Well, it seems like the debt deal is finally going to get done, and as it happens, the price turned out to be massive cuts to defense and Homeland Security spending. Republicans got to cut at least $2.5 trillion in federal spending, and Democrats got to take a substantial part of that from a combination of defense, non-defense security, and foreign aid spending. Which means, I think, that the war in Afghanistan is over. It may take some time to wind it all down, but bottom line, there’s no one left in Washington who still cares enough about it to give it—or the Army fighting it—any funding.
As far as the American People are concerned, I think the real import of this event will take some time to sink in. Americans are not by any means the most subtle or intuitive people on earth. They are easily fooled by even the meanest form of political or economic bait-and-switch, and lately, they’ve been coerced on all sides into voting against their own economic interests through an increasingly brutal use of so-called “values” wedge issues. The facts of this particular bait-and-switch are that today’s Republicans drape themselves in the flag and image of Reagan while running full-speed away from the real man’s actual legacy. Because while it’s true that Reagan was basically a supply-side economics guy, he was far, far more of a pragmatist than is today’s Republican Party. People forget that Reagan raised interest rates *a lot* to get inflation under control in early 1980s. He also raised taxes in his second term and didn’t apologize for it after the fact. So while it’s true that he believed in “trickle down” economics, he was neither insane nor overly dogmatic about the way he governed. He increased spending when that was needed, notably on defense but also on other issues.
Today’s Republicans don’t care about any of that. They care about dogma more than facts, and they’re willing to wreck the country just to make the other guy look bad.
I just can’t get behind that.
It’s frustrating to me, a registered Republican, because I feel like there’s no one left to speak for me in the Capitol. No one seems to care about actually balancing the budget. No one seems to care about how the country’s actually running. The Republicans only want to eliminate tax revenue, and the Democrats only want to increase social spending. They care about the execution of the dogma more than about the actually effects of their actions. And it’s so bad right now that they can’t even come to a simple compromise anymore, even in a time of crisis. Somebody’s got to win and someone’s got to lose, and the other guys can never do anything right. With nihilists in Congress, it’s become a dangerous proposition.
People just don’t seem to get that some spending cuts are actually de facto tax increases. For example, if the Federal government cuts funding for schools, sure the schools can lay off some teachers, increase class sizes, and use old text books, but they’re also going to have to raise property taxes—at the local level—to make up for the new shortfall in Federal spending. Likewise, I think if more Americans knew the real effects of coal-fired power plants, we’d have a lot less crying about spending on the EPA. The real cost to unregulated industry is increased asthma rates—paid for via increased Health Care spending—as well as higher food prices due to damaged aquifers, fisheries, and the like, and a general need to clean the water before you use or drink it. That process of cleaning water is not free. It is, in fact, quite energy intensive. Along the same lines, utility bills are not technically a tax. And since greater energy spending is technically an increase in consumer spending in lieu of a tax—albeit one that makes neither good economic nor social sense—it’s more palatable to today’s meathead Republicans, the actual effects of the policy be damned.
Once again, I’d be curious to get the thoughts of some of my classmates on this. I mean, they’re the ones who’re really gonna get screwed here. Is this enough of a betrayal by the Right to make them rethink their personal politics, or have they not yet read the fine print?
7 comments:
I heard someone say that "Raising the debt ceiling is like raising the legal blood alcohol limit to solve drunk driving."
I have the sinking feeling that all we're doing is delaying an inevitable (a U.S. depression -- maybe not worldwide, but who knows).
I too am a Republican. I think our only hope is Ron Paul That, or to become a Libertarian.
Eh. I'm not much on the Libertarian Party. The theory is good, but in the real world, the US prospers because it is engaged with the world it inhabits. That costs. Also, having worked in the utility industry for ten years, I am whole-heartedly in favor of regulating air and water pollution.
My $.02 is that Libertarians want to cut everything and hope that a true laissez faire approach will work. I don't think that history is on their side on that one. Having met and gone to school with some of the so-called captains of industry--I did my MBA in finance in Manhattan--I can promise you that the would-be geniuses of the American economy are half as smart and twice as greedy as you probably imagine. These are not nice people. Letting them simply run amok is foolish. The smartest guys were the currency traders, but even they would not have made it through West Point. Not even close. They wouldn't have survived the requirement to use teamwork, and they wouldn't have passed Physics.
In short, I'm supporting Jon Hunstman for President. After he's defeated, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. The rest of the field sort of turns my stomach.
On the first point... It's probably true, but you can't go cold turkey in one night. And at this point, I think it takes a balanced approach. Taxes are gonna have to go up. Reality is that it's unavoidable, but the way they're trying to do it is far from the best way available. As Teddy Roosevelt said (I'm paraphrasing here), the rich man should pay more taxes because he derives more benefit from the organization of society.
You've recently lost your faith, now your political stance is going, Man, you're in the Bell Jar.
Good points, but I think I'd rather take my chances with those captains of industry, no matter how greedy and corrupt, rather than these government guys.
If history has proven anything, it's that government will ruin whatever they touch.
This mantra of big government- “If only you’ll give us more time and money, this time we’ll fix the problem” is going to spend us all into oblivion sooner than later.
I'm mentally ill because I had a crisis of faith of don't always support the Republican party? I think that might be a stretch.
I mean, yeah, my folks died, and now I'm left feeling like, bottom line, no one's going to save me but me. My family and I have whatever I can sort of cobble together for us. And that's maybe a little scary, but then again... it's worked out okay so far. I don't want to take it for granted, but life's not bad or anything.
I get frustrated with the overwhelming selfishness of American Society, but what can you expect when the very foundation of society is an individual's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of property.
Moreover, I really don't know that I'm more liberal than I used to be. More considered maybe, but I was never a great believer in blind faith or patriotism. I think, rather, that the country has moved to the Right of where I've always been, and for me, that's been a bit disorienting. But what can you do? I make the best of it, try to teach my kids as well as I can, and race the occasional triathlon.
And yeah, I hope for better, but part of me is really starting to believe that we might just be a bunch of dumb animals after all. In any event, there's nothing for it but to keep on keeping on.
On the second point--after the Sylvia Plath reference--I agree. I just want a balanced approach as we begin to (slowly) deal with reality.
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