I’ve been skeptical that the Democrats will take seriously their pledge to clean up government and enforce fiscal discipline. Nothing would make me happier than to be proven wrong.
And while I still suspect that most of what they envision as fiscal discipline will be raising taxes, the Democrats declaration that the will pass a continuing resolution for all of 2007–earmark free–is an excellent sign that they are also serious about controlling spending. Funding for 2007 will remain at 2006 levels, which means significant savings for taxpayers this year, and in future years, since future increases will be set upon this new, lower basline.
A Roll Call story (subscription required) on this development provides more evidence that Republicans are in serious need of an attitude adjustment: the Administration– yes the Republican Adminstration — is apparently unnerved about these new lower spending levels:
“The announcement this week that the new Democratic Congress will eliminate all 2007 spending earmarks and instead pass a stopgap measure to keep the government funded for the entirety of this fiscal year has caused widespread confusion and anxiety, both within the Bush administration and on K Street, as lobbyists scramble to figure out how their clients will be affected.”
Congratulations to the new Democratic majority on this first success in keeping their pledge to taxpayers. Now if only they would embrace savings-based Social Security reform, school choice, and comprehensive tax simplification, I could start rooting for them to enjoy a long stint in the majority…