In a clean break from the Obama years and frankly from the years before this president we will keep federal spending at 20 percent of GDP or less. That is enough. The choice is whether to put hard limits on economic growth or hard limits on the size of government and we choose to limit government.

In a very weak economy when you say 'cut government spending ' what you mean is you're laying off school teachers and you're de-funding various programs that put money into the economy. This means you have more unemployed people that then draw unemployment benefits and don't pay taxes.

Increased government spending can provide a temporary stimulus to demand and output but in the longer run higher levels of government spending crowd out private investment or require higher taxes that weaken growth by reducing incentives to save invest innovate and work.

Since taking office President Obama has signed into law spending increases of nearly 25 percent for domestic government agencies - an 84 percent increase when you include the failed stimulus. All of this new government spending was sold as 'investment.'

We need transparency in government spending. We need to put each government expenditure online so every Floridian can see where their tax money is being spent.

By making bold cuts in spending and commonsense entitlement reforms we will make our government simpler smaller and smarter.

Government is taking 40 percent of the GDP. And that's at the state local and federal level. President Obama has taken government spending at the federal level from 20 percent to 25 percent. Look at some point you cease being a free economy and you become a government economy. And we've got to stop that.

The real goal should be reduced government spending rather than balanced budgets achieved by ever rising tax rates to cover ever rising spending.

The discussion in Washington has changed dramatically. I mean it's no longer a question of should we address entitlements - it's no longer a question of do we need to reduce spending in the future.

The Republican argument that raising the debt ceiling encourages additional future spending is logically irresponsible. The debt ceiling has to be raised to authorize spending already approved by Congress. Despite that fallacy the GOP has been able to score political points with its argument.