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September 2009
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Bayh’s Response

Here is the response to my letter to Senator Bayh about S. 1023.
I’m under the impression my letter was not read.

Dear Mr. TQE:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the fiscal condition of our country. I appreciate your thoughts and understand your concern on this important issue.

I am a longtime advocate of fiscal discipline. As Governor of Indiana, I balanced the State’s budget without raising taxes and left behind a $1 billion surplus. I have continued to push for responsible fiscal management during my time in the U.S. Senate. The troubled state of public finances highlights the importance of restoring fiscal responsibility to the federal budget. Simply put, it is immoral to borrow from our children and grandchildren to finance large and persistent deficits.

It disturbs me that the Federal Government borrows billions each year from foreign creditors, such as the Chinese and Japanese central banks. The growing indebtedness of our country to our competitors raises troubling questions about America’s independence and the ability of foreign countries to influence our economic and trade policies in ways that might not be in our national interest.

For these reasons, it is imperative that we spend every taxpayer dollar wisely. In January, I supported a resolution of disapproval regarding the release of the second half of the funds for the Troubled Asset Relief Program from the Treasury. It concerns me that these funds may have been used improperly, rather than to stabilize our banking system as intended. It is now more important than ever that our government demonstrate the accountability that we taxpayers deserve.

I believe that both parties need to come together and identify ways to control spending. Recently, I was one of three Democrats that opposed a bloated $410 billion Fiscal Year 2009 omnibus appropriations bill to fund the federal government because of the inclusion of $7.7 billion worth of earmarks and an unaffordable eight percent increase in discretionary spending at a time of deepening deficits.

I was also one of two Democrats to vote against the Fiscal Year 2010 congressional budget resolution due to its lack of fiscal restraint. At a time when so many American families are tightening their belts to make ends meet, Congress should be equally committed to living within its means. The budget I opposed projected an unsustainable level of deficits spending. The national debt today stands at over $11 trillion and is projected to reach $17 trillion by 2014 under this budget. We cannot pass that burden on to our children and grandchildren.

One area of particular concern is the runaway practice of congressional earmarks, or “pork-barrel” projects. In 1996, there were 3,023 earmarks; by 2009, the number had increased to 11,914. For this reason, I supported a one-year moratorium on earmarks and have repeatedly voted to strip egregious earmarks from spending bills, including the now-infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” and the so-called “Hippie Museum.” As a longtime leader in the Senate for restoring fiscal responsibility, please know that I will continue the fight to bring accountability and sunshine to a budget process in desperate need of repair.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I hope the information I have provided has been helpful. My website, http://bayh.senate.gov, can provide additional details about my work in the Senate, including legislation and state projects. You can also sign up for occasional email updates. I value your input and hope you will continue to keep me informed of the issues that matter to you.

Office of Senator Evan Bayh
(202) 224-5623
Russell 131
Washington, D.C. 20510

6 comments to Bayh’s Response

  • To Whom It May Concern in Senator Bayh’s Office,

    I am glad to know, judging from the form letter I was sent, that you did not bother to read my previous letter.

    Thanks,

    TQE | Adam

  • disenchanted

    Some staffer probably put it in the wrong file.

  • Lovely to know that your opinion is valued by your representatives, isn’t it?
    Nah, he’s too busy sucking up the money and gifts offered by the lobbyists.

  • Bayh is such a tool. Let us know if/when you hear back from Lugar – I’d be much more interested in what he has to say.

  • disenchanted – so true, and annoyingly true. I’m surprised though that they aren’t careful. They should know that any email they send out may be published. In this case they look like fools.

    Snooker – I hope Bayh’s not that kind of Senator–I don’t have the life time emotive attachment to the Bayh family that many Hoosiers have. He was governor before he was Senator, and his father was also a US Senator from Indiana.

    Sarah – I will post any response I get from Dick Lugar; and if Bayh writes back again, I’ll post his response.

  • […] is the response to my letter to Senator Lugar about S. 1023. Lugar, unlike Bayh, understood my concerns, even if we […]