That’s what Senator Everett Dirksen, the Republican Senate Minority Leader from Illinois, said about government spending sixty-four years ago at a  Republican leadership press conference. It has been pointed out that “A government that spends more than it takes in eventually discovers that math doesn’t vote.” Our federal government and the Democratic Party in the state of Washington will experience the reality of that quote unless they change their approach to government spending & taxation. As a lifelong Democrat, it is clear to me that we cannot continue to spend more than we take in. Nor can we continue to impose taxes in a fruitless attempt to do so. The consequence of overspending and more taxes will be felt at the voting booth.

Government has clear constitutional duties. The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution summarizes these purposes: “We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

In the United States, government responsibilities generally provide these essential services:

1. National Defense – Protect the country through the military and national security.
2. Law Enforcement and Public Safety – Police, sheriffs, fire departments, emergency services, disaster response, and homeland security.
3. Justice – Courts, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, prisons, and protection of constitutional rights.
4. Education – Primarily state and local governments provide public elementary and secondary schools. States also support public colleges and universities, while the federal government provides funding and student aid.
5. Public Health and Medical Services – Disease prevention, food and drug safety, public health agencies, and programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans’ health care.
6. Infrastructure – Roads, bridges, highways, airports, public transportation, water systems, and public utilities.
7. Economic Stability – Collect taxes, manage the nation’s finances, regulate commerce, protect consumers, and promote stable economic conditions.
8. Protection of Rights and Liberties – Safeguard freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, including freedom of speech, religion, due process, and equal protection.
9. Environmental Protection – Protect air and water quality, public lands, and natural resources.
10. Social Services – provide a safety net for eligible individuals through programs such as Social Security, unemployment insurance, disability benefits, nutrition assistance, and housing assistance.

However, the reality is that the people of the state of Washington, particularly in King & Pierce Counties, are being faced with never-ending increases in taxation to fund excessive spending. This, while they are experiencing:

1. Crime: Drugs, Corruption, Graffiti & Moral decline
2. Inflation:  Food, Medical care & homelessness
3. Government: Political irresponsibility, wars, and a failing justice system

Recently, both Christine Gregoire and Gary Locke, former Democratic Governors of Washington, have called the Washington state Democratic Party “out of control” for its spending and taxes. Gregoire said: “I would suggest we don’t really have an income problem; we have a spending problem.” She noted the state budget was around $3 billion when she left office in 2013 and has ballooned to more than 80 billion today. “The 20 billion difference reflects how dramatically the Democrats have added to spending and new programs in the past dozen years,” Locke said. They don’t have any budget discipline. In Olympia, the spending has gotten out of control.  They’re spending way beyond the revenues.” Locke complained that Democrats have used one-time money to start programs that they now can’t sustain. Even with all the new taxes they’ve passed, they continue to have deficits as far as the eye can see.”  The fact that two former governors spoke out is particularly significant because the present governor, Bob Ferguson (who I voted for), has failed to exercise his obligation to veto inappropriate taxation or control the legislators for irresponsibility about spending and taxes. That is illustrated by his backing of the “millionaires tax.” Instead of demanding fiscal responsibility in spending, Ferguson promotes an income tax in Washington. No voter should doubt that if  “that camel gets its nose under the tent flap,” it’s only a matter of time before everyone will pay an income tax with this tax-and-spend government.

What could be more true than the fact: Government Must Live Within its Means. Every American family understands a simple truth: you cannot indefinitely spend more than you earn. Credit cards can postpone the consequences, but they cannot eliminate them. Eventually, the bills come due. The same principle applies to government.

Taxes are necessary. They finance the essential functions of a civilized society—national defense, public safety, courts, education, infrastructure, and the protection of our freedoms. Citizens have both a legal and moral obligation to contribute to these shared responsibilities.

Government, however, has an equally important obligation: to be a faithful steward of the public’s money. When spending consistently exceeds revenue, the answer cannot always be to borrow more or raise taxes. Before asking taxpayers for additional dollars, government should first demonstrate that it has carefully prioritized its spending, eliminated waste, and used existing resources wisely.

Persistent deficits do more than increase the state and national debt. They transfer today’s obligations to tomorrow’s citizens, requiring future generations to pay for benefits they did not choose. That is neither prudent economics nor responsible public stewardship. The national debt illustrates government spending. Here are the totals: Reagan: $2.7  trillion, Bush Sr.: $4.3 Trillion,  Clinton: $5.8 Trillion, Bush Jr.: $11.9 Trillion, Obama: $19.9 Trillion, Trump 1st term: $27.7 Trillion, Biden: $36.2 Trillion (with COVID) and Trump to date $40 Trillion (an incrase of $3.8 Trillion) for a 8.47% increase in only 8 months of office! Fiscal responsibility does not require abandoning compassion or neglecting essential public services. It requires recognizing that every dollar government spends has first been earned by someone else. Public officials should treat those dollars with the same care and discipline that American families apply to their own household budgets.

A government’s first responsibility is not simply to spend, but to not spend more than it has available. It’s obligated to have a budget. Based upon the reality of. Had come not only now. But into the future? It has a duty to spend wisely. Based upon. Constitutional responsibilities.