Voinovich's View: "The Founding Fathers Know Best"

Article:

I have long been regarded by my colleagues as one of the U.S. Senate’s top “debt hawks.” My more than 44 years in public office have been empowered by the mantra: Gone are the days when public officials are measured by how much they spend on a problem. The new realities dictate that public officials are now judged on whether they can work harder and smarter, and do more with less.

My experiences tackling budget crises at the local and state levels have given me a keen understanding that America’s fiscal situation is dire and is getting worse by the day. The federal government continues to spend more than it brings in and cannot sustain itself working this way forever.

The burden has grown from $5.6 trillion when I first came to Washington in 1999 to a staggering $9.85 trillion today – an increase of nearly 76 percent in ten years. And this does not include the economic stimulus proposals that are currently before the Senate. I am committed to ensuring that any proposal agreed upon by Congress is targeted, timely and temporary. It must be fiscally responsible and contribute to our long-term economic prosperity.

I believe that Congress can be a true steward of the taxpayer dollar through transparency and prioritization. With this responsibility in mind, I am pleased to have been appointed to the powerful Senate Committee on Appropriations. I promise to bring the common sense, hard-nosed fiscal approach from my days as mayor of Cleveland and governor of Ohio to the appropriations process. In this new role I will forcefully advocate greater oversight, tougher standards and the setting of real priorities.

My appointment is all the more important because over the last two years, Ohio has lost three of its appropriators – Mike DeWine, Ralph Regula and Dave Hobson. I could not in good conscience turn down the opportunity to serve the people of Ohio on this vitally important committee during such perilous times.

As a new member of the Committee on Appropriations, I look forward to spending the next two years working with all the members of the committee in a bipartisan basis to set priorities and make the tough choices necessary to help steer our great nation through these difficult times. I also want to work daily with my Ohio colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee, Marcy Kaptur and Tim Ryan, who were most recently joined by Steve LaTourette. We must make investments that will lay the foundation of future prosperity, so that our children and grandchildren may enjoy the standard of living and quality of life we have enjoyed.

I hope to be able to help Ohio in a way that is fiscally responsible while pushing Congress to work harder and smarter. And I hope to keep my colleagues on schedule for a change. In 27 of the past 30 years, Congress has failed to enact all the appropriations bills by the start of the fiscal year. This irresponsible fiscal policy affects our economy, interferes with our ability to maintain and improve our infrastructure, hurts our ability to fight the War on Terror, and impedes efforts to enhance our education system. This is irresponsible management and it has to stop.

As Benjamin Franklin once said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” And George Washington warned, “Likewise avoid the accumulation of debt.”

The wise words of our founding fathers highlight how fiscal discipline was ingrained in American society from its birth. Unfortunately, that foundation has eroded as a growing habit of uncontrollable spending has put us in the position of putting the costs of today on the backs of our children and grandchildren. I look forward to using my seat on the Committee on Appropriations to develop proposals that will create jobs, stop the tide of foreclosures, increase home values and restore our credit markets so we can jump-start the recovery of the American economy and ensure a better future for ourselves, our children and grandchildren.