A MESSAGE FROM MY CONGRESSMAN

June 19, 2009

I had to bold the phrase "fiscal conservative" because if it was true my Congressman would have stood up, if he had the guts, and demand that the President along with the rest of Socialist Elite Democrats, stop the spending and be "FISCAL CONSERVATIVE"

Dear Friend,

This week, I was pleased to become an original cosponsor of H.R. 2920, the "Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2009". The PAYGO bill introduced this week is similar to the statutory PAYGO law that was in place in the 1990s, which helped turn massive deficits into record surpluses. The prior administration allowed these rules to expire in 2002, contributing to the dramatic turnaround of a projected surplus of $5.6 trillion to projected deficits of more than $11 trillion.

As you know, I came to Congress as a fiscal conservative because I believe that hard-working taxpayers deserve serious fiscal discipline when their money is being spent. It is time to break the cycle of debt-spending and get out nation's budget under control. By restoring the 'pay-as-you-go' principle, we are returning to the basic rule that guides every family budget: you don't spend a dollar you don't have.

The PAYGO legislation requires Congress to offset federal spending with savings elsewhere in the budget. If Congress overspends its budget and the net effect would increase the deficit, then the PAYGO bill would require an across-the-board reduction in certain mandatory programs. The bill has over 155 co-sponsors in the House and is a common-sense way to keep our government spending under control.

You can never have too much accountability when you are talking about the American taxpayer's hard-earned money and this bill holds the Congress accountable for not spending what we don't have. Families are expected to pay their bills, and government should do the same.

Government cannot in good conscious ask the American people to do what it is unwilling or unable to do itself, particularly in the wake of the recent financial crisis. As we all work together to spend reasonably, borrow responsibly and get our economy growing again, it is important for everyone to play by the same rules.

For that reason, among others, I am member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition in Congress. We have regularly introduced and supported legislation aimed at cutting waste, fraud and abuse in our federal government to lower our deficit, curtail our spending and strengthen our economy.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office for more information about this, or any other legislation or issue.

Thank you all and have a wonderful weekend enjoying the first days of summer!

Sincerely,Christopher P. CarneyMember of Congress