Bill Flores to Town Hall - 'That's what you get...'

Divided government is the chief impediment to solving problems

Waco – District 17 U.S. Representative Bill Flores prefaced his remarks on the addition of a "debt commission" to the history making budget deficit deal by telling a standing room only crowd, “That's what you get when you have divided government.”



One of 87 fire-breathing conservatives sent to Washington in 2010, he characterized himself and his colleagues as a “firewall” between runaway federal spending and the survival of the American constitutional republic. (click here to learn why 1984 won't be like 1984)

For instance, one of the things they could not accomplish was a “cut, cap and balance” approach to setting a ceiling for the national debt. Under that plan, spending cuts would be enforceable through a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and would make tax caps possible – something you can't do with a Democratic-dominated Senate right across the rotunda.

“If we'd have passed that, we wouldn't have gotten downgraded,” he said of the S&P's Credit Rating Service reassessment of America as a credit risk from an excellent AAA rating to AA+ - with a warning that if partisan politics continues to play a dominant role in the nation's fiscal matters, further downgrades and resulting higher interest rates on Treasury securities will inevitably follow.

What happened in Washington last week, he told his constituents, was an end to runaway non-discretionary - “auto-pilot” - spending for interest and such entitlements as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. He showed the voters a graph with a projection that such spending would have surely increased by 700% by the year 2060 had something not been done, and done now.

On another chart, the figures showed that the climb to the stratosphere in the national debt actually took place between January of 2007 and January of 2011 - “When two people got two gavels and the spending began.”

Of course, he was talking about recently deposed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca) and House Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nv).

Of the Budget Control Act, he admitted that it's not enough and it's not a complete solution, but “I wasn't willing to be a test pilot with the world's largest economy...Today was bad enough.” He paused, then asked what people thought the securities market would have done in reaction to the S&P downgrade had there been no controls imposed whatsoever.

“The U.S. is still here. People are still going to work. Our law enforcement are still working.”

How will the government grow jobs?

The balanced budget amendment is the key, he said. In that concept lies the key to solving a cornucopia of economic woes.

For instance, as an oil man, he finds it mind boggling that America continues to import most of its petroleum from overseas.

“Why are we importing oil from the mideast? Why are hurting ourselves when we've got abundant natural gas resources?”

The first of many questions concerned the “debt commission” created by the deficit deal. It will consist of 6 Senators and 6 Representatives and will have the power to approve or disapprove budgetary measures, then send them to the full Congress for an up or down vote.

A lady in the audience said she fears it's the “first step to a dicatorship,” that she has heard the President has the tie-breaker vote.

Not true, said Mr. Flores. “Obama can't do a thing about it. This is six Senators, six Representatives - three from each party..It is not amendable...He can sign the bill or he veto it, but that's not a tie breaker.” The problem is that the Congress just acts too slowly to solve the kind of emergency problems that loom on the nation's horizon today, Mr. Flores said.

Of 8 CPA's in the House, 8 voted for it – “and I'm one of them,” he added.

“When that committee is formed, I want to be on it,” he concluded.

At least one party has reacted unfavorably to any such triggering with the provisions of the U.S. Constitution, which requires action by the full houses of both the House of Representatives and Senate to propose, appropriate, approve and send a budget to the Preesident's desk for either a signature, veto or no action, in which case, it becomes law by default. The Coffee Party 4reform of GOP has promulgated a strong message on their YouTube channel in reaction. (click the above to view the video)