President Clinton says he’ll veto the tax cut Congress passed eliminating the marriage penalty. He says such a tax cut is not responsible, that the government can’t afford to lose that money. Sounds like the president is serious about fiscal responsibility, doesn’t it?
Actually, Clinton just wants to make a deal. The deal is this: Clinton will sign off on what he terms a “fiscally irresponsible” tax cut but only if Republicans will agree to Clinton’s new entitlement program on prescription drugs, which they believe is too expensive. In other words, it’s the usual Washington deal: I’ll agree to your reckless fiscal programs if you agree to mine.
Who will fight for a better deal for millions of average taxpayers? Rep. Mark Sanford will. He’s a citizen legislator who has pledged to term-limit himself to six years in Congress. In his new book, The Trust Committed To Me , Mark says gridlock is preferable to the budget agreements of career politicians. “For thirty years lawmakers in Washington were willing to agree on pretty much any budget as long as they got out in time for evening cocktails.”
The result? It takes every single individual tax return filed west of the Mississippi just to pay the interest on the national debt. The career politicians spend money hand over fist to win votes today and let future generations worry about paying the bills tomorrow. Citizen legislators have no career plans that get in the way of doing what’s right. That’s a better deal.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.