A REAL Fiscally Conservative Budget Proposal

Perhaps its supporters haven't noticed, but since the 112th Congress took office last month, it has engaged in a bait-(promise to focus on jobs, jobs, jobs)and-switch tactic that has included misreading the U.S. Constitution, two members being AWOL at the House's swearing in ceremony, all things abortion, reality-evading redifinition of rape and, especially, spending). Maybe that's to hide the fact that it has done zip on the jobs, jobs, jobs front.

So Congress's lazer been the focus has shifted almost entirely to spending. Cut this, eliminate that, screw everyone except themselves.

Needless to say, this body has less credibility than Lucy holding a football. So, here's a very brief primer on how they can gain at least a little credibilty:

Start with yourself. Yes, members of Congress. You set an example.

Now that you have been elected/re-elected, you are now part of the government that Ronald Reagan said is the problem.

So you can take a truly conservative approach to start setting things right.

1.   Introduce and vote for a bill to cut your and all members of Congress pay back to 1990 levels.

2.   Introduce and vote for a bill to cut the size of your staff at least by half.

3.   Introduce and vote for a bill to end all government-funded Congressional travel except for one weekly round trip between a member of Congress's district and Washington, D.C.

4.   Introduce and vote for a bill to eliminate your government-funded healthcare.  (Yes, you will have to buy your own private coverage, but that will have two positive benefits: One, put you in the same fix as the people you work for and, two, greatly please one of your biggest campaign funders -- the insurance industry.)

5.   Introduce and vote for emergency legislation to end the Bush tax cuts for the rich, including you, that will become effective immediately.

Granted all but ending number 5 don't even qualify as small potatoes when it comes to reducing the deficit. So here are a few other measures that will really make a huge difference and, in fact, might actually move the budget from the red territory it's been in since GWBush got a hold of it back to being in the black, like WJClinton left it.

1.   Introduce and vote for legislation to end U.S. funding of other countries' defense by closing U.S. bases in other countries, except South Korea, which we are obligated by treaty to defend from North Korean aggression.

It is time to be truly conservative and take care of ourselves and end the very liberal government spending on defending countries, like Germany, Japan, Italy, and others, that are capable of taking care of themselves.