Congressional cut

Discretionary spending by most federal agencies would be reduced by an average of 9 percent under a proposal being made by some Republicans in the House of Representatives. That certainly makes it sound as if GOP lawmakers want to get the federal government's house in order.

But what about their own?

Not so much. As The Associated Press noted in its report about the spending cut proposal, the plan calls for Congress to reduce expenditures by only 2 percent.

That is particularly outrageous when taking recent history into account. In 2007, the Congress' budget totaled $3.8 billion. Liberal Democrats, in control on Capitol Hill from 2007 until early this year, decided that was not enough, so they increased the congressional budget. It now stands at $4.7 billion - an increase of 23 percent in just four years. Nearly half of that increase, 11 percent, occurred just after President Barack Obama took office in 2009.

Republican budget-cutters were decidedly on the defensive when an AP reporter asked about the spending plan for Congress. More cuts may be made in the future, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told the reporter.

We certainly hope so.

Lawmakers frequently complain the American people have a "not in my backyard" outlook on spending discipline. Our elected representatives seem to suffer from that, too.

The attitude needs to change if the nation is to avoid a fiscal catastrophe.

- Parkersburg (W.Va.) News and Sentinel