Morning Bell: Will Harry Reid Also Hide in Illinois?
Rory Cooper /
Over the past week the nation witnessed the spectacle of Wisconsin and Indiana Democrat lawmakers fleeing across state-lines into Illinois, Bonnie and Clyde-style, though in this case in hopes that their absence would stave off having to make tough decisions. Back home, their votes were needed to rescue their states from dire fiscal problems, and that is the case in states across the rest of the Midwest and the rest of the nation. Budget deficits are bulging and competition for scarce financial resources is growing more alarming.
This Prohibition-era retro replay may indeed spread to the federal government and Washington, as a new Congress grapples with its first tough budget debate. Will liberals duck responsibility again?
The federal government has been operating under a Continuing Resolution that will expire on March 4th. The House, led by Republican Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has already passed a new Continuing Resolution (CR) that cuts approximately $61 billion from the current year’s budget and keeps the government otherwise functioning through year’s end. It is now up to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and President Obama to decide if they will accept this modest first step towards fiscal responsibility or continue to push our nation down the unsustainable path that voters rejected in November 2010. (more…)