U.S. Congressman from Maryland

Thanks for the Reply Congressman Hoyer. God Speed



July 20, 2011



Mr. Xxxxxx Xxxxxx

0000 Xxx Xxxxxx Xx

Xxxxxx Xxxxx, MD 20XXX



Dear Mr. Xxxxxx,



Thank you for contacting me about the ongoing negotiations on the debt limit and the fiscal challenges facing our country. I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts with me about these issues.



After many years of deficit spending, there is widespread agreement that we must work to balance the federal budget and put America on the path toward fiscal solvency. This was last achieved during the Clinton Administration when pay-as-you-go policies produced four years of budget surpluses and a projected $5.6 trillion, 10-year surplus by 2000. Unfortunately, these gains were reversed during the George W. Bush Administration which advanced significant tax cuts for corporations and upper income individuals, entered into two wars, and enacted a new prescription drug entitlement, all without paying for them. These policies, combined with additional and, in my view, justified deficit spending to lessen the impact of the economic downturn of 2008 and 2009, have put us on an unsustainable fiscal path.



In recent months, Republicans in the House of Representatives have opted to tie this issue to the separate but related issue of raising the debt limit. While many have mistaken raising the debt ceiling for simply allowing Congress to continue future deficit spending, this is not the case. Increasing the debt limit only enables the Federal Government to pay our creditors for the spending that has already taken place. Choosing not to increase the debt limit is not like cutting up our nation's credit cards – it is instead like making the arbitrary decision not to pay our credit card bills. Doing so would force the United States to default on its securities, which would not only cause immediate, and potentially catastrophic, economic instability, but would reduce our country's ability to borrow when faced with future emergencies. In addition, it would directly impact consumers by immediately driving up interest rates on credit cards and auto, home, and education loans. In my view, refusing the raise the debt limit is not an option. Congress has voted to raise the debt limit 10 times since 2001, and it must do so again.



As one who has long argued for more fiscally responsible policies, I firmly believe that we must get our fiscal house in order. I believe the answer is a combination of reduced spending through smart and targeted cuts, and increased revenue, through simplification of the tax code and increased taxes on the wealthiest Americans. On May 23, I gave a speech at the Bipartisan Policy Center, where I laid out my thoughts on what our priorities should be in this process. If you are interested, you may read my speech at www.democraticwhip.gov, under "Speeches." I want to assure you that I am working with my colleagues to find common ground on these difficult issues, and I will keep your thoughts in mind as this process continues over the coming weeks.



Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me. I encourage you to visit my website at www.hoyer.house.gov. While there, you can sign up for the Hoyer Herald, access my voting record, and find information about important public issues. If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.



With kindest regards, I am



Sincerely yours,

Steny H. Hoyer


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NOTE: Please do not respond to this message, as it comes from an outgoing-only email address that cannot accept replies. If you would like to contact me via email, please do so through my website's contact page.

Steny.... he's and IDIOT and has been there too long! NUFF SAID! By the way, I have met him and was NOT impressed.

Looks like a pre-prepared standard letter for anyone who mentions raising the debt limit. We can all do mail merge :shock:

He has the same form letter that they all send to everyone. They are so stupid!!

Steny says

Not my fault, not my fault, not my fault, he did it, he did it, he did it,

JMHO
Now is good
North of sixty

SAD, how we can actually expect more from these &^%^*() holes than what he said, in a form fill letter. we get what/who we vote for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SPEECHES are FINE, ACTIONS ARE INFINITELY GREATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO ACTIONS, WHO CARES ABOUT THE SPEECH???????

Actually, there is a graph on Michael Medved's website (www.michaelmedved.com), accompanied by the following note:

"Of the last 5 presidents who was the most careful with the public’s money? These figures from the Office of Management and Budget cover all years of a president's service. By this standard (spending as a percentage of GDP) George W. Bush was the most responsible spender among recent presidents. "

I wish I knew how to copy and past the small graph here, but I don't. But it's still on Medved's website (upper left-hand corner). It's circulating with a couple other articles and will eventually show itself if you give it a minute.