Tom Coburn: Washington must learn to say no

Early in my term in the Senate, I received a package from a man who introduced himself as a liberal from upstate New York. It contained a note encouraging me to “keep doing what you’re doing” and a large framed picture of one simple word: NO.

That stark image of two white letters — N and O — on a black background hangs over my desk to this day. It is a constant reminder to me and all who visit my office that Washington’s conventional wisdom is often exactly the opposite of what is in the best interest of the country. What is distasteful according to politicians — blocking spending bills — is really progress according to much of the country.

Many in the media push a different narrative. They claim the problem in Washington is gridlock. Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on anything, this thinking goes. They could not be more wrong.

Over the past few decades, presidents of both parties and Congresses controlled by both parties have approved massive new entitlement programs, pork projects for special interests, and trillions of dollars in new debt. Our economy is on the brink of collapse not because politicians can’t agree, but because they have agreed for decades. For years, a bipartisan super majority in both parties has agreed to borrow and spend far beyond our means.

We began the twenty-first century with an annual budget surplus. Over the ten years that followed, bipartisan cooperation erased this deficit and added $10 trillion in debt to our nation. There have been lots of excuses, such as unforeseen wars and economic hard times, yet none of these events explains Congress’s bipartisan agreement to create or expand nearly forty entitlement programs, carve out tax advantages for special interests, and build bridges to nowhere and earmark tens of thousands of other pork projects.

Today’s inclination in official Washington is toward saying “yes” to new spending, but the attitude at our founding was precisely the opposite.

The most important constitutional principle is limitation, or saying no. If the Constitutional Convention were held today, it would be derided as a hotbed of obstruction. There is little doubt that if asked whether government should perform many of the functions we now take for granted, our founders would have likely said no.

The Constitution is full of “noes.” Can Congress establish a religion? No. Abridge free speech? No. Confiscate firearms? No. Manage state government? Place traffic lights? Force Americans to buy certain products? No, no, and no.

Yet, many in Washington aren’t ready to stop saying yes to unsustainable spending. Early in 2012, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid once again blamed the Senate’s lack of accomplishments on Republican “obstructionism on steroids.” A more accurate medical description of the Senate would be to describe the body as heavily sedated.

From a practical standpoint, it is hard to argue “obstructionism” is the problem when there has been little real legislation in the Senate to block. The number of votes in the Senate has declined steadily in recent years. For instance, the Senate held only 235 votes in 2011, a nearly 47 percent decline in the number of votes held in the last year before a presidential election, 2007, which saw 442 votes.

Fortunately, the American people have seen through these partisan arguments. They understand that it is impossible to obstruct something that isn’t happening.

While Washington’s faith in the power of government to solve all problems may be unlimited, the American people’s patience is not. We the People are saying no, and it’s time for Washington to listen. In a political culture that elevates the virtues of getting to yes, the American people — from liberals in New York to conservatives in Muskogee — understand that defusing the debt bomb depends on politicians in Washington getting to no.

Dr. Tom Coburn is a Republican U.S. senator from Oklahoma.