Send message about waste, corruption

Send message about waste, corruption

Thanks to the sequester, federal spending from Jan 1 to Oct. 1 was reduced by $100 billion. That is the good news, the bad news is that the budget deficit for fiscal 2013 will still be a staggering $680 billion.

So what do some of our esteemed representatives want to do? They want to restore some of the spending cuts forced on the federal government by the sequester.

In 2013, federal revenues were $2.8 trillion while spending was $3.5 trillion, leaving the government with a budget deficit of almost $7 billion.

Because of the sequester, spending in 2013, was reduced by $100 billion. Not great, but not bad. So instead of looking for more ways to reduce wasteful. there are members of Congress who want to end some of the spending cuts mandated by the sequester.

In 2013 defense spending was $821.6 billion, which was only a slight reduction from the years when the country was actively engaged in two wars.

That leaves taxpayers with only one option if they do not want to continue to see their tax dollars wasted on bloated government agencies and departments: vote out of office the career politicians responsible for a national debt of almost $17 trillion.

In the elections of 2014 and 2016, voters could show their anger with spendthrift politicians by voting to oust any senator who has served two terms, 12 years, and members of the House who have served six terms, 12 years. Doing that might send a message to our representatives that voters are sick and tired of the waste and corruption in government.

Victor Darst

West Dundee