I’ve been out around the neighborhood a lot recently, knocking on doors and getting to know people. It seems that everyone I meet wants a change in Washington. And it’s not hard to see why. Many more people are loosing their homes to foreclosure, unemployment is still hovering around 10% and government deficit spending, a major contributor to the problem, continues at a record pace.

We stand on the very edge of a major economic melt-down, similar to what is already happening in Europe, where high expectations on the part of the people as to what their countries should do for them and low expectations on the part of the same people as to what they should be doing for their countries, have made a huge mess of things.

We’re heading for the same place for the same reasons. The poor don’t want to work, the working people want to live like kings, and the wealthy want no-risk gambling for themselves. Did I cover everyone? This is a crisis of expectations more than anything else. We talk about how rich America is without realizing that all wealth is finite and perishable. Wealth is created, renewed and sustained by work, and a population unwilling to work reduces the wealth of nation. For America to continue to lead the world in Freedom and Justice, we must lead the world in work.

 So what would I work towards if I were Representative for Missouri’s 3rd Congressional district? Balancing the budget is a must. How? Let’s start trimming the Federal budget:

-       Cut all non-military salaries by 10%,

-       Switch from pensions to retirement accounts funded by deductions from salary

-       Raise the retirement age for those with pensions to 65

-       Trim each department’s budget by 20%

-       Withdraw the majority of our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. 

-       Raise Social Security early retirement to 67 & eliminate cap on contributions

-       Eliminate the earned income credit

-       End franking privileges for congressmen

-       Suspend implementation of new health care law for 10 years

Then let’s increase revenue:

-       Institute temporary federal sales tax on electronics, alcohol and all interstate sales (dedicate receipts to debt reduction)

-       Help cover homeland security costs with temporary fee on incoming visitors

At the same time, let’s take some concrete steps to create more employment.

-       Dialogue with industry leaders to build American manufacturing

-       Encourage cottage industry and individual initiative; ease self-employment rules

-       Give incentives to small business to hire and retain employees

 All of the above ideas are necessary and important to building a stronger, better America and the sooner we get started, the better. You can help. Please contact me at 314-504-6692

 or campaign2010@edwardcrim.com 

or 

Citizens to Elect Edward Crim 

7019 Mitchell Avenue

St. Louis, Missouri 63117

We’ve become aware, over the past few months, of some of the debt we’ve accumulated on the Federal level (there is some that hasn’t been widely talked about: the $6.3 trillion of liabilities belonging to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, putting our total current debt at around $19 trillion), but many of us are still unaware of the massive unfunded liabilities that are threatening our Federal, state and local governments; liabilities that almost make the national debt look like pocket change (unfunded liabilities are promises made - usually pensions - for which money has not been set aside).

The Social Security and Medicare Trustees report that the programs have $107 trillion in unfunded liabilities. The unfunded pension liabilities of the 50 states are estimated to be around $1 trillion (though some think three times that number is more accurate), and local governments are not immune to the problem.

The City of St. Louis has seen its pension costs shoot from $7 million in 2000 to $61 million this year, with the projection for next year to be $72 million (the city’s solution is to borrow money by issuing bonds and to increase the sales tax).

San Diego has unfunded liability estimated at $2.7 billion as of this past November. Atlanta has $1.5 billion in unfunded liability. Pittsburgh has a $600 million shortfall and Omaha $500 million. There are undoubtedly many more examples out there of government entities, large and small, which need to raise more revenue (much more) to meet their obligations. Can you say “tax increases for the middle class?”

On top of all this (gee, I hate to sound so negative, but I’m afraid it’s true), we have not yet seen the end of the mortgage foreclosure crisis (there are a lot of homeowners just barely hanging on) nor the middle of the commercial loan crisis; there’s an estimated $3.4 trillion in commercial loans outstanding and a lot of them are in trouble. Employment is not increasing, new jobs are not being created and we just added to the burden with a national health care bill. We are headed for a world of hurt, and it’s not too far away!

So what can we do about it? How are we going to deal with this situation? It’s easy to see that some benefits will have to be cut, general spending will have to go down, and new sources of revenue will have to be raised, all at a time when most of us are having a lot of trouble keeping our heads above water! The first thing we should do, though, is repeal the health care overhaul. Then we really need to get busy and figure out how we’re going to manage for the next 30 years or so. It’s time for new talent in D.C.

You can help change things by supporting my congressional campaign. Visit my campaign site here.