Time to tackle Washington's spending addiction

So much for fiscal responsibility. The last Congress raised taxes to avoid falling off the fiscal cliff because they failed to come together on belt-tightening measures to avoid automatic tax increases and spending cuts agreed to in 2011.

Congress’ decision cost taxpayers about $4 trillion and put off scheduled spending reforms for at least several months.

Although the late-night House and Senate votes prevented higher taxes for some, it raised already high tax rates on higher-income earners, let payroll taxes rise, and increased federal spending by $330 billion. The tax hike will be borne mostly by the small businesses that create the jobs we need to fuel an economic resurgence. Taxes went up, spending went up, and $110 billion in automatic spending cuts were postponed.

One would hope that everyone’s attention now turns to our biggest fiscal problem, the out-of-control spending, explosive growth of entitlements, and interest on the more than $16 trillion national debt that is pushing us up against the debt ceiling.

Instead, President Obama is calling for more tax hikes, more spending and more borrowing in return for any future spending cuts. That is not a prescription for growing the economy.

The president won the battle on tax hikes last year, but he must not get his way on spending this year. Hoosiers know that we cannot tax our way out of a recession or spend our way out of debt.

We do it better in Indiana. As a member of Indiana’s General Assembly, I helped Gov. Daniels balance Indiana’s budget for the first time in eight years, turning a $600 million deficit into a $300 million surplus in just one year —without a tax increase.

There was no silver bullet. Our state’s leaders simply followed a principle most families already understand —don’t spend money you don’t have.

It wasn’t always easy, but eight years later, we have fewer state government employees than at any time since the early 1970s, yet our state is providing better services in leaner ways throughout government.

It is time for the same approach in Washington. We have a moral obligation to live within our means and dig our way out of debt. It won’t be easy, and it will require some tough choices. But our children and grandchildren will be paying for our free-spending ways if we don’t.

A good start would be to demand that, at a minimum, any increase in the debt limit be matched dollar-for-dollar by spending reductions and include other spending reforms. The president got his tax increases. Now it is time for this Congress to tackle Washington’s spending addiction.

Luke Messer is a Republican representing the Sixth District in the U.S. House of Representatives.