Commentary by Jim Bagwell: Washington needs to get it together

I guess it comes down to ideology. This budget mess we are now in really started two years ago when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and crews refused to present a budget and allowed the president to go on a spending spree without oversight. If the Democrats in the House and Senate would have supported the spending by submitting a budget, the Senate would have joined the House in going to the Republicans. Thus, no budget.

Early this year, I said I would call for Reid to resign if he did not show some fiscal restraint by curbing spending. Well, has he done anything that would show he is responsible for anything but more debt? We all know someone that spends what they have and then some. Bankruptcy court is full of them. Harry may be responsible with his own money, but he has been, at the least, reckless with ours.

This latest issue of the debt ceiling crisis is only a very small part of the problem. Fourteen trillion dollars - does anyone know how much that is? Does Harry know? Harry has been part and parcel to raiding all of the trust accounts like Medicare and the retirement accounts of federal workers. He has been there for some 30 years, with most of it in Democratic control. I don't think I can accept ignorance as his answer.

Now to the debt issue.

Has anyone offered a plan except the Republicans? Harry is quiet. President Barack Obama has jumped on a modified plan by the Senate "Gang of Six," led by Republicans. The only problem is the president calls for a "balanced approach," which means any spending cuts must be offset by equal tax increases. I am not an accountant but I recognize that if we spend one dollar we do not have, we are going the wrong way. I also know that to pay off the debt, we must spend a lot less than we take in.

The president has said, "The Republicans can't say yes to anything." The House leadership says the "president is moving the goal post." I really believe that the president and the Democrats do not want an agreement, and are posturing to blame the Republicans. Remember, the new House members were elected on fiscal-restraint campaigns. They are simply doing what the electorate said when they were elected.

"Cut, cap and balance" was passed by the House, but Reid put the House bill in his desk drawer, basically stopping the measure without any debate. GOP Rep. Paul Ryan's budget plan has been ridiculed by every Democrat and will not get any consideration. Where do we go next?

If our Washington ruling class cannot get it together soon, we are all going to be financially in a pickle. This is all the stock market needs to crash, sending our economy into meltdown.

If the Democrats need a plan, I have one: Send a payment demand to every country that still owes us World War II debt. With a modest 2 percent interest plan, I am sure it would go a long way to reducing our domestic debt. At the very least, apply it to those countries currently holding our debt.

• Jim Bagwell of Carson City is a Vietnam veteran and graduate of the FBI National Academy who worked 31 years in law enforcement. He and his wife Lori own Charley's Grilled Subs.