Cong Tom Cole (R-OK) Praises Budget Agreement

Congressman Cole is from the 4th District of Oklahoma with Norman, Moore, Lawton, Ada, and Ardmore as the primary cities in the district along with Tinker AFB in Midwest City and Fort Sill in Lawton. Military from both bases especially Fort Sill are always going on deployment.

Couldn't believe it when Obama said he would veto and Reid said he would vote against pay for our military if we had a Government shutdown. Tom Cole knows the struggle the people of his district who are in the military already go through to make ends meet. The thought of not paying our military was met by most Oklahomans with pure disdain for Obama and Reid.

There are a few Republicans who oppose this bill but they seem to forget that a Government shutdown would affect millions of people who through no fault of their own wouldn't get paid including our military since Obama was going to veto a continuing spending measure that included their pay. Some of these people want their social issues to be primary just like some in Oklahoma. The new cuts $80 billion from the Obama FY11 budget but that still is not enough for some of the far right. Guess if both the far right and far left oppose the bill, it must be pretty good.

If we had more Congressman like Tom Cole and others, we would be better off. He has a ton of 'Common Sense' and understands that he is a Republican but once elected represents every member of his district not just Republicans. For that he is sometimes a target of Oklahoma social conservatives even though he is pro-life because he puts our military and our economy first. Cong Dan Boren (D-OK) votes for his Oklahoma District but gets attacked by the far left for not following Pelosi.

Cole Praises Budget AgreementApril 9, 2011

House, Senate Agree to Largest Spending Cut in American History
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Tom Cole (OK-4) released the following statement after Congress approved a temporary funding measure to avert a government shutdown and agreed to pass a long-term bill to cut almost $80 billion below President Obama's 2011 budget request -- the largest spending cut in American history:

"When this agreement is approved next week, it could mark the point at which we begin turning our economy around. Republicans set out to obtain necessary spending cuts and ended up achieving cuts that are truly historic and significant -- without allowing a government shutdown or compromising important principles.

"A government shutdown would bring real hardship to our military families, and passing one more temporary measure to prevent that is the right thing to do. It's unfortunate that Senate Democrats have dragged this process out so long, but the important thing is that we achieve real deficit reductions.

"I look forward to voting for this agreement to cut $79 billion next week and moving on to pass a 2012 budget that cuts trillions."

It is time for Republicans at the national level along with the states level to put social issues on the back burner as Congress and State Legislatures work to get their budgets back in line with more responsible government. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels took a hit for saying social issues belong on the back burner to getting our Country turned around financially. He was right but he got clobbered by those social conservatives who speak the loudest.

When you have people from both sides who are too far left or right, it creates an attitude of 'my way or no way!' You cannot run Government like that -- it didn't work under the total Democrat domination for four years and unfortunately the Republicans grew Government on their watch before that with more and more social programs that should be in the community not paid for by Congress.

All you have to do is read how the social conservatives are treating our Speaker of the Oklahoma house to understand that a lot of social conservatives including at the National level have no regard for anyone who doesn't share their views and ideas. Social conservatives are mad at the new Speaker Steele who made the decision that getting our economy back on track, our education system made accountable, and our infrastructure fixed as priorities.

In Oklahoma their large amount of 'social' bills submitted add nothing to our economy, education, or infrastructure but take up valuable time in the Oklahoma Legislature when bills that affect all of us need to be heard. The OK House submitted over 1,200 bills which is ludicrous -- a good portion of those social conservative bills. A lot of their bills they rammed through the Legislature in the past have been overturned in the Courts as they overstepped.

It is a small group of Oklahoma social conservative Representatives and people who yell the loudest about social issues trump everything. We are seeing the same thing at the National level out of another small group that don't seem to understand taking over the House doesn't mean ramming their agenda through the Congress. We control one House but they expect social issues to take the front and center stage including being willing to shut down government and not pay our active duty military to get their points across. I call that selfish and self-centered. Same attitude I had with the Democrats ramming their bills through the Congress the last four years. Don't like that mentality from either side.



Excerpt from The Oklahoman yesterday shows that some of the national people sound just like our Oklahoma social conservatives that are quick to point out only their ideas are correct and everyone else does not need to be heard. I thought that Speaker Steele summed it up very well in this article:

Steele knew he would be a target at the meeting. Some in the group agreed with those who went in December to Bartlesville to protest a House Republican caucus meeting. They didn't like comments Steele had made in which he said he would try to keep the Republican-controlled House focused on bills that would improve the state's business economy. Social conservatives interpreted his comments to mean bills dealing with their concerns would be placed on the back shelf.

Asked if he has been frustrated this session, Steele said he doesn't like when people allow emotions or personalities to get in the way of having a civilized and rational discussion of ideas.

Steele said he likes the book, “The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart,” which looks at the trend of Americans spending more time with people who have similar beliefs.

“When we only interact with people who think and talk just like we do, we tend to think that we're the only ones who are right and everybody else is wrong,” Steele said.

Excerpt: Read more Oklahoma.com

The bottom line is that 435 members of the House and 100 members of the Senate need to work together to get our Country back on the right track with lowering the deficits every year until we have common sense budgets that are restored to the Government. They can start by quit hiring so many Government employees to run new self-serving programs.

Some Democrats and Republicans need reminded they work for 'We the People' and that means all the people not just one ideological group. Follow the Constitution and quit trying to make the Constitution a living document which is a pet project of most liberals and a few conservatives. It serves us as well today as it did when it was written.

Every member of Congress should have this boldly displayed in their office:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."