I spend a lot of time going around the 1st District speaking about the impact of federal policy on jobs, the deficit, and spending - and what we can do to get the country back on track.  

In true policy wonk fashion, I use detailed charts and graphs - and the reaction has been fascinating.  Many have asked me to post them online, so here they are - my 2011 Spending & Economic Charts.  I don't claim authorship of the charts - some are mine, some are from the Heritage Foundation, some from other sources, but the underlying source data is clearly detailed.  

Regardless of political persuasion or age, folks are riveted (shocked?) by what should be a fairly dry presentation.  They may initially argue from an ideological point of view, but when faced with verifiable facts they quickly realize that current federal spending is unsustainable under ANY plausible scenario.  

Past government policies were damaging, but current government policies are devastating the economy and prolonging the economic misery.  For too long, the career political class have done everything they can to maintain their power and win the next election - including obligating our children to pay tomorrow for the politicians' irresponsible spending today.

Those days are over.  We can't afford business as usual.

To fix our problems, we can argue about policy, but we shouldn’t argue about facts.  The historical numbers detailed in these charts are facts and should form the baseline for solutions to get us back on track.  Our spending is unsustainable under ANY plausible scenario – and fundamental, common sense reform is the only way forward. 

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Watkins_Budget_and_Economic_Charts.pdf	3.38 MB