Evan Bayh: NO to the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009

DEMOCRAT Evan Bayh is being mavericky.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Bayh slams the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009. He breaks with his party.

This week, the United States Senate will vote on a spending package to fund the federal government for the remainder of this fiscal year. The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 is a sprawling, $410 billion compilation of nine spending measures that lacks the slightest hint of austerity from the federal government or the recipients of its largess.

The Senate should reject this bill. If we do not, President Barack Obama should veto it.

The omnibus increases discretionary spending by 8% over last fiscal year's levels, dwarfing the rate of inflation across a broad swath of issues including agriculture, financial services, foreign relations, energy and water programs, and legislative branch operations. Such increases might be appropriate for a nation flush with cash or unconcerned with fiscal prudence, but America is neither.

...Our nation's current fiscal imbalance is unprecedented, unsustainable and, if unaddressed, a major threat to our currency and our economic vitality. The national debt now exceeds $10 trillion. This is almost double what it was just eight years ago, and the debt is growing at a rate of about $1 million a minute.

...Last week I was pleased to attend the president's White House Fiscal Responsibility Summit. It's about time we had a leader committed to addressing the deficit, and Mr. Obama deserves great credit for doing so. But what ultimately matters are not meetings or words, but actions. Those who vote for the omnibus this week -- after standing with the president and pledging to slice our deficit in half last week -- jeopardize their credibility.

...[T]he bloated omnibus requires sacrifice from no one, least of all the government. It only exacerbates the problem and hastens the day of reckoning. Voters rightly demanded change in November's election, but this approach to spending represents business as usual in Washington, not the voters' mandate.

Bayh is not towing the party line. He has the audacity to state that the spending bill isn't the sort of change Obama promised. It's Washington business as usual.

Perhaps Obama should consider having Bayh over to the White House for a little Wagyu beef. Maybe that will convince Bayh to change his mind.

Right now, when it comes to the prospect of passing a $410 billion spending package, Bayh wants Obama to fail.
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On a related note: Obama to outline plan to cut wasteful spending

That should be entertaining.