A report by Gallup has said Americans are most likely to choose deficit and debt reduction as the best approach for dealing with the economy over other alternatives like raising taxes and increasing stimulus spending.

I agree, which is why I have cosponsored a balanced budget amendment and introduced legislation to cut federal spending by 40% over five years.

Do you agree? If not these, what other economic strategies do you support?

This week, the first Guantanamo Bay detainee to be tried in federal civilian court was found guilty on a single conspiracy charge but cleared on 284 other counts, including multiple murder and attempted-murder charges. The failure of the civilian court to convict him on the most serious terrorism charges is proof that the Administration is wrong when they say foreign terrorists can be adequately tried in civilian courts.

That's why I offered a motion that was passed during debate of the defense bill earlier this year that would have prevented the transfer of terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to the United States, and why I introduced a bill to prevent the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to Virginia prisons or military bases.

Guantanamo Bay detainees are enemies of war, not common criminals, and these enemy combatants have no place in civilian courts.

This verdict should serve as a lesson to the Administration that future trials for enemy combatants should not be held in civilian courts. The protection of American citizens and justice for the families who have lost loved ones as a result of 9/11 and terrorism abroad should be our number one priority as a nation.

• $1,161,000,000,000:  The total cost of the Democrats “stimulus.”  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the cost of the bill will reach $814 billion and interest on the debt for the bill will be at least $347 billion.

• 9.6%:  The unemployment rate for the month of August 2010.

• 283,000:  The number of jobs lost in June, July and August 2010.

• 3,582,000:  The number of gross jobs lost since the “stimulus” was signed into law.

• 6,249,000:  The number of Americans unemployed and searching for work for more than 27 weeks.

• 45.4%:  The percentage of people between the ages of 16 and 24 years old with a job.  Prior to the stimulus, employment among 16 to 24 year olds had never slipped below 47.5 percent.

As you know, I was one of only 17 Members of Congress to vote against both this stimulus and every other stimulus and bailout under the Bush and Obama Administrations because I believed that they would not work.

As I have said from the beginning, real economic growth comes from generating income and wealth for American families, and income and wealth come from increasing commerce and growing jobs. I believe we need to focus on solutions that provide more opportunities to small businesses, so that they can begin to create more jobs and lead us back on the path to economic recovery.

I want to hear your thoughts – what do you think is the best way to create jobs for Americans?

This chart shows an alarming truth – nearly half of our public debt is owned by foreign nations, like China.

I believe this is wrong. That’s why I have not only voted against all of the bailouts and stimulus packages that have added to our skyrocketing debt, but also cosponsored the Cap the DEBT Act. The premise of this commonsense bill is a simple – require a two-thirds vote by the House and the Senate to raise the debt ceiling. You can read more about it in this post.

Job-Killing Principles

Spend what you do not have. Runaway stimulus and bailout spending has caused our national debt to reach record levels, allowing it to be financed by China and giving China leverage on the global stage.

Increase energy taxes. Cap-and-trade energy bills like the ones currently before Congress create a national energy tax that would increase energy costs and kill jobs while unemployment stands at almost 10 percent.

Raise taxes on small business and American families. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that the economy lost 131,000 jobs in July. 15 million Americans are trying to find work. Raising taxes in the midst of a struggling economy would be detrimental to small businesses and further cripple the economy.



Job Creating Principles

Make tax cuts permanent. Implementing lasting tax cuts will help to restore economic freedom in the United States and put our country on the path to a brighter future. The Economic Freedom Act (H.R. 5029), which I have cosponsored, would reduce taxes for American businesses and families.

Decrease burdensome regulations on small businesses. Small business and entrepreneurs are the cornerstone of our nation's economy. In our current economic situation, it is ever more critical that we support our small businesses by continuing pro-growth policies like lowering taxes, simplifying the tax code, and reducing burdensome regulations.

Lower the debt. Our national debt is expected to reach 93.1% of our GDP this year. Economic experts say even a 1 percent increase in GDP can create almost one million jobs. A commitment to decreasing the debt is a job-creating principle, which is why I have introduced a bill to cut government spending by 40% over the next five years.

I thought you might be interested to see this chart from the Joint Economic Committee minority detailing a bewildering number of new government regulations, mandates, and agencies resulting from the recently passed healthcare bill.

Click the chart to view a high-resolution copy or click here for more details.

I want to share with you this article I read in the Wall Street Journal that highlights just one of the reasons I introduced a bill to prohibit the IRS from hiring, transferring, or appointing individuals for positions used to enforce government-mandated healthcare. You can read more about my bill here.