Bernanke Tout Free Market for Biofuels
7.18.2008
Related Files:
Congressman Shadegg on Splash and Dash
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