Staff Reports
A Government Shutdown Over Spending? BRING IT ON!
In the midst of a skyrocketing national debt of $33 trillion, five hard-line deficit hawks in the House Freedom Caucus have drawn a bold line in the sand against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership. These five Republicans, who are known for their staunch fiscal conservatism, have joined forces with Democrats to oppose a vote on funding the Pentagon unless Speaker McCarthy commits to reducing discretionary spending to pre-pandemic levels without any “gimmicks.” This unexpected move has put McCarthy’s speakership in jeopardy, as budget hawks believe he has failed to address their concerns in the past and will do so again.
Speaking of concerns, let’s take a moment to process the mind-boggling figures here. The United States spends a whopping $7 trillion a year but only takes in $5 trillion in revenue. That leaves us with a structural deficit of $2 trillion each year. If we continue down this path, the interest on our debt, which currently stands at an eye-watering $33 trillion, will exceed $1 trillion per year. That’s enough to make any sane person choke on their morning coffee.
So, what’s the solution? Well, according to the Republican hard-liners, the only way to get Speaker McCarthy to wake up from his spending stupor is by threatening a government shutdown. This would provide them with the leverage they need to force the Speaker to fulfill his promise of voting on each of the 12 appropriations bills separately, so they can have a fighting chance in negotiating with the Democrat-controlled Senate and White House.
Now, brace yourself for the panic-inducing drama that the establishment media is sure to whip up. Just like how they hyped up a low-level Category One hurricane hitting New Jersey after Labor Day, they’ll make the government shutdown seem like the end of the world. They’ll eagerly parrot the fears and warnings of the Democratic National Committee and the White House in order to paint Republicans as the villains. But let’s not forget the antics of our former President Barack Obama during the 2013 shutdown. He even went so far as to barricade the World War II Memorial, an open-air attraction, to create the illusion of chaos. Fortunately, our brave veterans, many of whom fought in wheelchairs, showed us what true determination looks like by knocking down those barriers and honoring their fallen comrades. Truly, they are the embodiment of “The Greatest Generation.”
The reality is that a government shutdown is unlikely to have a major impact on the average citizen. Social Security checks will keep coming, veterans will still receive their benefits, and we can rest assured that our armed forces and intelligence agencies will continue to dutifully fulfill their duties. However, non-essential agencies will come to a screeching halt, which means your passport application might be delayed or your plans to take the kids on a national park adventure might be put on hold. It’s definitely an inconvenience, but it’s not the end of the world.
So as we brace ourselves for a potential government showdown, let’s remember why we’re even in this situation. We need to rein in the spendthrifts on Capitol Hill before they bankrupt our great nation and leave future generations with nothing but a stack of IOUs. A little inconvenience now is a small price to pay for the fiscal sanity we desperately need. BRING IT ON!
