Congress in Recess -

Today in Washington, D.C. - Feb 20, 2011:
U.S. Senate and House are not in session this week! However, the activism of the White House, its czars, and  various departments and bureaus continue. Recalling the old saying, "there is no rest for the wicked," well in fact, the wicked in Washington, D.C. do not rest, which keep the rest of you fine people concerned and others tracking these bureaucrats.

All the people working for the federal government across our Nation are NOT wicked. The are our neighbors, family members, friends, etc.  Most are doing their jobs as required.  Unfortunately, the dictates of their job are also defined by the dictates of the Big Government liberal bureaucrats: Agency and Department Heads.  Even when they take action that chips away at the freedom of others or invades the lives and privacy of their fellow citizens, they do it because they are following their jobs unaware of the consequences to them and their fellow citizens.

As George Washington said in his Farewell address: "[T]he habits of thinking in a free country should inspire caution, in those intrusted with its administration, to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another. The spirit of encroachment tends to consolidate the powers of all the departments in one, and thus to create, whatever the form of government, a real despotism. A just estimate of that love of power, and proneness to abuse it, which predominates in the human heart, is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position."

Public Notice, a D.C.nonprofit watchdog group points shares the following today. There are good regulations that keep us safe and keep our environment clean and then there are regulations that increase the costs for Americans and businesses, which only holds back our economy from creating jobs.

• We all recognize regulations are needed. Many regulations keep us safe, but in many instances the federal government needs to stop trying to fix things that aren’t broken.  At the end of the day, federal regulations come with added costs for Americans and businesses alike.
• According to a report released by the government (SBA, Impact of Regulatory Costs on Small Firms, 2010), the average U.S. household pays nearly $15,600 in added costs directly linked to federal regulations each year.

As regulations have grown over the years, so have the price of everyday household items.

• Americans know the amount of federal regulations have drastically increased over the years.  As they’ve watched these regulations increase, they’ve seen the prices of goods and services continue to rise.

Small businesses bear the brunt of federal regulations.  It’s time we put small businesses on a level playing field, so they don’t drown in the government’s red tape.

• According to a government report, “small businesses…bear the largest burden of federal regulations” (SBA, Impact of Regulatory Costs on Small Firms, 2010).
• This isn’t a surprise. While large businesses may be able to use loopholes, mom-and-pop stores don’t have the benefit of having a team of lawyers and lobbyists to get around the government’s red tape.

Consider the Economic Snapshot
Current Deficit: $349 billion
Current National Debt: $15.39 trillion
Debt Per Household: $134,736
Debt Per Individual: $49,170
Unemployment Rate: 8.3%
Consecutive Months of Budget Deficit: 40

KEY POLLING DATA
Gallup released a poll on small businesses and hiring. According to the survey, 46% cite government regulations as a reason they are not hiring. Five issues, including the rising cost of health care and the economy in general, received higher percentages.

According to a poll by The Hill, “Forty-five percent [of adults] felt the budget’s primary focus should be on job creation while 40% said cutting spending was the most important priority. ... Independents broke slightly in favor of cutting spending (43%) over creating jobs (40%), although that spread is within the poll’s 3 percentage point error margin.”

Congress: Average approval for late January to mid-February was 11.5% according to the liberal leaning RealClearPolitics average. Average disapproval was 81.8%. Also, according to the RealClearPolitics average, which covered early- to mid-February, 33.8% think the country is headed in the right direction while 59.8% think it is headed in the wrong direction.

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