Mulvaney’s Bold-Faced Truth About the US Budget
Submitted by: Rebecca Grace
York Technical College’s Barnes’ Theatre was filled to capacity Wed Apr 27 with concerned voters wanting to know what Representative Mick Mulvaney had to say about the country’s expanding deficit.
The recently elected representative was greeted with a standing ovation and set the audience at ease with his sense of humor about his lack of technical skills in operating his PowerPoint presentation. But he quickly sobered listeners by presenting a quote from Admiral Mike Mullen who is greatly concerned about the US debt.
“When the guy with guns is telling you the national debt is our biggest threat…maybe it’s time to start paying attention,” said Mulvaney. “We can’t afford not to do something.”
Although major reductions are needed, Mulvaney pointed out that it’s not as easy as it might first appear.
“You simply can’t cut one or two things and think you’re going to solve the problem,” he said. “We’re gonna cut everything; it’s the only way to do it.”
Though a conservative in a conservative district, Mulvaney acknowledged several times that both parties are responsible for the current situation.
“Republicans are as much to blame as Democrats,” he stated bringing an unexpected round of applause from audience members.
Such a straightforward approach comes from the realization that, rather than wasting time pointing fingers, representatives must use what time is left to fix the issue before it’s too late.
“By 2055, if we do nothing, every single penny goes to interest payments,” said Mulvaney.
Mulvaney stated that the government will be 800% in debt by 2081 adding that, to date, no government has survived in a country that’s exceeded 400% in debt.
But the picture’s not all bleak.
“There is hope that if you do it properly, you can come back from the edge,” said Mulvaney.
He went on to show how Sweden and Canada, once in similar situations, upon cutting government spending, had an increase in business spending. In fact, in Canada the concern was so great that the Labor Department sent representatives around the country to educate people on how just how dire the situation was. Not only did the Canadians agree to a 15% increase in taxes but when they learned that the government had cut spending by 80%, they complained that it still wasn’t enough.
Mulvaney believes steps like this must occur in the U.S. in order to reverse the downward cycle currently in progress. However, doing so will require transparency from government officials, something many believe is nonexistent in today’s politics.
“They’re afraid if they tell you, you’ll un-elect them and they’ll lose their jobs,” he said.
He is concerned that he may only be in Congress two years himself but that isn’t stopping him from telling the truth.
“If I’m unelected for doing that, then I probably shouldn’t have been here in the first place,” he said.
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