House Republican Leader John Boehner Weekly Republican Address 01/23/09 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

House Republican Leader John Boehner Weekly Republican Address 01/23/09 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Weekly remarks by Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, as provided by his office.

I’m House Republican Leader John Boehner. I’m speaking to you from the Capitol, where next week, President Obama will deliver his first State of the Union address. This is a fitting time to pause and take stock of where we are.

Nearly a year ago, the president signed into law a trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ with promises that jobs would be created ‘immediately’ and that unemployment would stay below 8%. Since then, roughly 3 million Americans have lost their jobs while red ink and bailouts have piled up as far as the eye can see.

My home state of Ohio has endured nine straight months of double-digit unemployment. And for the better part of those nine months, Democrats in Washington have been focused on this government takeover of healthcare that working families just can’t afford and want nothing to do with.

This is what happens when government overreaches and stops listening to the people.

Washington Democrats believe government knows best how to spend your hard-earned money. Democrats believe we’re just one new tax, one more czar and one giant bureaucracy away from solving all of your problems.

That’s not the America that I know growing up with 11 brothers and sisters as the son of a bar owner. And as I travel the country, I meet a lot of people who feel the same way.

For months now, a political rebellion has been brewing – one born from the American people’s opposition to greater government control over our economy and their lives. That rebellion propelled Republican Scott Brown to victory in this week’s Massachusetts special election.

Scott’s win in the bluest of blue states gives us new hope that common sense will prevail. That maybe now, the hard work and entrepreneurship of the American people will no longer be stifled by Washington Democrats’ costly, job-killing agenda, an agenda Republicans have stood on principle and fought tooth and nail against.

But we know better. We know that Washington Democrats will pull out all the stops to try and shove through this government takeover of healthcare, with its Medicare cuts and tax hikes. If there’s a sweetheart deal that needs to be cut, Democrats will cut it. And if there’s a vote that needs to be bought, they’ll buy it.

Haven’t we had enough of government propped up on payoffs and pork-barrel spending? Haven’t we had enough of the same-old, us-versus-them politics that uses yesterday’s battles to distract us from today’s problems? We’re all in this together, and we need positive, forward-looking solutions to bring us together.

So for families asking, ‘Where are the jobs?’ Republicans have offered common-sense solutions to help small businesses invest and hire new workers. We’ve also put forward a responsible budget blueprint that makes the tough spending choices that others just talk about.

And on healthcare, Republicans have proposed the only bill that would lower premiums by up to 10%. And we do this by implementing some smart, common-sense reforms – whether it’s letting families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines or ending the junk lawsuits that contribute to higher healthcare costs.

And we get the job done without cutting Medicare or raising your taxes.

These solutions aren’t being devised behind closed doors with special interests having the final say. We’re soliciting feedback on Facebook and Twitter. We’re working with governors and mayors every day to develop the best ideas. All of the details are available at solutions.gop.gov.

President Obama and Democrat leaders in Washington now have a choice: Work with Republicans to get our nation back on its feet, or double down on the job-killing policies that are making matters worse.

So at the State of the Union, we’ll listen to what the president has to say. But make no mistake: If the powers that be in Washington keep turning their backs on the people, Republicans will continue to challenge the status quo and offer better solutions.

Our fight for reform, for freedom and for common sense, is far from over. Thanks for listening. ####