Albany Herald: Bishop says Debt must be addressed

By J.D. Sumner
Wednesday February 10, 2010

ALBANY — U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop said that he's urging the Democratic leadership in both Congress and the White House to focus on reining in the country's growing debt problems in 2010.

A member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, Bishop said that spending was necessary in 2009 in the context of such historic economic trouble, but that 2010 is the time for "fiscal restraint."

"We cannot continue to go deeper in debt," Bishop said. "We have to work to bring fiscal restraint back to Washington. Last year was a difficult time that required difficult decisions, but now we have to focus on our future in the context of a balanced budget."

Bishop said that the Blue Dogs are working on a financial package to present to the leadership in hopes of trimming spending in 2010.

Part of the ideals of that fiscal conservatism are rooted in Paygo, or pay-as-you-go legislation, which has been lauded as "responsible and necessary" by the Blue Dogs. Bishop voted for the legislation last week.

To pay for any programs that incur additional costs, that law requires the president to find money within the budget, while any tax cut would require a corresponding increase in tax revenue.

Some costs would be exempt, including Medicare payments to doctors and some tax cuts instituted under the Bush administration in the early part of the decade.

Reining in spending has been the mantra of activists associated with the growing tea-party movement.
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