For Immediate Release                                                Contact: Steve Ellis
January 24, 2011                                                       202-546-8500 x126
 

TCS’s Alexander: “Every Dollar Must be on the Table”

Statement by Taxpayers for Common Sense President Ms. Ryan Alexander regarding tonight’s State of the Union address by President Obama and the Republican Response by Rep. Paul Ryan

The American public is calling on Congress and the White House to work together to find common sense solutions to the significant fiscal challenges we face as a country. It’s time for the federal government to get its finances in order, just as businesses and households across America do every day.

One principle both Democrats and Republicans have to agree on is that every dollar must be on the table. What does this mean? We believe every dollar the federal government spends should satisfy one goal: keeping America the strongest, most vibrant country in the world. We face growing economic challenges from emerging markets around the world, and we must meet those challenges. We must attract innovation and promote a stable, predictable environment to compete and do business, or industry and capital will go somewhere else. How we do this is the question lawmakers must now answer.

Government action has economic consequences. It can prop up politically savvy industries that could not survive in the free market without government handouts. It can stifle growth and innovation by creating tangled, unpredictable tax policies. It can redirect limited resources to the production of things we do not need. Indeed, there are many examples of all of these things.

Putting every federal dollar on the table means actually looking at government programs to see if they are achieving their basic goals. It means drawing the line on political pork, including defense spending. It also means not letting dollars slip away through tax policies that favor one industry at the expense of another, don’t meet national interests, or that create unnecessary incentives for well-established, profitable industries.

Putting every dollar on the table also means being honest with the American people about the sacrifices they will be called to make in order to bring down the deficit. It means realizing there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It means looking at the evidence and making responsible decisions about our collective future. It means demanding excellence from government.

When families and businesses work out their budget problems, they evaluate priorities and make tough choices. This is what we must do. Let’s be smart. Let’s have a legitimate dialogue about where we should spend our precious tax dollars, with the goal of keeping this the greatest place in the world to live, for all Americans.

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