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11/4/2010
The electorate wants spending cuts?
CATO posted a helpful piece mid-morning yesterday with links to almost boundless ideas for cutting federal spending, including Cato’s own website, www.downsizinggovernment.org, a “treasure trove of spending cuts.” It’s great stuff, tremendous research.
Congratulations to the wave of Republicans who successfully ran on promises to tackle rising government debt and cut the hugely bloated federal budget. On the campaign trail, most candidates were not very specific about how they would cut the budget, but when they come to Washington they will be looking for good reform targets.
…. voters gave a resounding message yesterday that they want Congress to focus on cutting spending, not raising taxes.
Read the short piece to find further links to spending cuts proposed by such fiscal luminaries as Brian Riedl at the Heritage Foundation, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, former Senators Bill Bradley, Bob Packwood, Gary Hart and John Danforth, the National Taxpayers Union in concert with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, and Mike Ettlinger and Michael Linden at the Center for American Progress.
Lawmakers surely cannot say they lack good solid, foundational policy research or proposals.
CATO does suggest these proposals can’t just be “pursued” willy-nilly.
The electorate wants spending cuts, and they will support the policymakers who take the lead on cuts if they are pursued in a forthright and serious-minded manner.
Ok, lawmakers, be sure you’re serious when you do this stuff. Is it strange that CATO doesn’t mention courage as well?
When you hear friends, politicos, think tanks or pundits repeat this business about the clamor for spending cuts, don’t let it be said without completing the thought. The electorate wants spending cuts… but doesn’t want service and program cuts. We’re not just talking seriousness here, or well thought-out strategies (read “spin”), but personal and political courage. Tea Party folks, Republicans, conservatives – whatever labels we come up with – must absolutely be prepared to defend these lawmakers – and to not argue for our little pet spending projects (pet projects like… education, defense, Social Security, Medicare…). Can you commit to that?
Along with their principles, our lawmakers will be sticking their necks out. We absolutely must join them. The ride over the next two years will be arduous – Boehner said it on election night – it’s not a time of celebration, it’s time to role up our sleeves. I say it’s time also to bring on the courage.
Updates: Form your own opinions...
Don't cut military spending - National Review
After their big election gains, congressional Republicans must now commit to getting the federal budget under control. Unfortunately, some have advocated cutting the defense budget as part of the solution. Reducing defense spending now would be a dangerous mistake.
DeMint to newbie fiscal conservatives: Gird your loins - Katherine Mangu-Ward
Jim DeMiint (R-S.C.) has an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal today, exhorting last night's victorious Tea Party candidate(s?) to hike up their pants, gird their loins, or otherwise prepare the lower halves of their bodies for a fight—and go boldly to Washington with their fiscal conservative mandate in mind.
Voters made it more difficult to balance budgets - NCSL
Generally speaking, voters on Tuesday made it more difficult for legislatures to pass tax increases, yet gave consent to programs with high price tags and no revenue stream.
Imagine that.
Jo Egelhoff, FoxPolitics.net
COMMENTS
It will be very interesting when all of these conservative "spending cutters" find out that what causes spending is the special interests that funded their campaigns.
Jack Lohman (Thu Nov 04 08:01:49 2010)
AMEN!!!! I wonder how all of this would play out if every entitlement program was cut an even 5%...no exceptions. That should be accompanied by a similar 5% cut in wages and benefits for every public sector employee.
I am really concerned that our state and local public officals do not have the backbone to take on WEAC and the other unions who feel a 3-4% increase each year is a birthright no matter what is happening in the private or retirement sectors.
JB (Thu Nov 04 08:08:32 2010)
That "AMEN" was intended for Jo and her ideas not the above comment. Thanks
jb (Thu Nov 04 08:10:42 2010)
Yea, JB, we sure wouldn't want to give people the impression that you really understood the cause-and-effect of campaign versus government spending. I also get the impression that as long as we cut public salaries and benefits and didn't touch your private income, you're okay with that?
Frankly, I believe public salaries (especially politician's) should be made equivalent AND indexed to private norms. Our problem at the state and federal level is that our politicians have no skin in the game. Private jobs and salaries can go down and theirs remain untouched or actually go UP. They should be on a pay-for-performance basis.
Jack Lohman (Thu Nov 04 09:07:27 2010)
Gosh, what if we increased everyones pay instead of cutting? That would be a lot better.
Let's call the idea "Trickle-up Econonomics". Even the well-off benifit if the rest of us are paid better and are fully employed.
Dean Weichmann (Thu Nov 04 15:52:55 2010)
Actually I am retired and would gladly take a 5% cut in my social security benefit if all government workers did the same. It doesn't sound like we are all that far apart in our thinking.
Some shared sacrfice to get some equality and stabilty back in the system. It is just so frustrating to see on group expecting...no insisting that they should get a raise every year no matter what. Maybe things will change with some new leadership in Madison??
JB (Thu Nov 04 15:57:20 2010)
JB, I'm retired too and would take the same pay cut. You and I can likely afford it.
But that's not what is planned; it's cutting public services so they have more cash to send to the Fat Cats that funded their elections.
And Dean, I don't see the CEOs arbitrarily and benevolently increasing labor costs, I see more exporting of jobs to low-wage countries. This is indeed a class war, because the "difference" goes into the pockets of the CEOs (after skimming off a little for the politicians that made it all happen).
I am fully with JB on equalizing public and private wages, but even if that is done we have serious problems remaining. Our biggest problem as a nation is our corrupt political system, and if we don't fix that nothing will change.
And no, I don't see things changing in Madison; just a different hand giving out the favors.
Jack Lohman (Thu Nov 04 16:17:46 2010)
This is from my friend Jim Wrich as we were taking about another shady deal:
This deal stank almost as bad as Scot McCallum's securitization of the tobacco fund a couple of years earlier. It would have paid the state of Wisconsin $180 million a year for at least 30 years. He sold it to Bear Sterns in exchange for a state debt pay down of about $1.0 billion while its annuity value was about $2.7 billion.
This kind of thing doesn't happen without campaign bribes flowing. The taxpayers took it in the shorts on this and many other "deals." I don't trust Madison as far as I can throw them.
Jack Lohman (Thu Nov 04 16:39:09 2010)
Remember, every new business tax exemption, investment credit and price support subsidy is essentially a tax cut. Also, government doesn't "create" jobs? Hmmm, tell that to the folks at Oshkosh Truck and Marinette Marine with their huge military contracts. While we're at it let's double down on the lucrative construction contracts for highways, bridges, public buildings, etc. Yes, everyone hates government spending except when it feathers their own nest.
Dennis (Thu Nov 04 17:20:03 2010)
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