Republican Study Committee's "Contract with America Renewed"

I like to listen to talk radio quite a bit. I really like Glen Beck; he is my favorite. I enjoy Michael Savage. I listen to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity occasionally; but, I can only listen to them in small doses; they are both far too partisan for my tastes...

Limbaugh and Hannity have been blasting the Democrats for years about being tired, having no ideas, not fulfilling their promises, etc.

I wonder why they are not BLASTING The Republican Party over the Contract with America from 1994 or the newest version of The Contract with America?

The Republican Study Committee is a core group of conservatives that is supposed to advance conservative ideals. They have turned out to be a complete failure if you measure them in terms of growth of government over the last 12 years. The RSC is led by the capable Mike Pence from Indiana. Mark Souder is NOT a member of the RSC (Imagine that)...

I have posted a lot of comments about how the Republicans lied to America in the "Contract with America" that allowed them to sweep to power in 1994.

The RSC has issued a "Contract with America renewed" and it is pitiful...

Let me summarize it here: We promise to do all of those things that we promised to do in 1994 and failed to do! We really mean it this time.

DO THEY THINK WE ARE COMPLETELY STUPID?

Lets look at the renewed contract The RSC is proposing:

1. Balances the budget by 2011. Note in 1994 The Republicans promised to balance the budget as well. In the intervening 12 years our nation has not had a balanced budget even ONE year. There are two years they came close; however, they had to rob the Social Security Trust Fund so they could falsely claim to have balanced the budget.

2. Includes pro-growth tax policy. Note in 1994 they promised the same thing. They have implemented some pro-growth tax policy AND they have added THOUSANDS of pages to the tax code and made it more complex and they have ensured that it favors certain businesses over others...

3. Makes real reductions in discretionary spending. They made the exact same promise in 1994 and growth in these programs has EXPLODED under the Republicans...

4. Proposes 358 billion in reconciliation spending. This one is hard for them to backup at all. If they are going to really cut this much spending they should be able to balance the budget next year right?

5. Increases defense spending. They made this promise in 1994 and overall you would have to say they have kept this promise. I am very pro-military; but, we spend WAY TOO MUCH on our military today...

6. Reduces foreign aid by 31 billion over five years while ensuring support for Israel. They promised to decrease foreign aid in 1994 as well. They have not. Foreign aid has grown under the Republicans to record levels...

7. Significantly restructures Commerce, Energy, and Education. They promised the exact same thing in 1994. Since 1994 these programs have grown and have become even larger, even more inefficient, and received new powers. So what do they mean by re-structuring this time? Does it mean they are going to keep growing these programs? Maybe Bush will start a new program called "No nuclear power plant left behind..."

8. Proposes elimination of over 150 Federal Programs. They promised the same thing in 1994. There are FAR MORE government programs today then there were in 1994. Heck, The Republicans will not even cut funding to Amtrak, why should anyone believe they have the nerve to cut anything now? In the last five years The Republicans have had control of the entire government and they have not eliminated one Federal program. They sure have added a lot of programs though...

9. Includes budget process reforms (earmark reform, Constitutional line-item veto, and a federal sunset commission.) They promised to reform the budget process in 1994 and actually have made the budget process worse. We need to eliminate earmarks, require each bill to cover one area and one area only, and we need to prevent politicians from inserting language in the bill at the last minute without anyone's knowledge.

10. Proposes 392 billion in net deficit reduction. They promised to balance the budget in 1994. They are actually promising less this time... We have had several years of record high deficits under The Republicans...

11. Makes no changes to Social Security. They promised the same thing in 1994. This is one of the worst promises I have ever heard. Social Security is on a collision course with disaster. The longer we wait to fix it the worse off America will be. Where are the fiscal conservatives? We need them... They are not in the Republican Party or in the RSC that is for sure.

12. Block grants Medicaid. They promised the exact same thing in 1994.

13. Block grants most Federal Education Programs. They promised the same thing in 1994. We need to abolish the Federal Department of Education. The fifty States need to handle education and The Federal government needs to get OUT OF EDUCATION NOW.

14. Block grants WIA job training programs. They made the same promise in 1994.

15. Rescinds highway bill earmarks. They promised the exact same thing in 1994. The last Federal Highway Bill the Republicans passed broke all records for earmarks... They lie...

16. Caps Medicare growth at 5.4% annually. They of course promised the exact same thing in 1994. Does anyone think they kept this promise over the last 12 years? If you do, I have some land you can buy near a peaceful village called Tikrit...

17. Allows drilling in ANWR. The promised to allow drilling in ANWR in 1994. We still are not drilling in ANWR in 2006... What happened? Did they lie? They have a majority in BOTH Houses of Congress people...

18. Repeal the Davis Bacon Act. They promised to this in 1994 as well. It is still in effect.

19. Reforms agricultural production programs. They of course made the exact same promise in 1994. Since 1994 we spent even more money to subsidize farmers. If by reform they mean "spend even more money on" then they are doing what they promised.

There are some glaring omissions as well:

1. Nothing about immigration.
2. Nothing about term limits. 8 of the Republicans who promised to be in office for only 12 years are up for re-election in 2006... So much for that promise...

Wow. What has the Republican Party come to? The Republican Party is a Party of larger and larger government and broken promises...

Mike Sylvester