Congress, Can You Spare a Dime?”

"When growing up, my father, who is now 92 years old, talked about his family’s struggles during the Great Depression. On more than one occasion, he told me how the expression, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” came to represent the national agony of those times. . . . For the sake of our children and grandchildren, please take a moment now to sign onto our “Congress, Can You Spare a Dime?” Citizen’s Demand. - Thomas A. Schatz

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Thomas A. Schatz, President, CAGW: Do you remember or have you ever heard the song, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"  Drawn from the 1932 musical New Americana, it became known as the “anthem of the Great Depression.”

Now, to avert a double-dip recession or potentially worse if we don’t get our nation’s finances in order, we urgently need all Americans to ask: “Congress, Can You Spare a Dime?”

If Congress would cut spending by just 10 percent, or a dime for every dollar the government spends, it would slam the brakes on our nation’s dangerously mounting debt and pave the way to a balanced budget.  Let’s face it, Washington is in gridlock. Individual cuts in even the most obviously wasteful programs are difficult to achieve because no one can agree on the same set of cuts and everyone has a different list of priorities.

What makes this “Congress, Can You Spare a Dime?” National Campaign so powerful is that it is a memorable rallying cry that will force federal agencies to squeeze the waste out of their budgets.  Cutting 10 percent is the least that every business and family must do when faced with a financial crisis.

What also gives this “Congress, Can You Spare a Dime?” National Campaign such potential to catch fire is that most Americans understand that we can reduce spending by 10 percent without cutting the muscle from the government’s most essential programs.

A recent Gallup poll found that “most Americans think the federal government wastes more than half of the tax dollars it collects.” That means most taxpayers would get behind a campaign to cut just 10 percent from every federal agency.   If you have any doubt that at least 10 percent can be cut from every agency budget, let me give you just three options to reach this goal:

CAGW’s Prime Cuts 2011 database alone lists recommendations that would slash $1.8 trillion in government waste over the next five years. That amount equals 9 percent of the $20.1 trillion that the federal government will spend during that period of time.

A March 2011 Government Accountability Office report identified more than $200 billion in duplicative federal programs that can be consolidated or eliminated. The most outrageous finding is that the federal government has 56 programs in 20 different agencies to promote financial literacy at the same time that our nation is on the verge of bankruptcy!

The government made more than $125 billion in improper payments last year. CAGW has long played a leading role in calling for an end to improper payments, which include over-payments, duplicate payments, and payments to the deceased, and we helped to enact the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010, which is intended to cut that $125 billion figure in half over the next five years.

Clearly, wasteful spending remains pervasive within the federal government.  If American families and businesses across the country can trim the fat from their budgets, so too can Washington.  We are not asking for much, just a dime out of every dollar spent.

If you are profoundly worried that President Obama and his big-spending congressional allies who refuse to curb their unprecedented $1 trillion-plus annual deficits are destroying America financially, I urge you as strongly as possible to sign onto our “Congress, Can You Spare a Dime?” Citizen’s Demand.

Your endorsement of this critical CAGW Citizen’s Demand will say that you not only care deeply about the future of this country, but you demand that Washington make the same financial concessions you and your family have had to make to keep your household budget balanced.

This concrete evidence of your support for a 10 percent cut in federal spending will help us draw media attention to this “Congress, Can You Spare a Dime?” National Campaign both here in Washington and across the country. When we tabulate and publicize your Citizen’s Demand, along with countless others from across the nation, Washington officials will know the extent and feel the heat of public outrage at our nation’s dire financial condition.

At the end of last month, America's national debt surpassed 100 percent of gross domestic product. Our debt is growing by $2.8 million every minute, or $4 billion every day. Time is truly running out on America’s financial future.

Add your voice to that of tens of thousands of other Americans from coast to coast who are demanding a 10 percent cut in federal spending. Please sign the “Congress, Can You Spare a Dime?” Citizen’s Demand today.

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