But I'm also inclined to believe that the mind-numbing figures may be obscuring the simple, albeit conflicted, issues that are at the heart of the matter. I've been listening and reading, and I've worked up a half dozen simple principles that seem to me are pretty hard to contest. Couldn't we begin with these?
Simple Principle #1. Pay your bills. The debt ceiling is the legal limit set by Congress to pay the liabilities already incurred by that legislative body. Duh! How hard is this? Pay your bills.
Simple Principle #2. Balance your budget. It's kind of a simple idea--don't pay out more than you take in. Normal Americans understand the consequences of not balancing their budget--it involves terms like foreclosure and repossession. Obviously, few people write a check for a house or car--nothing wrong with manageable credit. But come on. This isn't rocket science (something I know even less about than economics).
Simple Principle #3. Tell the truth. I don't know how one does this, but we just fought two wars without a budget. Kind of skewers the numbers when one is figuring how many seniors will suffer reductions in their Medicare and Medicaid and such. Numbers lie, and so do those who manipulate them for personal or partisan purposes.
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| Everett Dirksen listens |
Simple Principle #5. Commit to fairness. Americans claim that all persons are equal, but we know they are not. Some are smarter, some run faster, some are prettier, some are richer. The way to honor the principle of equality is to have a society that is fair. Those who have more give more. Not only should they have to, they should want to.
Simple Principle #6. Prepare to compromise. I am stunned by the hundreds of members of Congress who have signed a pledge to never support any tax increase of any kind. Ever. Such a pledge renders the signatories completely marginalized as a participant in any meaningful negotiation. The venerable Senator Dirksen said it well when he declared "I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times." Oh for the likes of Mr. Dirksen these days.
So there it is. I don't know the global consequences of defaulting on the U.S. debt payments. Sounds kind of serious to me, but I don't truly know. I don't know what will happen to my mortgage or my meager investments if Standard and Poor's downgrades the US AAA credit rating for the first time in history. Seems like it's something we'd prefer not to happen. Some politicians say it's Armageddon; others say just a hiccup.
Here's what I'd like. Let's see if we can get agreement on the six simple principles. The debate would be nothing if not entertaining. And then, having agreed to the simple principles, I'll bet those zeroes won't seem so formidable.
Revised 12/07/2011 (Minor alterations, including title)
Not bad. However, the politicians are right about not raising taxes. Our government doesn't have an income problem, they have a spending problem. I think the poor should be take care of by The Church and not the government. It's the government's job to protect the people, not feed them or give them "free healthcare" at the expense of others. What ever happened to the Americans who buckled down and WORKED to get things done instead of asking the government for a handout? Look at Greece, Portugal, etc. all of whom went bankrupt because of all the "social programs". Oh, and the governemt won't default on their debt. They have enough revenue coming in to at least make the interest payments. What will hurt our government's credit rating is NOT passing a balanced budget ammendment and then creating a balanced budget (and sticking to it).
ReplyDeleteGreat comments Grant. I once read a definition of compromise that stuck with me. It is when both sides give something up, rather than one come to the other, when real compromise happens.
ReplyDeleteComing from a country with a very stable economy (Australia), and also one which has public healthcare and welfare programs for the poor and needy, I can provide testimony that these items do not break ideals of hard work and passion of being the best we can be. In fact, it has somehow solidified these things as core values, suggesting that helping those in need is part of our duty as citizens.
Ben Smith
The trouble with a balanced budget amendment is terrible emergencies like 9/11 or Katrina.
ReplyDeleteBen has the right idea. Take care of the poor. They didn't ask to be poor and most of us are hard working folk trying to live on our social security with a meager savings and a part time job to supplement it.
And as far as the church taking care of the poor...the churches are having a hard enough time just getting by these days. Most churches DO take care of the poor but they certainly do not have the resources of the government.
Let see, how do I say this? If you act in a irresponsible way and spend money that you dont have, eventually you will have to pay back those you borrow from(The Rich who don't spend). The Government encouraged us to do this for the last 50 years with their measures of economic growth. If we want to get better, we need to ignore the Government and their quack metrics and continue to pay back our debts. Its the path to Freedom.
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