U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn addresses the Brentwood Rotary Club while husband Chuck looks on.

Congressman says she wants budget cut suggestions
By SUSAN LEATHERS
Brentwood Home Page
7th District U.S. Congressman Marsha Blackburn has never taught school but she gave members and guests of the Rotary Club of Brentwood a quiz Friday that covered the topics of economics, civics and government.

Blackburn, at home in Brentwood for the month-long Congressional recess, was the club’s guest speaker and kicked off her presentation with the four-page, 16-question quiz she has been using at recent Town Hall meetings.

Among them:

Which of the following will the federal government spend the most on in the 2012 federal budget?

1. Defense
2. Healthcare (Medicare/Medicaid)
3. Interest on the public debt
4. Foreign aid
5. Social Security
6. Unemployment Compensation
7. Earmarks & Pork Barrel Spending
8. Welfare

If we were to cut all earmarks and pork barrel spending from the budget, how much would we save? About …?

1. $17 billion
2. $57 billion
3. $107 billion
4. $207 billion
5. $507 billion

In 1940, there were 159 workers for each Social Security beneficiary. As of 2009, there are … workers for every Social Security beneficiary?

1. 3
2. 6
3. 9
4. 12
5. 15

The answers, respectively, are: Healthcare, $17 billion and 3.

“I love the fact that people are tuned in to the fact that government doesn’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem,” the four-term representative said as she began reviewing all of the questions and answers with the large crowd gathered for the weekly lunch meeting at Brentwood Country Club.

Though some in her party and constituency were happy and others unhappy with the Budget Control Act of 2011, Blackburn explained that while she didn’t agree with all of it, the act does put spending caps in place. It also will force senators who “have been hiding for years” to “walk to the well” and publicly state where they stand on budget issues, she added.

“It’s not the bill I would have written,” she shared, and noted that it probably was not one many in the room would have written. Positives of the bill, however, included the fact that military spending for servicemen and women would continue and that “two-thirds of the Ryan Budget” was included, she continued. And she reminded her audience that, "We did this with no tax increases."

Asked about the newly formed Super Committee and the timetable set forth by the bill, Blackburn stressed that, "The best way to be heard is to stay in close touch with us." She said 7th District residents should contact not only her own office, but all members of the Tennessee congressional delegation as well as any trade associations that represent their interests.

“Now is the time to weigh in,” Blackburn said. She directed the club members to her website where she is encouraging citizens to suggest what should be cut from the federal budget now that the Super Committee has been announced.

She also shared the website bipartisanpolicy.org as a place club members can keep up with the national debt.

5^th District U. S. Congressman Jim Cooper (D-Nashville) will speak to the club on Friday on the health-care reform.