Congressman John Campbell's Blog - Green Eyeshade Blog

Monday, April 16, 2007

On the Eve of Tax Day: Where will your money be going?

Posted by: John Campbell at 1:54 PM

As the deadline for federal income tax filing looms, writers across the nation are penning some quality articles on our government's chaotic tax code and troubling spending forecasts. One article of note was written by Brian Reidl of the Heritage Foundation. In it, he clearly laid out the break down of federal spending per American household. The federal government is slated to spend $24,106 per household this year, the highest total since World War II. Of that number, roughly 30 percent will go towards entitlement programs, which is only going to increase as time goes on.

We need to get our fiscal house in order. This spending growth is simply unacceptable. To read Reidl's entire article, click here.

Top Five Areas of Federal Spending per Household:

1. Social Security/Medicare: $8,301.

2. Defense: $4,951.

3. Anti-Poverty Programs: $3,550.

4. Interest on the Federal Debt: $2,071.

5. Federal Employee Retirement Benefits: $907.

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Steve writes:	Tuesday, April, 17, 2007 1:05 PM
What is to be Done?
We conservatives have a lot to complain about. But beyond that, what are we going to DO about the situation? An easy: vote the bad guys (and gals) out, and vote the good ones in. I’m doing a series of articles about one of the bad guys, supposedly “new” Democrat Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania’s 4th District. Here’s the beginning of today’s column (one of several on him). I’d love to have you read it – click on the name above – and tell me what you think. "In medical school . . . about a decade ago, late for a class, I cut through a hospital emergency room and came upon dozens of people on stretchers -- waiting, moaning, begging for treatment. Some elderly patients had waited for up to five days in corridors before being admitted to beds. They smelled of urine and sweat. As I navigated past the bodies, I began to question everything I thought I knew about health care -- not only in Canada, but also in the United States.... I had begun a journey into the heart of one of the great policy disasters of modern times." (Dr. David Gratzer, The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Heath Care) Is this the kind of health care Pennsylvania 4th District Congressman Jason Altmire has in mind for the U.S.? Of course, the good news about the sweat- and urine-soaked patients Gratzer describes is that they all have Canada's universal health coverage. The bad news is that they're in hallways for days, waiting for someone -- anyone -- to take care of them. Altmire admits he wants the government, mainly through Medicare, to play a much bigger role in the American health care system. He wants to reduce the role of private health insurance companies, including those providing prescription drug coverage for seniors. He wants many more Americans -- people below the age of 65 -- Medicare, whose costs are universally recognized to be out-of-control. At the same time, Altmire says he wants "evolution, rather than revolution" in health care. He doesn't want, right now, a single-payer system like the one in Canada. However, does he really reject what's known as "Hillarycare?" One wonders, especially when remembering that, a decade-and-a-half ago, Altmire was one of the people who constructed Mrs. Clinton's plan for a government takeover of American health care. Has he apostacized from his one-time faith in Hillarycare? One wonders, because Altmire has a consistency problem in his approach to issues. Consider his views on the Iraq War timetable . . . (more to come)
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About John Campbell

John Campbell is a member of the House Financial Services Committee, and has taken a leadership role in addressing the country's top economic issues. Campbell serves as a member of the Joint Economic Committee, and House Committee on the Budget. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from UCLA and a Master's Degree in Taxation from USC.