Jim Bunning and the pay-go system
Jim Bunning has had two very different but very high profile careers, but if you are of the younger generation, you might not have even heard of him until this week. Formerly a Hall of Fame pitcher, Jim Bunning retired from baseball and climbed the political ranks, settling in as a Republican Senator from Kentucky for the past decade.
Bunning is in the news now because of his adamant stance against extending more government funding for unemployment benefits without cutting the budget or raising taxes elsewhere. Bunning practiced his filibustering skills (you already know what that means thanks to Dinner Topics) by proposing an amendment to the new bill, but it was quickly shot down by his peers.
Supporters of Bunning claim that he is one of the few politicians willing to take a stand against overspending, even if it means people will be upset with the short term results of less help for those who need it. The new “pay-go” measures were approved by the Democrats in late January and suggest what was mentioned above: any new costs must be paid for by cutting something else out or raising additional funds (i.e. higher taxes). Bunning believes that the Democrats are already going against their own proposal just weeks earlier.
Opponents (there are many) of Bunning’s tactics claim that his stance is hypocritical because he has often voted for additional spending on items much larger than the current unemployment bill. Worse yet, Bunning himself voted against the pay-go measures (as did all Republicans in the Senate) but now is unhappy that his government isn’t upholding the measure. Opponents would think that Bunning should be happy about that. Lastly, critics believe that because Bunning is not running for re-election, he has become the Republican’s extremist cause since his future will be on the golf course and not in session.
Bunning’s actions are cause for great debate, and now you know a little about both sides of the issue before the boxing gloves are strapped on.
Read on:
WashingtonPost.com – Days later, as a deal emerges, Bunning backs down
TheHill.com – Senate passes pay-go rule on party-line vote
DailyKos.com - Hypocrites, Damned Hypocrites and Senator Jim Bunning
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