Downtown Rotary
Heidi Doerhoff Vollet
Think you have trouble making ends meet? The current federal budget requires borrowing 36 cents of every dollar to be spent, said Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler of Missouri's Fourth District in remarks to the Jefferson City Rotary Club November 28. Even though that's down from 42 cents of borrowing just a short time ago, non-discretionary spending still roughly equals all federal government income, she said.
The debt, she said, "causes uncertainty in the economy, leading to less investment by large and small business, and threatens our national security." Congresswoman Hartzler pointed out that 47 percent of U.S. debt is held by other countries, with the interest paid to China alone sufficient to enable that country to buy three joint strike fighter aircraft and have $50 million left over - each week. With regard to another issue of local importance, she updated Rotarians on the effort she's leading to prevent the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from requiring the removal of 1,200 homes along the shoreline of the Lake of the Ozarks. Even though FERC has backed down from its initial requirement that the homes be removed, Congresswoman Hartzler has sponsored legislation to prohibit FERC from requiring such removals in the future. She encouraged Rotary Club members to remain engaged in and provide her with their feedback on these and other issues. "I believe the experts in everything are you, the people," Congresswoman Hartzler said. "The best ideas come from you."
