Congressman Geoff Davis : Serving Kentucky's Fourth District

Washington, Nov 15 - If Washington has learned anything over the past twenty-two months, it should be, as Ronald Reagan said best, “Trust the people.”  Less than two weeks ago, Americans went to the ballot box and proved that their voice will not be ignored.

For nearly two years, too many in Washington took it upon themselves to dictate the direction of our nation instead of responding to the voice of the people. 

This “Washington knows best” attitude might satisfy the current Democrat Majority now finishing out a lame duck session in the House, but it does not accurately represent the voice of Fourth District Kentuckians.

Take the new health care law as an example.  Seven months after the passage of health care reform, I heard from a constituent in Maysville that his 2011 health care premium is going to increase by more than 15 percent from 2010 to $16,876 annually.  As a retiree who is not old enough to qualify for Medicare, he gets his health care though an employer-sponsored retiree group health care plan.  He pays the entire cost of his plan.  Like most Kentuckians, this constituent told me that he cannot afford to absorb these cost increases. 

For those buying insurance on the individual market, premiums are predicted to rise by an average of $2,100 per family.  This simply highlights the failure of the new health care law to address the increasing costs of health care.

My colleagues and I offered a more effective and more affordable solution —H.R. 5424, the Reform Americans Can Afford Act – that focuses on reducing the cost of health care.  H.R. 5424 would repeal the current plan and replace it with long-term sustainable solutions that will reduce health care costs, use interstate sales of health insurance to foster competition in the marketplace, promote healthier lifestyles, allow small businesses to pool together to purchase health insurance and enact medical liability reform.

Frustrations over health care reform are only the tip of the iceberg for most Kentuckians.  At a time when nearly one in ten Kentuckians is unemployed, I repeatedly hear that we must turn our focus to the economy.

In the midst of a recession, small businesses, who have in the past been responsible for nearly 70 percent of newly created jobs, cannot afford to see more of their paychecks taken away for irresponsible federal spending and families cannot afford to send more money to Washington.

A constituent in Campbellsburg wrote recently to urge me to “resist any and all efforts to raise taxes on small businesses.”  I could not agree more.

For a variety of reasons, many of America’s small businesses file their taxes as individuals.  Because of the way they file their taxes, they too are impacted by the changes in the individual tax rates.  This means many of these proven job creators will end up sending more money to Washington that could otherwise be used to expand their company or hire new employees.

Another concern I repeatedly hear from Kentuckians is our ever-increasing national debt, which currently exceeds $13.6 trillion.  Take for example a constituent from Pendleton who recently contacted me about the importance of forcing the government to live within its means, just as all Americans are expected to do.  As a widow, several years away from obtaining Social Security benefits, she has taken the necessary steps to stay debt free.  The constituent wrote “I am living within my means and have discovered that it is a satisfying and worthwhile experience, not a sacrifice.  My responsibility is to take care of myself.”

Imagine if Washington took this same approach? 

My Republican colleagues and I have put forth a plan that will halt the out-of-control spending.  The first step must be to revert federal spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels, which will save about $100 billion almost immediately.  Additionally, we must move forward with a constitutional amendment requiring the federal government to balance the budget on an annual basis.

Each new Congress brings new opportunities and new challenges.  The challenges going forward will be Congress’ ability to set aside the partisan bickering and put an end to the petty politics that have defined Congress for far too long.

If we have learned anything from this past election, it is that Americans will not stop making their voices heard.  The people have spoken and we now have the responsibility to carry out a new way forward with their help and input.

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