National Debt Tied with Terrorism as the Greatest Perceived Threat to our Future Well-Being

We found this gem at the bottom of Dr. Coburn's email very telling:

Just The Facts: A 2008 review by the Internal Revenue Service found that an estimated 100,000 federal employees were delinquent on their federal taxes, for a total of nearly $1 billion in back taxes. If you include federal retirees and the military, the amount jumps to $3 billion.

That is a pretty telling paragraph -- people involved with the Federal Government don't worry about their taxes. There has to be a better way than the Tax Code we have today. Just look at how many tax laws are added each year and then changed again. A simplified tax structure would help cut down unnecessary paperwork and would be more fair to everyone.

Great to see the American people waking up to what is happening in Congress and the White House with runaway spending. Every time we turn around Obama is promising more money overseas when we are running such a huge deficit. He doesn't care as he takes on a road to bankruptcy as long as he gets to do what he wants.

We could save a lot if Obama would be grounded and not be able to use Air Force One to take a trip to a state like Ohio where he was on the ground 59 minutes and gave a 12 minute speech at a cost estimate of $500,000 to $1,000,000. Then we learn that his wife and daughters are vacationing in California on our nickle. Who keeps track of the White House budget or did the Democrats in Congress give him unlimited funds to spend what he wants? That is also something not going over well with the American people.

In fact, most people I talk to in person, on the phone, or on line have frankly had it with Obama, Pelosi, and Reid treating the United States Treasury like their piggy bank to spend at will. Pelosi and Hoyer have no intention of even doing a budget resolution this year in defiance of the Budget Law from 1974. Are they afraid the American people will see their runaway spending and what they have added to the deficit before the election?

This email from Dr. Tom Coburn brings good news and as Republicans we need to drive home that the runaway spending and adding to the deficit has to stop as the Federal Government needs to go on a diet from spending money they don't have. We need to support Senators Thune, DeMint, and Coburn in their efforts to reign in federal spending by sending more Republicans to the Senate like Marco Rubio, Sharron Angle, Mike Lee, and other Conservative Republican Senate candidates who are being elected in primaries this summer.

Dear Sharon,

A recent poll indicated that the national debt is tied with terrorism as the greatest perceived threat to our future well-being. In the Gallup poll to survey the concerns of Americans, 79 percent of Americans now rank the national debt as an extremely serious or serious concern.

Twice as many Americans rate government debt as an extremely serious concern as those concerned with the environment and global warming.

View Poll Here

It should not be surprising to see terrorism listed as a major concern for most Americans, as it has been for the past nine years. The threat posed by our enemies is immediate and it must be met with absolute American strength. The fact that concerns over mounting government debt now match concerns regarding terrorism is telling, and frankly, gives me some hope that we can end the spending addiction in Washington before it is too late.

This poll confirms something that you and I already know. When given the facts about the mismanagement of our federal government, our neighbors, friends and family instantly recognize the threat and understand that reckless spending is not just innocent child’s play by our political leaders. It is malpractice that threatens each and every one of us.

This week, Senators Thune, DeMint and I continue to challenge a plan by Senate leaders to pass an “extenders” bill that will add billions more to our deficit. I have offered 20 specific amendments that will ensure that not a single dime is added to our $1.6 trillion budget deficit for 2010.

Frankly, it is unlikely the Senate will accept my cost cutting and government efficiency amendments. True change, the kind that will interrupt our current path to insolvency, will come when the voice of the American people—fully armed with the facts—is heard in Washington. If you would like to see how senators vote on cost cutting amendments as they are debated, you can track them here.

The Gallup poll is proof that we are making a difference that will soon be heard in Washington. The majority of Americans now know the threat posed by reckless spending. Now, it is our job to make sure that our friends and neighbors get to the polls on Election Day.

Thank you for your efforts to inform your friends and neighbors, and as always, keep fighting!

Dr. Tom

P.S. If you’re interested in volunteering for the 2010 election, click here. Your efforts will make a difference on Election Day.

In The News “If You Can't Budget, You Can't Govern”"...the House is likely to pass a "functional equivalent" measure that leaves out inconvenient budget numbers - most notably an annual operating deficit averaging around $1 trillion over the next five to 10 years." Read more.