Local Woman Visits Washington D.C. for 'Fix the Debt' Campaign

Kathy Buggy had been to Washington D.C. before, but this time it was different.

This time she was on a mission--to help deliver a message to politicians: "Fix the debt and work together in a bipartisan manner."

Buggy went to D.C. this July with the campaign called "Fix the Debt," a non-partisan movement to put America on a better fiscal and economic path.

According to the Campaign's website: "We have come together from a variety of social, economic and political perspectives, around the common belief that America's growing federal debt threatens our future and that we must address it. The Campaign mobilizes key communities-including leaders from business, government, and policy-and people all across America who want to see elected officials step up to solve our nation's fiscal challenges."

The Campaign’s role is not to enact a specific agenda, but to build support for a meaningful fix to the country’s debt issues.

This last spring Buggy was asked to be on the Fix the Debt state steering committee. 

"How does one get that call," Buggy said. "They simply said they were looking for people with a small business impacted by the economy and who were interested in national politics and concerned about the economy. And I was."    

Buggy runs a event and project management business from her home in New Hope where she lives with her family including her son who goes to Benilde-St. Margaret in Golden Valley. Her business takes her all across the metro, but her interest in the Fix the Debt work has taken her across the country.

Buggy said she has several reasons for volunteering with Fix the Debt. The first and most important one to her is the campaign's reach to all political parties.

"This is a bipartisan effort to work together to find a solution to gradual deficit reduction," Buggy said. "I have friends on both sides of the aisle and I think it is important that we put aside partisan politics and work on this as an American issue."

Secondly, she points to the national debt situation and how it may be a complicated issue to be tackled by economists and those in Washington, but it impacts everyone.

"The national debt impacts us all of directly with the country’s ability to spend money on vital programs that benefit us all right here in the metro and across Minnesota everyday," Buggy said. "In addition, the unsustainable trajectory of our debt is bad for businesses, large and especially small, like my very small company."

Economic stability is better for the economy and allows businesses to plan, get credit to run their daily operations and hopefully grow, she said.

Also, Buggy likes that the Fix the Debt campaign doesn't support a specific plan, but encourages Congress to work together on debt reduction and tax reform, she said.  

"And it is nice to see that bipartisan efforts in the Simpson-Bowles Commission and the Domenici-Rivlin Task Force," Buggy said. "I have no doubt they can work together to create a balanced and gradual plan to solve these issues."

But the bottom line for Buggy comes down to the fear of inaction.

"If we do nothing, the future is just way too scary," she said. "The interest on the debt is already crowding out the ability to spend on vital programs. If interest rates rise, the debt payments become massive." 

Currently the debt is at about 73 percent of the GDP or Gross Domestic Product, a figure from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Buggy said. 

(You can compare the U.S. debt percentage of its GDP to other countries on the CIA's website.)

"Last year the interest payments were $223 billion," Buggy said. "In 10 years, interest on the debt is projected to rise to over $850 billion. Most of us have a credit card or two and understand how the interest on our own credit card monthly payments effect our monthly budget. It is similar to the national debt interest payments and their ability to fund vital programs."

During her brief time in D.C., Buggy met with several legislators and Congress people who have been working with the campaign or making strides in crossing party lines to address all aspects of the national debt crisis.

Buggy will continue to be a  part of local Fix The Debt efforts and meet with area groups and organizations to further discuss these issues. She said she will also "be supportive of the members of congress who create a bipartisan plan to find a solution to these important issues."

Find out who has been on the Fix the Debt campaign and national steering committee as well as the many different organizations involved and supporting it.

(Also included is a video from Fix the Debt campaign on the small business perspective. Video credit: YouTube)