One of my favorite parts of the pre-election season is the various pleas for cash disguised as surveys. We're supposed to expect they actually give a damn what we think when in truth if you send back the survey with a check they throw away the survey because they got what they really want, and if you send back the survey without a check they throw away the survey because they don't care about the content of your envelope if there's no check in it.

1. You had me at "removing government." Just edit it down to those two words and do it whenever possible.

1. I know I have two things marked as the number one priority but once you edit the first one down to "Removing Government" this really becomes part of that one.

1. Again if by starting over you mean removing government and allowing a truly free market in healthcare then it's really still just the same thing.

2. (they can't all be number one can they?) This would be great but you might want to refer to the earlier note regarding growing a pair and developing a spine.

1-10. This is one of the things the constitution says you are supposed to do. If you focused on this instead of all the other stuff you're not supposed to be doing that would be fine with me.

1 or 0. If by improving education you mean getting rid of  the department of education, go for it. If you mean further federal entanglement in what should be a state, local and parental issue then just don't do anything.

Again go back to the first response. Don't try to fix anything just reduce government and let real people take care of the rest.

Do you even have to ask. Securing our borders is part of that whole Keeping Our nation Secure question you asked earlier. As for the mass forgiveness of illegal activity, it's bad enough when you clowns do it for yourselves don't do it for a few million others.

What exactly are you talking about This is so vague as to be utterly meaningless. I'm kind of hoping you mean that limited government value but I suspect this is a code for the religious right and you just don't want to mention the Defense of Marriage Act and abortion because you haven't grown a pair or developed a spine.

Tell you what I think; if you did a good enough job at the whole "removing government" thing you could make congress mostly irrelevant. But I'd settle for making EVERY law you pass applicable to members of Congress.

You made a big show of reading the Constitution at the start of the legislative session. Go back and do it again because you're still not doing it right.

I don't believe massive government spending is the answer to anything with the possible exception of National Defense.

Republicans should work to remove barriers to individual liberty and individual responsibility. Work toward limiting government to its Constitutional authority and we'll take care of the rest.

NO. Republicans should reform government so that unelected federal bureaucrats are not writing major regulations. Making laws is a legislative responsibility. If it's a major regulation it should be an act of Congress. Stop abdicating Congressional authority and responsibility and do you damned jobs.

NO. The tax code should be a means for funding the necessary operations of the government it should be a tool for social and economic engineering experiments. Stop dicking around with the economy and people's lives.

See the answer above use the tax code to fund the necessary functions of the government. Then leave us alone.

Absolutely not. Pre-stimulus and pre-bailout federal spending was already way too high. You're not trying hard enough.

NO. To hell with your "sunset process." Just eliminate them. No sunset. No process. Just end them now. Again - you're not trying hard enough.

It wont work. Giving a crack addict more crack is never the solution to the problem. Cut government to the point where you actually pay for it with the mountain of money you already collect.

Absolutely. And while you're at it, end government support for General Motors, Chrysler, Wall Street, corn farmers, General Electric. End it for everyone.

I'm getting a little tired of saying this but, "You're. Not. Trying. Hard. Enough." A freeze does nothing. Cut, Eliminate. Terminate. Whatever you want to call it. REDUCE the size of government. Freezing the size of government just preserves the problem. All those non-essential personnel who were going to be effected if there had been a government shut-down, get rid of the. They're non essential. The government can function without them.

Well I suppose we could always wish that ICBMs didn't exist and that there were no people who had them who didn't like us. And we could wish for a pony too while we're at it. If there are ballistic missiles out there we should defend ourselves against them by any means possible.

Yes, of course. Just as soon as they become American citizens.

Congress should fully fund a complete and effective defense of the nation. If they can do with less money, great.

Sure. Try it. The government had damned well better be prepared to do what is necessary when the sanctions fail.

It can't hurt. Just the idea of actually enforcing federal immigration laws is so unique it's refreshing.

It's at least slightly better that "We have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it," but if Congress continues to put out two thousand page bills three days isn't enough. Maybe start with three days as a minimum with an automatic extension for the time for longer more complex legislation.

Given how you people tend to distort and ignore the Constitution I don't see this as anything other than a political Potemkin Village designed to fool people into thinking anyone in Congress actually cares about Constitutional limits to federal authority. 

What I would favor is ending the ludicrous oil lease system and start auctioning off federal land. Then get the government out of the way and let companies develop the resources they own. I bet the proceeds from selling off chunks of ANWAR would take a nice chunk out of our national debt. 

Anything that involves reducing government I will support.

No. this is just another attempt by government to use the tax code to control people's lives.

Yes. and it would so much better and more affordable with less government involvement.

No. i believe the "mandate" is unconstitutional.

If you think you can do it before the Supreme Court chucks it out, go for it.

Yes. Anything to minimize the impact of government on individual lives.

Permitted? Permitted. Up yours Mr. Speaker. Americans should be free to make their own health care decisions. We should be free to not buy health insurance if we choose not to. We should be free to buy the coverage we want from wherever we want.

No. Just as I don't think taxpayers should be forced to pay for people's tonsillectomies, or angioplasty either.

I don't support government incentives for anything.  If embryonic research is truly offensive to "American Values" there will be no market for the results and it will not happen.

I support anything that allows for increased individual liberty and individual responsibility.

I would rather that you simply stood by the principles you campaign on and not fold and the first sign that the Democrats and their media allies might say something bad about you. Like I said at the beginning, grow a pair and develop a spine.

The real question Mr. Speaker is do you believe they are wrong? If you do, stand up and fight for what you believe is right. I would rather see you take on the Democrats and lose than try to spin a failure like your 2011 budget deal as a success.

Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 06:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment