-- Randy’s Roundup --

A Weekly Newsletter from Congressman Randy Neugebauer

September 27, 2010

Pledge to America

Last week, House Republicans released the “Pledge to America.” The Pledge was developed from the ground up, not from the top down.  After hundreds of town hall events and listening sessions across the nation, this Pledge was created from what we heard you say. The best ideas about the future of our country don’t come from Washington DC – they come directly from the American people. I saw this first-hand from your comments and concerns from my town hall meetings.

The Pledge is not a document about what Republicans would do next year. It’s about what we could be doing right now if Congress were actually listening to the people. The Pledge offers concrete solutions that can be implemented immediately to tackle the issues that are most important to the nation, including job creation, national security, health care, and reform to Congress itself.

Most importantly, the Pledge to America offers a clear blueprint to stop the binge-spending that has come to represent the current Administration. We need to stop the spending and borrowing. We could pass H.J. Res 96 this week to freeze federal spending at the 2008 level, stop spending on the new health care law and prohibit costly earmarks. However, my colleagues across the aisle are not interested. Instead, they are ready to pass a bill that continues the spending and get out of town until November.

Another critical component of the Pledge requires every piece of legislation moving through Congress to include a clause citing the specific Constitutional authority for the bill. For far too long, a lack of respect for the clear Constitutional limits and authorities has allowed Congress to create ineffective and costly programs that add to the massive deficit year after year. We must adhere to our Constitution and return some order to the way we do business in Washington.

This “Pledge to America” commits Republicans to working toward a broad conservative agenda that would make the federal government significantly smaller, Congress more accountable, and America more prosperous. I encourage you to take a look at the Pledge for yourself. You can visit http://pledge.gop.gov/ to download your own PDF version. Your ideas helped to form this document. Now, it’s up to Congress to take action.

Guardian of Small Business Award

Last week, I was honored to receive the “Guardian of Small Business” Award from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) on behalf of the people of the 19th District.  I firmly believe that small business owners have the right to own, operate and grow their businesses. The number one thing that Congress can do to support these small businesses is to prevent them from facing a massive tax hike by making the expiring tax rates permanent for every single taxpayer. Increasing taxes on anyone is completely irresponsible, especially small businesses that drive our economy. Small businesses with income over $250,000 represent 50 percent of all small business income. Raising taxes on them would only generate more uncertainty and hold back economic growth. As your representative in Congress, it is my priority to continue fighting for small businesses in West Texas and the Big Country. We have to put an end to this era of uncertainty and create an environment where small businesses can succeed.

“Question of the Week”

Would you prefer a 44 cent stamp with five-day mail service or be willing to pay more for postage with a six-day mail service?

Please visit my website to submit your answer to this week’s question.