A Budget & Continuing Resolution Rule With Teeth
First and foremost let’s all remember that the House, Senate and President knew this day was coming, it was not a surprise or unexpected. The last CR was passed in September 2012, so this has become a pattern and the norm. If this resolution is so important and so critical, then why didn’t the House and Senate delay their FIVE WEEK vacation (summer recess) and deal with the issue? I think the answer is pretty simple, they did not want to lose their 5 week vacation.
Now we are told this is a crisis, in fact the phrase “Armageddon”, and “Catastrophic” have been used to describe how impactful this will be. The economy will collapse, thousands of jobs will be lost, the National Parks will all shut down, the military will have no maintenance of its equipment and yes the Panda Cam at the National Zoo will be shut down (As per www.today.com .
Here three measures which would almost eliminate the constant budget and debt ceiling crisis:
1. Pass a real true and actual budget and live within it.
2. Allow one CR per 12 months with a maximum of seven 24 hour extensions. At the end of 7 days, if no budget is in place, an election will be held in 9 months and the entire House, Senate and Presidency will be on the ballot
3. One minute into the extension of the budget with a CR, the House, Senate &  President lose one year of pay.  No retro back pay. For each additional day of the CR they lose a month’s pay, same rules of no retro back pay. After the 6th day of the CR without a budget, all elected officials lose the right to run for Federal Elected Office for 8 years.
I can almost promise you with those conditions in place, we would have a budget each and every year, and the CR’s would be a thing of the past. The same rules could be applied with regard to debt ceiling.
For those of you who feel this is harsh I want you to remember when you were a child or parent. There were certain chores that were to be done, and if the chores were not completed satisfactorily, then there was a loss of allowance. If you want the power of being an elected Federal Official, then you need to accept the responsibilities and the consequences. Radical, yes, effective, you bet it will be!
I am Chuck Pithy and I tell it like it is.
