Sobriety Test
How to tell if the GOP is serious about shrinking government.
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GoogleAssessing the Republican electoral l sweep on Washington’s Fox Morning News November 10, Texas Sen. Phil Gramm said voters “didn’t send us here to raise taxes half as much as Bill Clinton, increase spending half as much as Bill Clinton, or increase regulations half as much as Bill Clinton.” Gramm will try to set himself apart from other presidential contenders with an unapologetic, fiscally conservative agenda. But will Gramm’s stances position him at the center of his party or on its fringes? Here are several issues the Republicans must confront if they want to be considered serious government cutters:
* Tax fairness. Rep. Dick Armey, the likely House majority leader, wants to replace the current loophole-ridden Internal Revenue Code with a 17-percent flat-rate tax and allow large standard exemptions. Armey’s plan would end the use of the tax code as a tool of income redistribution and behavior modification and would restore its appropriate purpose-raising money to operate the federal government.
Armey’s tax revolution won’t happen overnight. But Republicans could simultaneously fulfill one plank of their Contract With America and launch a preemptive strike for Armey’s tax crusade by cutting the tax on capital gains to 17 percent and indexing the gains so that inflation doesn’t penalize persons who hang onto their investments.
* Budget reform. Since 1974, Congress has used “baseline budgets.” The Congressional Budget Office projects how much federal agencies will spend over the next five fiscal years, building in increases. When spending rises by less than the CBO projects, Washington insiders declare that a spending “cut.”
For the past five years, Rep. Chris Cox (R-Calif.) has called for an end to baseline budgeting. Instead, he wants Congress to prepare a one-page budget spelling out how much the government can spend in
each of the 19 budget categories. If Congress spends more money in one category than the budget allows, the president can rescind spending until the target is met. And when the budget is up for renewal, if Congress doesn’t pass an appropriations bill for an agency, that agency can spend only as much as it did the previous year.
Incoming House Speaker Newt Gingrich promises an end to baseline budgeting. Cox’s proposal would further brake spending growth.
* Spending cuts. In 1993, Ohio Rep., John Kasich and Republicans on the Budget Committee proposed a five-year program that would cut $479 billion in spending from the president’s budget. The Kasich plan would have abolished the Interstate Commerce Commission, halted federal land purchases for five years, and frozen cost-of-living allowances for military retirees younger than 65.
The Kasich plan offers a starting point for more dramatic spending cuts. Federal welfare programs offer obvious targets. Defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and abolishing the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities should also be no-brainers.
* Entitlements. Republicans will demonstrate their seriousness as budget cutters when they decide to confront or evade Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and federal pensions. Those programs, along with interest on the debt, consume half the federal budget now and will increase to nearly 70 percent within 10 years.
The Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform will issue its recommendations in mid-December. Whatever the commission recommends, Republicans could build a bipartisan bridge by pushing to increase the retirement age gradually and immediately. Rep. J. J. Pickle (D-Tex.) proposes increasing the retirement age by two months a year indefinitely; this would make the retirement age 66 in 2001, 67 in 2007, and so on.
Unfortunately, in a November 11 speech, Gingrich said it would be a mistake to make any changes in Social Security before the turn of the century. The sooner elected officials tackle retirement programs, the less dependent those programs will be on tax dollars when Gingrich’s generation retires.
* Regulations. One of the most innovative ideas of the 103rd Congress was the A-to-Z spending-cut program proposed by Reps. Rob Andrews (D-N. J.) and Bill Zeliff (R-N.H.). The plan would have let each member of Congress propose a single spending cut or package of cuts anywhere in the federal budget and then required the House to vote on each cut. Democratic leaders prevented A-to-Z from getting to the House floor. But the A-to-Z format could be adapted for regulations as well. Why not have a “regulatory A-to-Z” that forces votes on, say, the auto-emissions regulations in the Clean Air Act? The Family and Medical Leave Act? The wetlands provisions of the Clean Water Act? The Endangered Species Act?
Regulations are the big test of whether Republicans are serious about reducing the size and scope of government. But Gary Bauer, Paul Weyrich, and other prominent social conservatives are pushing
congressional Republicans to fill the legislative calendar with proposals to zap porn, bash gays, and outlaw abortions—in other words, to increase non-economic regulations. If Republicans want to become the majority party of the 21st century, they must recognize that getting Big Brother out of our wallets while inviting him into our bedrooms is no bargain.
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason at any time.
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Although, I have to say, I do miss Phil. Wish he hadn't of retired.
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The GOP should care about the shrinking government and it's too bad that people even doubt about this. and yeah, Phil Gramm really is something, hard no to miss him. electric grill griddle
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It's like deja vu. Democrats spend too much money, Republicans bitch about power grabbing. Republicans get into office, spend too much money, and the Democrats bitch about power grabbing. Lather rinse repeat. It's times like this that make me cynical about if we'll ever get a smaller government.
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But will Gramm’s stances position him at the center of his party or on its fringes? Here are several issues the Republicans must confront if they want to be considered serious government cutters:
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Field Sobriety Tests.org provides detailed information regarding standard and non-standardized testing.
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A guy fails his field sobriety test so horribly that the cops need to call an ambulance. It's funny and awful at the same time.Nice article.
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its all about sobriety test imho!
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Gingrich said it would be a mistake to make any changes in Social Security before the turn of the century. The sooner elected officials tackle retirement programs, the less dependent those programs will be on tax dollars when Gingrich’s generation retires.
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If Congress spends more money in one category than the budget allows, the president can rescind spending until the target is met. And when the budget is up for renewal, if Congress doesn’t pass an appropriations bill for an agency, that agency can spend only as much as it did the previous year. ugg shoes
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I have to say, I do miss Phil. Wish he hadn't of retired.
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this is like a deja vu. Democrats spend too much money, Republicans bitch about power grabbing. Republicans get into office, spend too much money, and the Democrats bitch about power grabbing. Lather rinse repeat. It's times like this that make me cynical about if we'll ever get a smaller government. Case de pariuri
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Do sobriety tests vary between states? There are some candidates this year that I am pretty sure would fail ;) Budget reform and tax cuts are always debatable and any way you look at it, you lose. Look at what happened to the insurance industry!
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Do sobriety tests vary between states? There are some candidates this year that I am pretty sure would fail ;) Budget reform and tax cuts are always debatable and any way you look at it, you lose. Look at what happened to the insurance industry! I wonder what access control systems have to say about this.
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its all about sobriety test imho!
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It really is for instance deja vu. Democrats invest excess amount, Republicans bitch with regards to energy snagging. Republicans wind up in workplace, invest excess amount, and also the Democrats bitch with regards to energy snagging. Lather wash try. It really is situations this way which help make me personally cynical with regards to when we could ever before obtain smaller sized govt. Finnish Lapphund
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yup before the turn of the century. The sooner elected officials tackle retirement programs, the less dependent those programs will be on tax dollars when Gingrich’s generation retires.
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Interessting topic. I'm currently on sprachreisen trip in the US and have talked a lot about the sobriety test with my friends. As far as I understood the whole campaign is finished now or is it not?
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It really is situations this way which help make me personally cynical with regards to when we could ever before obtain smaller sized govt
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Amazing that 16 years later we're still having the same freaking argument. Will we ever learn from the past?
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you are going to wind up just as dead inside the end.
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I really think government should really try to downsize, it has gotten too big for its own good.
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Well I think that it obvious to me that there is still more cuts in spending that need to be made if we want to get ahead.
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Rep. Chris Cox has a good idea to end to baseline budgeting and to limit the spending in the 19 budget categories.
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Kinda funny test, dont ya think folks?
