OPINIONS
4.15.11
Left More Left VS
6
Government and the budget
Tim Rice, Echo Columnist
and paper in jail, a lot of paper at that. back. Germans soon tired of their government Most economists not being paid to astroturf Though things did go very, very wrong. One doing nothing since their government couldn’t for predatory lenders will say that living on a of the main causes of this was that Germany do anything and sadly looked to someone who week to week basis is a warning sign of much at the time had a gaping hole in the bottom of didn’t care for treaties. deeper problems. A country that lives week to its economic bucket—reparations. After being It’s true, the US isn’t currently being forced week is a laughingstock for a while, to pay other countries for wars past. It in an “unsustainable condition” for a is true, though, that we have been paybit after that, and soon after incapable ing for several wars. I read an article once of offering the services of an actual that the whole recent budget debacle in government. I’m surprised that other Wisconsin could have been avoided by countries aren’t laughing at the US; bringing less than 100 soldiers home. but then again, most aren’t doing so Wars are expensive, and we’ve been in well themselves. two for almost half our lives. It’s amazConsider for a moment the Wiemar ing that the government didn’t shut Republic that was Germany afdown last decade. ter World War I. From a distance, it Though what if leaving our current seemed that everything would turn overseas interventions would be irreout well. There was a slow but funcsponsible? If such is the case, we have tioning legislature (like any republic to bring in more money to pay for things in the world), a good industrial base, like college subsidies and body armor. and good reasons for the population Ever since the 1980s, the tax rate on divito care about their government. It dend returns has gone down steadily. even had a police system capable of If it were taxed at the rate of all othPhoto courtesy of Google images nipping several attempted coups in er income, there would be no reason to the bud and, like any good country that goes defeated in the First World War, Germany was write this opinion piece. Also, our tax mentalthrough with its promises of human rights, forced to pay sometimes more than its GNP ity has to change. For instance, why do we pay even let the likes of Adolf Hitler have a pen to other countries that didn’t move any of it government employees and then tax them?
Brad Crofford, Echo Columnist In the hours leading up to midnight on Friday, Apr. 8, the nation watched as political leaders squabbled about the government’s finances. A partial government shutdown seemed imminent until Republicans and Democrats were finally able to reach a stop-gap agreement right before the midnight deadline. It is ridiculous that the Republicans used their majority in the House to almost shut down the government over ideological issues. Partisan issues such as abortion and gun control are important for our top legislators to discuss, but it boggles the mind that they
can endanger government operation to such a significant extent. While the crisis has seemingly temporarily been averted, this rigmarole has made it clear that something must be done about the way the federal government handles budget issues. One potential solution would be for the federal government to consider switching to a two-year budget cycle. This proposal would be similar to what former Oklahoma lieutenant governor Jari Askins recommended during the 2010 gubernatorial elections. This would allow legislators to focus almost exclusively on budget
issues for one year, and then handle other issues in the second year. Of course, estimations for various budget items would be even more necessary than they currently are. However, if conservative estimates are made, this could be beneficial in that it could free up any surplus revenue to help pay down the national debt. It seems as if the current oneyear budget process creates shortterm focus. Indeed, right now the government seems to be operating on an almost ad hoc, short-sighted basis, moving from one continuing resolution to the next. The government needs to take a lesson from personal finance: if
I am trying to save money and pay off debt, it is absolutely impossible for me to do it by just looking at one week at a time. Also, if I’m trying to pay off a large debt, I cannot do it simply by saving a spare dollar here and there; I must deal with the big ticket items. Similarly, politicians from both parties must have the political will to tackle our nation’s largest budget items, something they have so far proven unwilling to do. We must take a long term view, adopt a more responsible means of creating the federal budget, and above all else, elect politicians who care more about the nation’s future than the next election.