Our National Debt is Larger than Our Economy! - [Print Version]

Never has the need for Fiscal Responsibility been more important to our nation. 

The United States officially closed calendar year 2011 with a record debt of $15.22 trillion dollars.  What's more, at 100.3% our Debt/GDP (Gross Domestic Product) ratio highlights our increasing inability to cover our debt.  If that weren't bad enough, the President and Congress are about to raise the debt ceiling again! 

Imagine this: 

You have a mortgage on your home, two car payments, and three credit cards which are all “maxed out”.  You’re sitting down to pay your bills and two things trouble you – your job is less secure than it has ever been and you have only $20 dollars left over at the end of the month.  So, you gather your family to discuss your options.  You have some tough choices to make, don’t you? 

How many of you believe that getting another credit card is the best option?

Well, that is exactly what our federal government is doing right now – relying on more and more credit to continue spending beyond its means.  We cannot continue to increase the debt limit just because it’s possible.  The first step we must take is to prioritize our spending, exercise discipline toward those priorities, and set an example for the rest of the world to follow.  We can still lead our own way to prosperity, but we must begin in 2012.

Our nation’s current fiscal situation highlights a very important point about our upcoming election cycle: our Congressional race must be more than just Republican vs. Democratic rhetoric.  It must be about real issues and real solutions.  It must be about valuing business professionalism and solid financial knowledge in Congress over career political incumbency.  I'm convinced that if we allow this election cycle to simply turn into another “R vs. D” contest, we'll end up with the same tired solutions in Congress, regardless of who wins.

For this reason, I'm committed to casting a vision for our district and promoting a plan to Fix, Secure, and Empower our nation's future. 

Jesse Young
Candidate for Congress, Washington’s 6th Congressional District