A press release from Congressman Peter Roskam:
Roskam: Obama’s Budget Locks in the New Normal
WASHINGTON— Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-06) released the following statement on the release of President Obama’s budget today:
Peter Roskam
“In March, half a million Americans gave up on finding work, and those who have a job haven’t seen a comparable wage increase to the cost of living in years.
“It’s getting more expensive to buy groceries and harder to save for retirement.
“Our debt has swelled to $16.8 trillion and the downward pressure on our economy will only result in tougher times for American families.
“This is a sounding alarm for a new direction, but today President Obama chose do to more of the same.
“His budget recycles the same stale plan of the last four years – one of more taxing and more spending.
“Even though he has gotten $1.6 trillion in new taxes from his healthcare law and from increased tax rates at the beginning of this year, he still wants more.
“House Republicans have a different vision for our future with a budget that balances in 10 years.
“Lifting the burden of debt will strengthen a frail labor market and give the economy a chance to recover.
“While the president is proposing incremental reforms to Social Security, I believe the solvency of vital safety net programs should not be contingent on getting more tax revenue.
“It is a standalone priority and that’s why the House budget offers reforms that will preserve these programs for our nation’s seniors for generations to come.
“The new normal under President Obama of high unemployment and a stagnant economy doesn’t have to be our future.”
This reminds me of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that allowed local units of government to continue spending beyond their means while they received the cash infusion to “stimulate” the economy.
For instance during that period most Illinois school districts continued their 6% annual increases each of the last 4 years of a teachers’ and administrators’ career (24% increase plus compounding over 4 years), even though only 1% worked a 40 year or less career and only 9.5% worked a 35 year or less career according to Bill Zettler’s Illinois Pension Scam.
Since then some districts have replaced the 6% annual raises with a cash bonus that doesn’t boost pensions, which is still out of line since the TRS pension formula (retirement age to receive full benefits, years of service to receive full benefits, accumulate 2 years sick days to exchange for years of service at retirement, accrual rate, ERO, starting pension, COLA, etc.) is very lucrative.
The teacher unions (IEA, IFT) are now fighting to get a clause added to the Illinois State Constitution guaranteeing funding for those pensions.
Roskam missed a key point of the Obama budget in his press release.
Obama proposes more funding for preschools.
Which means more union teacher jobs, which means more teacher union dues, which allows the unions to grow their revenue stream, which also means more union construction (much at top dollar prevailing wage) because you need buildings to educate kids, all paid for by taxes.
Yea Roskam, the same plan Repubs approved and got hammered for the last go around, by the President of France, oh I mean the U.S.
If those same Repub cowards in Congress, let this edition of class warfare go by again, they do so at their own peril come Primary time next year. It would be great to see The Speaker of the House lose his primary, because he already unnecessarily endorsed Obama’s cost of living lunacy with SS. If anything, he should have jumped on board Obama’s only sensible proposal, to lower the Corporate Tax, already the highest in the world.
And I thought Springfield held the title for the center of Worst Public Policy. It seems we have a new contender emerging in D.C.