Congressman Brecheen speaks on House floor about the gravity of our national debt

Congressman Josh Brecheen Speaks on the Gravity of our National Debt During First House Floor Speech

This text has been adapted from Congressman Josh Brecheen’s first House floor speech. You can watch the full speech here, or below.

Boren: solving deficit and debt is the main issue

Congressman Dan Boren (D-Muskogee) spoke to a crowd of over 150 at his town hall yesterday in Muskogee, focusing on topics like the budget deficit and national debt.

The atmosphere of the meeting was calmer and more subdued than it was during the summer of 2009, but was still concerned about government spending and intrusion. Boren spoke positively of the Tea Party movement, and the new focus on fixing our nation's fiscal situation.

The congressman began the meeting by running through some quick figures dealing with the debt level and budget deficit. Boren said that, while we need to cut discretionary spending, entitlements like Social Security and Medicare are the big problem. Due to the "sacred cow" nature of entitlements, politicians don't want to take risks and make the needed reforms, but that's what our future depends on, Boren said.

Boren drew applause when he said that he voted to cut funding to Planned Parenthood and the President's "czars".

The congressman had a very relaxed attitude about his political future. He knows that his seat isn't guaranteed, and he said that he's perfectly fine with not being in Washington for a long time - in fact, he doesn't plan on staying in office for a long period of time.

Boren said that while the House will end up cutting nearly $100B from the budget, the Senate likely won't cut much. He predicted a final deal being cut between the two houses at somewhere around $30B, which would still leave a deficit of nearly $1.5 trillion. He hinted that he would vote to raise the debt ceiling, but with corresponding budget cuts.

He also said that he is a regular reader of MuskogeePolitico.com, so... hello Mr. Congressman!

I tweeted updates during the town hall, so for other points, search Twitter for #BorenTownHall (or click the link)

The Conservative View: Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

This week's Conservative View, by Adair County Commissioner and conservative activist Russell Turner (R-Stilwell).

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall

All of us, at one time or another, has heard the nursery rhyme about the woman who looked into the magic mirror and asked who was the fairest of them all. We Americans have gotten into a bad habit of patting ourselves on the back and have cultured the belief that we can forget our founding principles and still expect to be the most prosperous nation that the world has ever seen. We Americans love to gripe and moan about how corrupt our government has become, but we fail to link our behavior to those of our elected officials.

How blind we are to the fact that our elected officials and our government are merely a reflection of how we the citizens conduct ourselves. Our forefathers were people who had pride in their ability to be self reliant and self sufficient. Today we have a host of politicians who promise anything and everything to bribe the voters to elect them into office. I can remember a time when it was an insult to someone if there was a suggestion that they should ask for a government handout. Today too many people are only concerned that they get their share. We Americans have been infected by a disease called entitlement. Even those who contribute nothing to our society have been conditioned to believe that they should get their “fair share” and they don’t care that someone else has done the work necessary to earn the things they want a part of.

We have allowed ourselves to be manipulated into believing that someone is greedy who wants to keep what they have earned. We have allowed ourselves to believe in class envy and to covet the possessions of the ones who worked for them. Whether we want to admit it or not, we have been trained like a dog performing for its supper. Far too many Americans look at the political candidates and ask what they can do for them today. We sit back like a puppy waiting for the next doggy treat. It is a fact that we all have to survive, but we Americans have degraded ourselves into a people that lack the vision to remain a great nation.

Before we label someone as greedy, remember that the true greedy person is the one who does not contribute but wants a share of someone else’s labor. During this election season we need to reflect upon what we have become, the next time we look into the mirror we may not like what we see.  

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, email him at rdrepublican@windstream.net.