Brian D. Anderson Sr.
My first title for today’s column was much more negative and inflammatory. The initial title would have been very appropriate to the case I want to make. But this being the Christmas season, I decided I could make my point without being inappropriate. That point is that the problem with Congress and many of our national issues is a direct result of the pervasive arrogance of Congress and the majority of its members.
Every day that I leave Rotary after reciting the Four-Way Test, I wonder if any of our senators and congressmen are Rotarians? Those that are know the Four-Way Test that asks these questions:
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build good will and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
If there are Rotarians serving in the House or Senate who do live by the Four-Way Test, they would not so arrogantly push for the extreme and ignore the critical.
Most presidential elections are decided by five percentage points or less. Congressional races, regardless of which party is in control, are won by a simple majority in most cases. Thus for any party that happens to be in the majority to act like they have a mandate to run roughshod over the other is foolish. To me, it is sheer arrogance on behalf of the offending party (Republican or Democrat) to lead in such a way. Simply put, this is not leadership. True leadership comes from a strong sense of purpose, a sense of service, and a sense of doing what is right.
Our national debt is a disaster on the horizon of our future. Even while every other organization in America is tightening their belts and reducing spending, our Congress isn’t. And I don’t mean just the current Congress and president. If memory serves, President Bush only vetoed one spending bill in eight years. In fact, the United States has had debt since its inception. Historically, our debt as a percentage of GDP has risen significantly in times of war. Most recently, the War on Terrorism has triggered a doubling of the U.S. debt from 2003 to 2008. The Congressional Budget Office is forecasting that during President Obama’s term our debt as a percentage of GDP will be 100 percent or more (equal to the years we were fighting World War II).
I have read different opinions from noted economists that debt in and of itself is not a problem. And I think even the most ardent fiscal conservative would agree that during wartime, debt is a reality. But given the current economy, I do not understand how our national “leaders” can argue that current big government fiscal policy will lead us to prosperity.
Although most states require a balanced budget, Congress does not have to balance its budget. States can only borrow based on their ability to repay and have a credit rating just like individuals and businesses. Congress is not bound by good fiscal management. So, as we continue to fight a war on terror, as we are grappling with an economy that is as bad as any since the Great Depression, our members of Congress have arrogantly discounted the future of our children and grandchildren. They are bankrupting our nation by continuing to spend money on pork projects and expensive social programs that are not sustainable. Even while they argue to add programs, current programs like Medicare and Social Security continue down a fiscal path to insolvency.
It is no wonder to me why groups of citizens who are fed up with the insanity are protesting. The creation of a third party has strong interest but probably not viability given the legal roadblocks created by the current two parties. A third party has a huge uphill fight in gaining access to the political process. The Republicans and Democrats have rigged the system so favorably in protecting the current system that a legitimate third party is seriously behind the power curve from the outset.
I know that there are honorable people in our national leadership and in both parties. But the disease of incumbency (and apathy of the citizenry) causes the majority of politicians to myopically focus on the issues of their party and not the collective good. The two-party system does a good job of facilitating good competitive debate and campaigning. This same system fails, however, after the elections are over. Today’s reality is that members of Congress (and many other levels of government) have forgotten they are elected to do a job. They are elected to work for the common good. They are elected to legislate in a way that our country prospers and becomes stronger. I would advocate that for many years now, Congress has been and continues to be broken.
Consider the national debate on health care reform. I am sure that there are good proposals from both parties. But the majority party will not allow for compromise and utilize any ideas from the minority party. Since the administration doesn’t like being criticized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, when a job creation summit is held, guess who wasn’t invited — the U.S. Chamber. But the labor unions were invited.
When the Senate health care reform proposal hit a snag recently, Sen. Landrieu of Louisiana bargained to receive over $300 million in additional funding for her state in exchange for her support. It is unbelievable that something so blatant could happen in this modern day. And, remember this was reported by a fairly liberal media.
The push for big government did not begin with the current administration. Congress has been on a spending spree for decades. If there was ever a time to freeze spending, it is now. Notice I did not say cut … a simple freeze would be a tremendous step in the right direction. We should run our country like we run our homes and our businesses. We cannot go on doing business as usual and diminish the opportunities of future generations on account of the foolishness of a few.
The U.S. Chamber, working with its members across our great country, is leading the charge in calling for reining in fiscal malpractice by our national elected leadership. For decades business has led us out of tough economic times. Small business drives the majority of job creation and can be a strong catalyst for economic recovery. But to secure that desired brighter economic future, we need to reduce government spending, only spend for those needs like national defense or that which is an investment in our citizenry, and remove the barriers that prevent private capital from being invested. It is not too late, but the time is now. Either we hold those currently in office accountable, or we start over.
Brian D. Anderson Sr. is president and CEO of the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce.
