A Word from Randy

As we begin 2012 and a new year, this country faces many challenges.  I look forward to continuing to be your steady advocate for the conservative values you and I share.  The biggest battle will continue to be over what kind of country America will become.  What will her future be?  Will we succumb to the notion that government can do everything for everyone, or will we return to the principles of our founding fathers of personal freedoms, responsibilities, and personal rewards for hard work and risk-taking? 

I believe that for the long-term life of our country, we have but one choice: demanding that government reduce its spending and begin living within its means.  It would be difficult for an insolvent country to survive.  This momentous task will require that America's citizens be willing to wean themselves from the entitlements upon which some have begun to depend.  It will require sacrifice and determination from every citizen--both elected officials and the constituents who choose them--and the agreement that government is not the answer. 

Almost every piece of legislation that comes to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote will impact what America's future looks like. I promise to stand firm to protect America, the land of opportunity, with every vote I cast on your behalf. 

One issue that is currently in the national spotlight is the continuation of the payroll tax extension. While I am a staunch proponent for lower taxes, this is no true tax cut.  Unless properly offset by reductions in spending for other programs this year, continuing this policy will create a budget deficit of $166.8 billion in the fiscal year 2012 budget. 

I am deeply concerned about any policies that continue to grow our already out-of-control national debt, but I am also very troubled by the impact the payroll tax "holiday" has on our Social Security program.  Let me give you some additional details about how this "tax cut" works.  Before this new payroll tax policy became law last year, employees paid, through salary withholding, 6.2% of their wages into the Social Security program - known as FICA.  With the payroll tax "holiday", this amount was reduced from 6.2% to 4.2%. In the short-term, this does put some extra dollars each month into employee paychecks.  In the long-term, it takes money directly out of the Social Security program which is already experiencing serious solvency problems for future generations. 

The way to preserve and protect our already strapped-for-cash Social Security system is not to lower the amount that individuals pay into the program.  Instead, we need to pursue policies that protect the soundness of our Social Security program, even if that means not offering tax "holidays" that we cannot afford, unless we find another way to pay for it. This is an example of the difficult choices that our country will face as we attempt to begin to live within our means. 

Piecemeal legislative policies are not the answer. House Republicans have passed twenty-seven bills that would promote job growth and increase economic security for America, yet we are still waiting for the Senate to consider a single one of them. That is twenty-seven bills that would provide solid and long-term solutions, not money shuffling.  I favor a broad and extensive overhaul of the tax system in general.

Americans across the board pay too much in taxes, in part, to fund frivolous pet projects, unnecessary programs and irresponsible and unaffordable entitlements. I support serious reforms to the manner of our national spending and to the Social Security program in order to strengthen the program and insure our overall future economic stability.

It's time that the American government follow the example of American families - during seasons of hardship, you trim the fat, cut to the bone and prepare to ride out the storm.