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from Denny Rehberg's e-newsletter

Faster horses

Well-known member
While some of my colleagues have decided the best strategy is to skip public meetings altogether, I am in the middle of another long stretch of Listening Sessions that runs to the four corners of Montana. By the end of the week, I'll have held more than 70 listening sessions since last year. Listening to what Montanans think about what's going on in Washington, D.C. is one of the most important parts of my job. The feedback you give me is one of the reasons I voted against every bailout (including the 'so-called' stimulus), the government takeover of health care and the cap and trade energy tax.

You're invited to attend any of the listening sessions to ask questions, make comments or just listen. My events are open to the entire public, and I take questions from all-comers. And I've never restricted participation with tickets or a moderator. If you can't make it out in person, consider joining my online Town Hall via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Taxes and the Economy

While Montanans struggle with economic hardships, Washington, D.C. is poised to hit us with the largest tax increase in American history. Even as the President's own economic advisers acknowledge the economic devastation that higher taxes will have, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent the House of Representatives home for six weeks with no plans whatsoever to prevent this tax increase.

This doesn't come as a surprise though, because Congress has been waging a silent war on jobs for years. Did you know that Montana's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has not gone down once since 2006 when Democrats took control of Congress? Not once. Now, after a failed stimulus that bailed out states like California, and policies that hurt the very small businesses we need to create jobs, national unemployment remains at nearly ten percent.

Government Spending Reform

With record deficits adding to a record debt, the federal government's fiscal problems are delaying economic recovery. When Republicans lost the House and Senate in 2006, the federal budget was well on its way back to a surplus. But spending over the past four years has exploded with the new majority that tries to solve every problem by throwing more tax dollars at it. The deficit has quadrupled since 2009!

I've been fighting for spending reform for years, and now people are starting to listen. I've lead by example, putting your tax dollars where my mouth is and forgoing earmarks. I sponsored legislation that would apply the money saved to the debt. I offered amendments in each of my Appropriations subcommittees to save taxpayers more than $18 billion by freezing spending levels (here, here and here), and have sponsored legislation to cut non-defense/homeland security/veterans affairs spending by 5% across the board.

Update on the Federal Land Grab

Despite empty assurances that the public will be involved in the designation of millions of acres as a national monument, folks remain skeptical. And you have good reason to be. The story "New National Monument Is an Idea Worth Considering" from New West gives some insight into the motives of those who support this secretive plan. It turns out, ignoring public opposition is the whole point.

That leaves the Antiquities Act as the only realistic option. If our senators and representatives don’t like it, well, tough cookies. Many of us have lost our confidence in Congress. The system has become so politically divisive and convoluted that it’s next to impossible to do anything controversial, regardless of the positive economic and environmental benefits.

We can have an extensive public involvement process. Everybody can have his or her say, but we should suffer no illusion about a consensus emerging from this process. After all the shouting ends, Obama will have to just do it.
 
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