Dear friends: I appreciate your faith in me over my brief 17 terms in Congress. Your support has buttressed my fight against the Washington insiders and helped me to champion the common-sense, hometown values we share. And while some in Washington use weasel words to shirk responsibility, I’ve always made a habit of honest talk—which is how I’ll address your question about federal spending.
If by “spending” you mean the ravenous bureaucracy that taxes hard-pressed workers to the breaking point, gorging on the fruit of others’ labor; if you mean the deficit-inducing profligacy that ransoms our children’s future and transforms the land of the free into a debtor’s prison; if you mean squandering your hard-earned money on aid to foreign tyrants; if by “spending” you mean a government that robs Peter to pay Paul—then I am dead against it. If, however, when you say “spending,” you speak of the Social Security check that soothes an aged widow’s brow; if you mean putting neighbors to work on vital community projects (like the new post office that humbly bears my name); if by spending you mean keeping our armed forces strong and our homeland defended; if you mean nutrition for poor children, comfort for the sick, and a helping hand to the innocent victims of misfortune, well, then, rest assured, I’m full in favor of it. I won’t apologize for my principles. I will not equivocate. That is my final position. (With apologies to the late Judge Noah Sweat, the original waffle master.)
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.