Newt Gingrich
is frequently on the money. From his email "Washington Wins, America Loses" today [emphasis added]:
Two things happened yesterday and both represented
victories for Washington and defeats for America.
The smaller defeat was closing the federal
government on account of an insignificant dusting of snow. The weather was so
mild no one in Denver or Minneapolis would have noticed it.
Federal employees--who we had been told throughout
the shutdown were eager to go to work--suddenly had another paid day off.
I went to an 8:00 am breakfast next to the White
House. The roads were clear (and empty as everyone stayed home). We had 15
people on time at 8:00 am. There was no snow accumulating at the White House.
Then I drove out to Dulles Airport with no
problems. There were 200 people at that meeting.
Everyone made it to our business meeting at work
later in the day and one person even flew in that morning.
So the private sector kept moving through the
light snow earning the tax money to pay the federal workers who couldn't manage
to make their way through the flurries.
Washington had won and the country would pay for
it.
The larger defeat came when the budget deal was
announced.
You could tell how bad a deal it was when no one
could describe it honestly.
The budget deal has tax increases but they can't
be called tax increases or no Republican could vote for them, so they are
simply described in misleading language. But if you fly you will pay a higher
tax no matter what the politicians call it.
The sequester is broken and spending will go up.
Since no Republican can vote for spending
increases there had to be offsetting out-year cuts.
Of course the immediate spending increases will be
real and the out-year cuts will never happen.
It is sad that no one can tell the truth in plain
language.
The real disappointment isn't just that the budget
deal is so bad it cant be honestly described.
The real disappointment is the lack of imagination
and lack of new thinking and creativity.
. . . There are many new developments which could
be used to shrink spending, cut out waste, improve services, increase
competition, grow the economy and get back to a balanced federal budget.
Sadly the opportunities to break out are ignored while
the opportunities to tax more and spend more dominate.
And Speaker Boehner continues to demonstrate just
how out of touch he is with the conservative base. The Hill has the ugly report, Boehner lashes at conservative groups: “They've
lost all credibility” here.
WHO has lost all credibility???
