Voting For Budget Cuts Via YouCut

This sounds a little too gimmicky for me:

House Republicans will launch a project Wednesday in which they will offer bills to emliminate spending programs that Americans vote online to cut.

House GOP Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) will unveil the project, called “YouCut,” which will combine Republicans’ push for spending cuts with attempts toward online engagement.

People can vote online or through text message on a list of five proposals to reduce types of spending, on which House Republicans will then force a vote in the House the following week.

“People will have the power and the ability to make Congress consider votes that will save people money with the click of a button or a simple text message,” said Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for Cantor.

Rob Port makes a good observation:

It’s creative, though I shudder at the idea that we’re now apparently going to budget in the same manner that we pick American Idol winners.

Maybe we can get the various spending programs to perform for us each week - show us what they got before we make our votes?

I'm all for cutting spending, but we elect our representatives to make those decisions for us based on what's best for the country and the budget.  We shouldn't have to do their jobs.  If they can't figure that stuff out they may be in the wrong profession.