Weekly Column:   –  “With Democrats in control of the White House and both houses of Congress, they will have final say over the response to our country’s present fiscal condition.  Charting the way forward is serious business for every elected representative at every level of government, however. I would like to submit an commonsense, conservative view of fundamental, short-term things we can do today to brighten America’s tomorrow.

The Republican response to this economic crisis ought to come from the middle ground, and that’s the note I would drop in the White House’s suggestion box.  Here are some other ideas to strengthen our nation during a difficult time:

We can agree that government spending has a role to play in strengthening the backbone of our economy.  Highways, river transportation, job training programs, and alternative fuels are basic, important areas where taxpayer investment will pay dividends for every working family.  We have a unique opportunity to invest in infrastructure, and we should do it.  Trillions in unrelated spending on long-term plans, like those proposed in President Obama’s budget, are not focused on the economic problems at hand.  A $3.6 trillion budget is irresponsible at a time when we need to make every dollar count on the roads, rails and rivers that carry American products to market.

Similar to investments in transportation, investments in energy ought to play a key role in our economic rebuilding.  Counter to this purpose, President Obama’s budget proposes $646 billion in greenhouse gas taxes over the next ten years.  Sure, this money will come from the coffers of electric companies, cooperatives and American businesses large and small, but those industries that can survive the layoffs this new tax would cause will pass all of their costs on to the American consumer, regardless of economic standing or circumstances.  Americans young and old, rich and poor, employed and unemployed will pay this tax every time they flip on the light switch. 

My Republican suggestion to solve the same problem should emphasize tax credits for new energy technologies and, just as important, renew emphasis on responsible exploration and recovery of domestic oil, coal and natural gas resources.  We cannot transition to wind, solar, and new battery technologies overnight, so we must assure American businesses a reliable supply of affordable energy in the meantime.  Without even the promise that we will try to bring more domestic resources to market, devastating uncertainty creeps into the markets and ends with American jobs going overseas.

Tax relief targeted to small businesses and innovative loan programs can also spur growth.  This principle applies to Americans families as well, especially those who have fallen on hard times.  We should not, for example, be taxing unemployment benefits of Americans who have lost their jobs in this economy, something the majority party has quietly allowed to happen.  Finally on the subject of taxes, in a recession caused by dramatic national drops in house prices, we cannot implement measures that will hold those prices down even more.  The president’s budget slashes the home mortgage interest deduction, a major piece of the tax code that in some cases provides the margin that makes home ownership possible for American families.  We have to preserve tax advantages to buying a home and keep our nation’s housing stock moving.

One thing members of both parties agree upon: we must punish wrongdoing in mortgage markets, credit markets, and on Wall Street.  Smaller government is a good general approach, but not when it comes to the investigators and auditors tasked with keeping financial companies honest.  We need fine-tuned regulations, more technology in the enforcement offices of federal agencies, and – most importantly – we need solutions that will not restrict American entrepreneurs and honest investors from pursuing opportunities which will revitalize the job market. 

This economic crisis will pass, but the lessons of this chapter in our history must not be forgotten.  Today, there is a gross imbalance between the amount of money the government spends and the amount of money it actually has. Deficit spending, an overly complicated tax code, government waste and lax oversight should be made obsolete.  That’s what I’m thinking about in every committee hearing I attend and on every vote.”