Congress needs to get on target

Though both congressmen representing portions of St. Charles Parish voted no on the bill to raise the debt ceiling and prevent a government default in Washington this week, the measure passed.

Steve Scalise and Jeff Landry decided to forego the compromise bill they claimed was not the answer. But enough congressmen and senators gritted their teeth and voted to pass the measure that at least could start us on the path to a new plan whereby our government does like most of its citizens and businesses do year after year - pay for what it spends and not depend upon the future to pay for it.

Neatly tucked into the bill that passed is a provision that, by Dec. 23, the House and Senate must vote on sending a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution to the states which would require a two-thirds majority. Passage of that would be necessary to guarantee our financial stability in the future.

Developing the ultimate solution will require great leadership on the part of our political parties and the officials who run our country. Above all, we need to cut expenses and not rely on new revenue to support a government that has gotten too big in so many ways that are not necessary. By cutting expenses, we can cut taxes further and let our states and local governments fill in any gap that may exist in providing governmental services that are necessary. By so doing, those services will be provided closer to home in a much more efficient way.

In the end, the future relies upon our people who vote for those who run our country. It is their attention or lack of attention that will be responsible for our future.