Unfortunately, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg doesn’t believe in the importance of the U.S. Constitution. Ironically, though her job is to “support the Constitution” (Article 6, U.S. Constitution) she instead did everything but uphold it last Wednesday. During an interview with Egyptian television network Al Hayat in Cairo, she was asked to give her opinion regarding the type of government Egypt should adopt as they try to rebuild their country following the Arab Spring. Her response?  “I would not look to the U.S. Constitution, if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012.” Though she extolled certain parts of the U.S. Constitution, she went on to propose Egypt instead use South Africa’s Constitution as a basis for their new government.

I am deeply saddened and disappointed in Justice Ginsburg’s answer. As a Supreme Court Justice who daily delves into the U.S. Constitution looking for answers to the nation’s top cases, I would hope she would have developed a love for this crucial founding document. Yet instead, she implied its irrelevancy! Why would our Constitution not be just as good a foundation for a nation’s government today as it was in 1788?

The answer is that it is, and always will be, an excellent foundation for the government of any nation. It was and still is the clearest legal protection of man’s freedoms on earth. Since our founding, our country’s unparalleled success and majestic display of human freedom has been a beacon of hope to the peoples of other nations. For years, immigrants from other countries have fled their oppressive or failing governments to come to our shores because they too sensed the meaning behind the words of our Constitution. I cannot think of another document I would more highly recommend to a country looking to make a fresh start.

I would ask Justice Ginsburg to rethink her answer and reconsider her position as a “supporter of the Constitution.” Better yet, I would encourage her to consider why people from all around the world line up to see the distinctly American documents of freedom every day at the National Archives. I hope that one day she will come to understand what the patriotic Americans in line at the Archives understand: the protection and freedom the founding documents offered to the American people over 200 years ago is just the sort of protection every country in the world needs.

For the past 39 years, the fight to protect lives has seemed like a uphill battle due to the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. This tragic decision, along with subsequent other similar decisions, promote the idea that the unborn are nothing more than tumors or blobs of tissue that can be discarded.  No life should ever be considered “inconvenient.” There are simply too many alternatives to abortion for any child to be considered an unwelcome burden that should be terminated.

Ironically, those who advocate for the life of the unborn have been accused of trying to limit a woman’s choice and somehow harm her life. But truthfully, it is the pro-life movement that is fighting the hardest for the rights of women. The pro-life movement is the only group helping women make a truly informed choice for themselves and their unborn child. After all, if mothers are never told of the facts of their pregnancies or the alternatives to abortion, are they really being offered a choice?

I believe pregnant mothers need all the information made available to them about their unborn child. That is why last fall I introduced the Heartbeat Protection Act, legislation that will require abortion providers to make the heartbeat of the unborn child’s both audible and visible to the mother before they choose whether or not to end their pregnancy. I truly believe that once women witness the lives developing inside of them, they will have all the facts they need to make an truly informed choice.

But that is just the latest legislation I have introduced on behalf of the lives of the unborn. Whether it was through voting down continuing resolutions that included funding for Planned Parenthood or introducing numerous bills such as the Positive Alternatives Act in 2009 which ensured that states had the funds to help pregnant women find abortion alternative services, I have fought to protect America’s unborn. We are, after all, the country that claims everyone should have the “right to life.” I am committed to doing everything in my power to protect that constitutional right for every American.

Due to my pro-life stance and beliefs, I am thrilled to see events across the country drawing thousands of pro-life advocates together today and throughout this past weekend. Together, we solemnly remember the 39^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Though the effects of Roe v. Wade are tragic, the pro-life movement is filled with hope. Through our marches and rallies for life, we are seeing sure success in helping our fellow Americans see life as a gift that needs to be protected and cherished.

The efforts of so many passionate advocates for life inspire me to continue my fight against abortion. Yet in my fight, I cannot help but hope for two results in the pro-life movement. First, I hope that the victims of the pro-choice, abortion agenda will find healing. Second, I pray that our fight for life will serve to ensure future generations are protected. May we all come to understand, as our founders did, that life is a gift that cannot be denied to any human.

The House of Representatives recently signified their support of the Republican’s 2012 budget proposal which will reduce the federal budget by $4.4 trillion. It does so by cutting out unnecessary spending. It would defund ObamaCare of its unspent pre-appropriated funds which are an astonishing tens of billions of dollars that were buried in the bill by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Plus, it would make the tax code flatter and simpler, making Tax Day a less dreaded time of the year. I supported that budget blueprint, though I’ve expressed caution about how we approach the issue of Medicare. We must keep our promises to those who receive Medicare benefits, and those who are nearing the age of Medicare eligibility. Our challenge is to reduce the soaring amounts that government spends on health care, without burdening those who are most vulnerable.

Unfortunately, some in Washington think they can spend your money better than you; most notably the occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, President Obama. When Obama announced his second-attempt at a budget solution for the fiscal future of the nation many Americans cringed at his suggestions. Obama thinks we can save the economy, and the future of our nation, by raising taxes.

He said, “As a country that values fairness, wealthier individuals have traditionally born a greater share of this burden than the middle class or those less fortunate.  This is not because we begrudge those who’ve done well – we rightly celebrate their success.  Rather, it is a basic reflection of our belief that those who have benefitted most from our way of life can afford to give a bit more back.”

What President Obama doesn’t understand is that wealth creation isn’t a bad thing. Wealth creation is what allows businesses to hire, and in turn, for an economy to prosper. In Obama’s proposal, couples making $250,000 a year are considered wealthy. In reality, couples with that income are often the small business owners in our communities. They are the job creators who Obama wants to tax more heavily.

I cannot stand idly by while he tries to put this leftist agenda on the American people. One of the first pieces of legislation I introduced in the 112th Congress is called the End Tax Uncertainty Act of 2011. As a former federal tax attorney I know this bill could bring positive changes to our complex system. It would repeal the death tax and gift tax and prevent tax increases on the maximum tax rate for capital gains and dividends income for all Americans. Furthermore, it would permanently patch the Alternative Minimum Tax and reduce the corporate tax rate to twenty-five percent.

This is a first step towards reform in Washington. The complex tax code is a byproduct of an out-of-control, gigantic government which needs to be downsized. In 2010 alone the federal government spent $3.5 trillion. Sadly, it comes as no surprise our debt is over $14 trillion and we nearly have met our debt ceiling again. The debt ceiling has been raised ten times since 2001. Now the Washington establishment is calling for the debt ceiling to be raised again. I’m adamantly against this because raising the debt ceiling will just give Congress and the President a free pass to keep spending. This record spending needs to stop and it can stop by keeping the debt ceiling as-is. That means we would have to prioritize and start paying down our debt.

If any of my children had come to me as teenagers and asked for an unlimited credit card I would have said, “no”, without a single reservation. But, Congress has an unlimited credit card taken out in the name of the American Taxpayer. We have the power to cut this credit card in half and put ourselves on the road to fiscal prosperity. This needs to happen sooner than later, especially in light of the startling U.S. credit rating downgrade to “negative” by the S&P. The negative rating is bad, but worse would be if we lost our “AAA” rating. We must act now before our economic standing in the world is weakened further.

Tax Day 2012 may be a year away, but it’s not too early to for Washington to start reforming the way it works.

I wanted the GOP to fight for more in this week’s negotiations. I wanted them to fight for significant spending cuts before this debt cripples our children and grandchildren like it is crippling our economy right now. I have demonstrated my commitment to these values by voting “no” on past continuing resolutions and I will continue to oppose any spending measure that fails to take up these crucial issues. And rest assured, I will continue to fight for them when the battleground shifts to the debt ceiling and the 2012 budget.

Our federal government spent $3.5 trillion last year, and is on a similar pace this year. On average, our spending adds about $30 billion to the deficit every week. Yet Washington is now embroiled in a pitched battle – that could lead to a government slowdown – over possible spending cuts of just $40 billion. Even the best case scenario would be cuts of $61 billion.

Don’t get me wrong, cuts in spending are a move in the right direction. House Republicans have brought about a change from the spending binge of the last two years. But it’s time to face the facts. This is the “small ball” battle that House leadership has chosen to engage. The current battle has devolved to an agenda that is almost too limited to warrant the kind of fighting that we’re now seeing in Washington.

Democrats only want to cut $33 billion of spending, while some reports say Republicans might settle for $40 billion. Either way, it’s not enough. We should be playing “big ball.” We should be fighting over trillions, not billions. We should be defunding ObamaCare, but we’re not.

I made a commitment to vote “no” on any Continuing Resolution that does not defund ObamaCare. That pledge to the American people remains unchanged. I believe that’s a battle we cannot walk away from. But, it’s not been an option in the recent government funding bills that House leaders have put up for a vote.

I am ready for a big fight, the kind that will change the arc of history. And, I’m hoping that when it comes to issues like the debt ceiling, ObamaCare, and the 2012 budget, House Republicans will take the lead, draw a line in the sand and not back down from the fight.

Next Wednesday the House will consider another Continuing Resolution. Including language to defund ObamaCare is our opportunity to stop the flow of funds to ObamaCare once and for all. Our suggested language is, “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds made available by this or any previous Act with respect to any fiscal year may be used to carry out the provisions of Public Law 111-148, Public Law 111-152, or any amendment made by either such Public Law.”

All members of Congress are encouraged to contact my office to join us in the effort to prevent taxpayers’ money from going to the implementation of this unconstitutional program.

The letter reads as follows:

Dear Speaker Boehner, Leader Cantor, and Chairman Rogers,

We very much appreciate your leadership in bringing H.R. 2 to the floor, which resulted in a unanimous Republican vote to repeal ObamaCare. This was an essential step in achieving our universal Republican goal to bring about the final, 100 percent repeal of this law. No strategy to accomplish this goal could succeed without this House vote.

Steve King        Michele Bachmann

Didn’t Congress already fulfill Obama’s stimulus request to the tune of more than $787 billion in February 2009, with little to show for it? Unemployment has been at or above 9 percent for 21 straight months. Writing countless checks with taxpayer money didn’t create the jobs Obama predicted.

Thankfully, Congress – not the White House – has the final say on the federal budget. I will stand for fiscal conservatism during the debate and I expect my colleagues to do the same, especially considering our dire financial state. We cannot dig ourselves out of our $14.1 trillion debt by spending another $53 billion we don’t have on rail projects.

I’m pleased states are getting the message. Two governors were already offered high-speed rail dollars but they essentially said, “Thanks, but no thanks”.

USAToday reported, “Newly elected Republican Govs. John Kasich of Ohio and Scott Walker of Wisconsin turned down the money, calling it wasteful and vowing not to use state funds for costly maintenance and upkeep.”

Furthermore, numerous governors across the union are taking action on their state budgets. According to the Wall Street Journal, “A theme of cuts and consolidation has emerged in budgets released so far by governors of both parties, such as those in California and New York (Democrats) as well as Arizona and South Dakota (Republicans).”

The Journal also includes some of the areas on the cutting block: “Fewer state agencies; fewer employees; and generally a smaller safety net for social services. State-funded universities would cost more. And local governments would play a bigger role in delivering services as well as paying for them.”

Kasich and Scott, along with the other governors, are aware of our unsustainable fiscal future and are putting a stop to the endless funding. I commend them for standing up for fiscal responsibility in their respective states. Now it’s Washington’s turn to follow suit.

My husband and I own a small business and we know that Washington hasn’t been putting forth legislation to stabilize the hiring environment. Congress has not even determined the tax tables for 2011, as we quickly approach the New Year. What business would want to hire right now without knowing how much they will be paying in taxes next year?

My bill to end tax uncertainty will help create a pro-growth economy by extending the current tax rates for all Americans, repealing the capital gains and dividends income, and permanently patching the Alternative Minimum Tax. Furthermore, my bill will reduce the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25% and I am especially eager to see the positive results of this change.

Earlier this month, the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis predicted a 25% corporate income tax rate could have remarkable effects on our economy. Among their predictions:

• The number of jobs in the U.S. would grow on average by 581,000 annually from 2011 to 2020, with 531,000 on average being created in the private sector each year;
• U.S. real gross domestic product would rise on average by $132 billion per year;
• A typical family of four’s after-tax income would rise on average by $2,484 per year;
• U.S. capital stock would grow by an average of $240 billion more per year; and
• Gross private domestic investment would increase by $57.2 billion per year.

I urge my colleagues to pass the End the Uncertainty Act of 2010 so we can witness these incredible effects on our economy. I know Americans across the country could benefit from more job opportunities and by keeping more of their own hard-earned money.

I have repeatedly said that I agree with, applaud, and wholeheartedly support Speaker-designate John Boehner’s position on earmarks. I am opposed to earmarks. I recently made that point to a reporter from a Capitol Hill newspaper, but it was left out of their story on the GOP and earmarks.

Some media outlets are trying to show divisions within the Republican Conference at every opportunity. Like a family, differences of opinions may exist from time to time, but in the end, Republicans are committed to standing together for the American people. Our desire is to support the will of our constituents who called for limited government and adherence to the Constitution as demonstrated in early November.

Last March, I enthusiastically endorsed my party’s decision to swear off earmarks. Earmarks are a root contributor to Washington’s spending addiction. Now more than ever, as our nation approaches $14 trillion in debt, we need to tighten our belt and earmarks are a great place to dry up funding.

Earlier this week, the Wikileaks website jeopardized our nation’s security and diplomacy by releasing hundreds of thousands of U.S. State Department documents. The same site put our troops at risk when it released thousands of classified U.S. military documents in July. As far back as March, the Pentagon declared Wikileaks to be a threat to national security. Meanwhile, the Attorney General, our nation’s chief law enforcement officer, has been busy cracking down on dozens of websites that sold things like counterfeit purses. Eric Holder simply has the wrong priorities.

During his tenure as Attorney General, Holder short-circuited the interrogation of the underwear bomber by ordering that the terror suspect be given Miranda rights within the first hour of questioning. Holder’s use of civilian trials for terror suspects proved to be a failure last month when a civilian jury acquitted a man on 284 of 285 counts. This was after a judge refused to allow the testimony of a key prosecution witness, even though our military had captured the suspect after a gunfight in Pakistan and linked him to deadly bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.

Eric Holder has also had a slew of lesser problems, like his outspoken criticism of Arizona’s immigration law before he had even read the law, his dropping of charges in the New Black Panthers voter intimidation case, and his failure to investigate fraud allegations and the misuse of taxpayer dollars in the recent Pigford claims settlement.

The time has come for Eric Holder to step down as Attorney General of the United States. As a member of Congress and a mother of five children, I am concerned about the very real threats facing our country. We need a chief law enforcement officer who understands those dangers and knows how to respond.

The American people may have passed a referendum on the Nancy Pelosi’s job-killing policies of the 111th Congress, but the Democrats’ term isn’t quite over. The existing Republicans need to stand their ground in the approaching lame duck session. I voted against adjournment this September because Democrats refused to pick up the issue of extending tax cuts. They were worried about facing their constituents. Instead they scurried out of Washington, thus providing uncertainly to small businesses and families. In the lame duck, current Republicans must do everything within our power to prevent Democrat tax hikes on January 1st. Our current tax rates need be extended for all Americans because higher tax rates equal more job losses. The American people must also maintain their voice after exiting the voting booth – they can put pressure on their Representative during this time through calls, emails, and letters.

The more damage we can prevent in the lame duck session, the less we will have to work to repeal in the 112th Congress as there is plenty on our plate already. I plan to start the new term by resubmitting my bill to repeal all 2,000 pages of Obamacare. My one-page, 41-word bill rolls-back the legalese, loopholes and massive liabilities in the health care overhaul. It will remove the trillion-dollar burden on the nation’s taxpayers.

As we work on repealing Obamacare, we can defund it. We will also work to remove the unconstitutional mandatory purchase requirement. This very condition is being tested in the judicial system by 21 states’ attorney generals. I have always said health care reform is needed, but instead the Democrat’s monstrosity, I will introduce commonsense proposals like the ability to buy across state lines and measures for tort reform.

The next undertaking can focus on getting our fiscal house in order. We will start by cancelling the unspent funds in the “stimulus” and directing repaid TARP funds be returned to the U.S. Treasury. Our national debt currently stands at $13 trillion which is up $5 trillion since Nancy Pelosi took the gravel. The new Majority will work to ease our debt burdens and not increase spending measures unnecessarily. Finally, we can pass legislation to audit the Federal Reserve – a measure supported by 320 representatives but ignored by Speaker Pelosi in the 111th Congress.

We also need to hold true to procedural reform called for by the American people. We should never have to pass bills, “to find out what is in them.” Instead, Members need to understand what they are voting on. Democrats promised they would post bills online before passage. Unfortunately, they didn’t keep their promise but now is our opportunity to bring real transparency to Washington. Next, unrelated bills should not be joined together. For example, a proposal like the federalization of the student loan industry should not have been attached with the health care overhaul. Finally, and most importantly, we need to verify every bill passed is truly constitutional.

Members of Congress must remember we represent the American people and we work for them. In January both returning and new members will swear to uphold the Constitution. It is my sincere desire that the Tea Party continues to hold us accountable. This is our chance, to save our republic and reform government. We can find fiscal stability, lower taxes, and fewer regulations to result in a limited government. Thank you, American people, for trusting us to return to our founding principles. We cannot let you down.

It takes a reading of 90 to indicate a healthy economy — a level not approached since the recession began in December 2007.

Economists watch confidence closely because consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity and is critical to a strong rebound.

The index — which measures how shoppers feel about business conditions, the job market and the next six months — had been recovering fitfully since hitting an all-time low of 25.3 in February 2009, but Americans are just as downbeat as they were a year ago.

In September 2009, the index stood at 53.4. Since then, it has mostly hovered in a tight range between the mid-40s and the high 50s.

Before Congress leaves Washington for the next five weeks, a vote should be taken to extend tax cuts for American families and small businesses. A vote to halt a massive $3.9 trillion tax increase set to go into effect on January 1, 2011, will bring needed relief to taxpayers, signal to a weary American public that Congress can be part of the solution to recovering our economy, and boost consumer’s confidence in the direction of our country. It’s a common-sense approach to restoring confidence and stabilizing our economy.

Speaker Pelosi, stop putting politics before the American people and let us vote this week to help all Americans.

What the Presidents fail to tell us is that Democrats themselves are the inventors and implementers of this very radical idea.

As the Democrats—led by the current and a former president—attempt to rouse the nation’s fears in propounding this “corporate takeover” theme, the hypocrisy of their policies over the past two years can’t be overlooked.

Indeed, it is the federal government takeover and control of private industry that has the automobile companies, GM and Chrysler, adding billions of dollars to the federal deficit, all because Uncle Sam, operating through formerly private businesses, is a very poor businessman.

Most unfortunately, GM and Chrysler, at the direction of President Obama’s Automobile Task Force, issued pink slips and closure notices to employees and car dealerships and created the potential for the destruction of 150,000 jobs by shuttering approximately 3,400 privately owned car dealerships across the nation.

Within a nanosecond of Uncle Sam creating the Automobile Task Force for the ostensible purpose of saving GM and Chrysler, the vaunted car companies declared bankruptcy.  At about the same time, Uncle Sam fired the CEO hired by the GM board of directors, and installed a new governmentally-selected CEO.  Remember, GM was a private company.

Whether Presidents Obama and Clinton want to believe it or not, private corporations, operated by the government, are driving government policies already.  With a guaranteed bailout waiting in the wings, any large governmentally owned or controlled corporation today knows that risk doesn’t matter and they can promise the world to their employees, unions and shareholders.

Uncle Sam also purchased dominant equity interests in Bank of America, Citi, AIG, Fannie and Freddie, and the student loan industry. In the case of Fannie and Freddie and the student loan industry, the federal government effectively put any private competitors out of business. This renders Uncle Sam to drive political rather than business decisions at the feast of evermore tax dollars to maintain corporate viability.

And now government bureaucrats are about to implement healthcare policies under Obamacare that will effectively collapse the private health insurance market down to a government-controlled monopoly of several privately-owned, but governmentally-controlled, insurance companies.

Both Presidents Obama and Clinton have themselves been benefactors of significant corporate aid.  It was candidate Barack Obama, back in 2008, who reversed his position on public funding of political campaigns, opting instead to raise private funds from corporate America. His Wall Street contributions surpassed even George W. Bush’s contributions from 2004.

Candidate Barack Obama received almost one million dollars in donations from individuals and PAC’s tied to Goldman Sachs, more then any other candidate.  Also, candidate Obama received three times the amount of money than any other candidate from individuals and PAC’s tied to BP.  This hypocrisy is beyond pale.

In a similar tone last week, while rallying in Minnesota, President Clinton warned that the “extreme right” is attempting to break apart the government and crown large corporations with control. But President Clinton, much like President Obama, is no slouch when it comes to raising money from Wall Street. While showering the American people with staunch anti-corporate rhetoric, President Clinton continues to cozy up to Wall Street bankers and hedge fund managers in an effort to raise money for the Democrat Party and Democrat Candidates.

Presidents Clinton and Obama, as they point their accusatory fingers at conservatives, need to remember that they are responsible for the new policy government operating corporations, which in turn run the country today.

Just when you thought Congress was in recess for six weeks, Speaker Pelosi couldn’t even go a week without spending more of your money.

That’s why on Monday, August 9th at 7pm ET, at the same time the House convenes for legislative business, I’ll be hosting, along with my fellow House colleagues, a national tele-townhall to tell the American people what Speaker Pelosi is up to. To take part, visit my website at www.michelebachmann.com.

I hope you will join us because this is your opportunity to make your voices heard once again. It’s time to tell Speaker Pelosi ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

What the Democratic Leadership doesn’t seem to understand is that the Tea Party isn’t a political party; it’s a set of ideas shared by the overwhelming majority of Americans.

The Tea Party is made up of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, Constitution Party members, and apolitical Americans.

They are mainstream folks who love our nation and who wish to see America return to policies of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and strictly adhere to our Constitution. After all, these are the fundamental principles of our founding and represent the character of America.

For the Democrats to portray these fundamental principles as radical and a hindrance to public policy shows just how far out of touch they are from the political pulse of this country.

I hope the Democrats’ latest messaging campaign reaches far and wide because it will do nothing but distance them further from Main Street America.

“The most basic responsibility of governing” is “enacting a budget.”

Apparently House Democrats aren’t even able to deliver on the most basic of responsibilities.

The Democrats reckless spending spree has clearly put the budget process on lock down. Under their leadership, we’ve witnessed $935 billion in deficit spending through the first eight months of this fiscal year alone. That’s not a good trend considering that last year, House Democrats added $1.9 trillion to the national debt.

The kicker in this story though is Majority Leader Hoyer’s defense of his party’s economic policies, such as the failed economic “stimulus” and numerous bailouts:

“Let me make it very clear. In the short term we can not stimulate and depress at the same time. That is counterintuitive and I think will not work. No matter what you do, you can’t cut yourself into a balanced budget.”

Now, let me be very clear. The best way to stimulate the economy and create jobs is to cut wasteful spending, reduce the tax burden on small businesses and families, and keep money in the private sector. That’s a tried and true recipe for economic success. Unfortunately, current House leadership just doesn’t get the message. By not doing a budget, Democratic leadership will continue their wild spending spree at the expense of future generations of Americans.

Reuters reports that:

“The U.S. debt will top $13.6 trillion this year and climb to an estimated $19.6 trillion by 2015…The total U.S. debt includes obligations to the Social Security retirement program and other government trust funds. The amount of debt held by investors, which include China and other countries as well as individuals and pension funds, will rise to an estimated $9.1 trillion this year from $7.5 trillion last year. By 2015 the net public debt will rise to an estimated $14 trillion…”

Yet, The Hill informs us that labor leaders actually want the government to spend more on their behalf, despite that fact that our national debt is at an all-time high:

“Lawmakers should not allow themselves to be held back by concerns over deficit spending, the leaders argued, as the best solution to bringing down the national debt is to create more jobs and raise consumer spending and government tax revenue.”

It’s not just “concerns” over deficit spending that have lawmakers worried, it’s the common sense knowledge that you can’t spend your way out of a spending problem.

In March, Moody’s warned both the US and the UK that stale growth in the economy and increasing unemployment rates would threaten our AAA credit rating:

“The pattern of growth and the high rate of unemployment raise the question of how strong the recovery will be going forward,” Moody’s said. “The ability of the U.S. economy to grow more rapidly and, therefore, for government revenues to contribute to fiscal consolidation, will have to depend on a revival in the growth of consumption.”

Our country is standing at the edge of a cliff, and meeting the demands of the unions will push us off.  The left can continue to ask for more money, more stimulus and more benefits, but commonsense must rule the day.  We cannot spend our way out of a spending problem. If we keep it up, we risk losing our National AAA credit rating which will spell certain disaster for every single American. It time to restore a sense of fiscal responsibility in Congress.

This “focus back on jobs” line is a symptom of a much bigger problem: the Administration and Democratic leadership not being able to focus long enough on the issues people care about to solve them. And when they try, they act completely opposite of what the American people want and expect.

Leaders in Washington chose to takeover health care, make permanent the bailouts for Wall Street, and now want to drive up energy costs with cap-and-trade.  They could have chosen tax relief for all Americans, pro-job growth business policies or reduced the costs of health care without spending a trillion-dollars and growing the size of government and bureaucracy.

Republicans are ready to abandon these old ways of closed door deals and elitist policy discussions, ways that have to be honest, lured Republicans off the path of limited government and limited spending in years past.  This time, we’re turning to you, the American people.

We want you to let us know what you want funded and what you don’t, what programs you disagree with and what solutions you’d like to see us explore. AmericaSpeakingOut.com is an innovative, transparent and honest initiative that will allow you to do just that. Instead of Washington telling you what’s best, you can now take control.

Minnesota has a long and treasured history of civic participation, so I’m expecting plenty of ideas and thoughts from my home state.  And I hope that with help from the rest of the Country, we can right this ship and restore America’s greatness.

Just this week Carlo Stagnaro and Luciano Lavecchia lamented about the cost of “green” jobs on the Italian workforce in a piece for Wall Street Journal Europe:

“The ‘green economy’ is supposed to be a win-win situation, as massive subsidies for renewable energy sources and other ‘clean’ technologies would help both the environment and the economic recovery. The facts on the ground tell a different story, though.  One green job costs on average as much 4.8 jobs in the entire economy, or 6.9 jobs in the industrial sector. The same amount of subsidies that have already been given or committed could produce nearly five times as many jobs if allowed to be spent by the private sector elsewhere in the economy. Our results are largely consistent with the evidence provided by Professor Gabriel Calzada of the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, who found that in Spain, one green job costs on average as much as 2.2 ‘dirty’ jobs. The reason why the Italian figure is more than twice as high is mostly because Italy, unlike Spain, is technology importer, not a producer.  Our figures only seem to confirm what is intuitive: That the green economy may be very profitable for those who receive the subsidies, but that they are detrimental to the overall economy.”

The American economy can’t handle more job losses, and as more people step into the unemployment line, we definitely can’t handle the “necessary increase” in energy costs that President Obama promised a coal worker on the campaign trail.  These kinds of trendy initiatives show the short-sightedness of this administration and congressional leadership.  The carbon trade plan enacted in Europe has proven disastrous for its economy, and there’s no reason to believe that if enacted here in the United States, we wouldn’t see similar results.

Cap-and-trade is touted as “environmentally friendly” and as a “green job creator”, but by any other name it’s simply another tax on energy, a tax on American families and a tax on job-creating businesses. We already have enough of those. We need to support an “all of the above” energy solution to explore every possible answer to our Nation’s energy crisis.