September 21, 2005
A New Direction
The Katrina fiasco made obvious to us that our government has been proceeding in the wrong direction for a long time: borrowing and spending on the rich. Because of this narrow government focus, EVERYBODY suffered from the aftermath of this vicious storm. It was a huge disaster, a huge blow to national security. Instead of delaying some of the Republicans’ outrageous giveaways to the rich in order to pay for the recovery, as some Republicans are suggesting, we need to completely reverse course and build up the Treasury so that we can afford to pay for the recovery and for building a solid infrastructure to protect the security of all Americans. We need a new direction.
Estimates of the cost of rebuilding New Orleans and other cities of the Gulf coast ravished by Katrina are in the range of $200-300 Billion. If you throw in the possibility of needing an equivalent amount to shore up the infrastructure, not only in New Orleans, but also all around the country, you're talking about a huge budget fix.
What does Bush say? We can't increase taxes. He does not have the nerve to say that we should have tax cuts, which has been his mantra ever since he's been elected - and even before his election. Maybe this is progress - from "tax cuts" to "no increase in taxes."
I, however, would like to know where the money will come from? We need the money. The money is for national security. The deficit is in the stratosphere. We can't just keep on borrowing or we'll be lost in space.
Here are a few of the wrong ways we followed that brought us to this predicament:
- MEDICARE BOONDOGGLE - This was supposed to help senior citizens better afford drugs. However, it is nothing but a huge gift of money to drug companies and other medical providers. Originally, the administration estimated the cost of the act at about $400 billion over 10 years. After the bill passed, the cost became $534 billion. Now the cost estimate, according to the Heritage Foundation, is - hold your breath - $720 billion! And the act is almost useless to seniors
- ENERGY BOONDOGGLE - Congress passed an energy bill filled with many gifts and subsidies and tax breaks, which went mostly to support fossil fuels that produce global warming. Furthermore, as an important aside, according to James Lee Burke, in last Sunday's L.A. Times, talking about the Katrina disaster:
"Oil Companies have cut 10,000 miles of canals through freshwater marsh, killing the root systems that hold the wetlands in tact."
And a healthy wetlands could have reduced the severity of the hurricane. We are paying with lives because we have short-changed the environment in order to boost fossil fuel production.
The energy bill is estimated to cost about $140 billion, with about $24 billion in tax breaks and $29 billion in giveaways
- TRANSPORTATION BOONDOGGLE - This is a $300 billion Christmas-tree. It includes giveaways with the special name of "earmarks." The Taxpayers for Common Sense adds up a total of about $24 billion in "earmarks" from every state in the union
- TAX BOONDOGGLE - Otherwise know as tax cuts for the rich. I don't know how much they will cost...
Republicans have been on the same track so long they have no idea how to change. We need drastic change to fill our Treasury with money to support our urgent need to make our country safer - from both terrorism and from natural disasters. Here are a few of my suggestions:
- Repeal the entire Medicare boondoggle
- Revamp the energy bill to favor sustainable energy supplies over fossil fuel energy. Increase fuel efficiency requirements for automobiles
- Eliminate some transportation projects and a vast majority of the "earmarks."
- Reinstate taxes that were cut for the rich. Forget about repealing the estate tax
- Get rid of corporate tax loopholes, especially off-shore tax havens
Sorry, Paul. None of this will happen without an anti-incumbency movement in 2006 and 2008, sending the message in the strongest terms possible that politicians have no future in politics as long as our fiscal and economic house is not in order.
Posted by: David R. Remer at September 21, 2005 07:03 PMDavid, We can vote in all kinds of different politicians, but until we make it clear that tenure depends on performance and honesty, they will all screw us sooner or later, and at some point we will be too tired to kick them out of office.
Posted by: Stephen Daugherty at September 21, 2005 09:47 PMWe seem to be in agreement. Been awhile!
Posted by: David R. Remer at September 21, 2005 10:01 PMStephen:
I think we will need to change the tone of the debate before we can accomplish any of your goals. Currently if a Republican is for any of them, we are a traitor, and if against them we are satan incarnate. We need honest debate in Washington DC and a return to statesmanship. I think a change in tone preceeds a change in outcomes.
Craig
Posted by: Craig Holmes at September 22, 2005 01:05 AMWell said, Craig.
Paul, it isn’t just the Republicans who are fiscally irresponsible.
The two-party system needs to go (along with the political donations = free speech notion) before we’re going to get a truly fiscally responsible government.
Now, money talks to our politicians more than the American people. At least, they listen to money more. This isn’t a Republican problem. It’s a corruption problems that has been an intergral part of both major parties for far too long.
Posted by: Stephanie at September 22, 2005 03:05 AMPaul:
You have some good ideas, but what Craig said is the crux of the issue. I’ve railed against the polarization for a while now, and it is this polarization that is causing a lot of the problems.
Look at John Roberts—-by all accounts, he is a bright and talented jurist. But…since he is a Republican nominee, some Democrats will vote against him, despite his obvious credentials. Of course he will lean conservative—that’s why a conservative appointed him. Were it John Kerry appointing someone, that person would lean more liberal. We need to look at the nominee himself more.
Zell Miller was fine until he spoke out against Democrats, then he became a terrible person. Jim Jeffords was fine until he left the Republican party, then he became a terrible person. Joe Lieberman was fine, Olympia Snowe was fine etc etc.
All these people made decisions in good faith. Miller felt the need to challenge the Democratic party, as Jeffords felt about the Republicans. We need not to vilify such people.
In sports or business, there are people you hate…until they join forces with you. In politics, we should consider all politicians Americans, and as such, on the same team. By creating the different teams, and by hating the other team, we detract from the ability to get things done.
Paul, I disagree with some of your suggestions, but I concur that the overspending needs to stop. The Transportation bill is the most obvious to me, what with the bridge to nowhere etc. This pork crap happens on both sides of the aisle, so lets not presume that is only happens on one. Lets figure out how to stop it.
Posted by: jeobagodonuts at September 22, 2005 08:08 AMZell Miller was fine until he spoke out against Democrats, then he became a terrible person. Jim Jeffords was fine until he left the Republican party, then he became a terrible person. Joe Lieberman was fine, Olympia Snowe was fine etc etc.
Sad but true… And these are some of the folks in Washington that I personally value the opinion of the most. Because I don’t feel they are just towing a party line on EVERY issue.
For many, it seems as though when you decide to become a politician and align with one of the 2 main parties you lose your ability to actually think for yourself. They just issue a card that has the number 1-800-HOW-2THNK on it. “Press 1 for Republican, press 2 for Democrat and you will be connected to your parties automated thought response system”… As long as you say exactly what is on the phone then you will be re-elected for years and years to come.
It needs to end. And that will only happen if we stop electing the same offenders over and over into these positions.
Events like Katrina show that the govt will not act but if the population screems loud enough they will react.
In 2004 health insurance premimums jumped 11.8%, in 2005 they jump 9.2%. The average pay raise is 4.5% so for two years that would be 9%. Middle America is steady falling behind in the health insurance race. The Avian Flu is coming. Are we ready? Well no dear we aren’t. One out of two will die in America who catch the flu. People will start screaming. It will be too late. Models have it crossing America in 3-4 week time span. Maybe this year, maybe next.
Bush says stay the course. Some are starting to get loud. LBJ said Stay the course. People finally started to scream. How many died first. How many are going to die for Stay the Course for this country? How far are we going to fall I wonder.
Paul,
Excellent article.
I think these corporations need to start contributing to the American economy.
