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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (27422)	2/1/2004 8:44:29 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793682

It's easy when you are out of office. You will notice that John does not suggest privatizing the Post Office. His Father in Law works there. :>) February 1, 2004 - New York Times OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR Deficits, Fruit Flies and the Beltway By JOHN KASICH COLUMBUS, Ohio My, how the times and priorities have changed in Washington! Back in 2001, when I left Congress as the chairman of the House Budget Committee, the budget was balanced, $453 billion of debt had been paid down, and there were future surpluses amounting to $5.6 trillion that could be used to save and reform Social Security. These accomplishments were possible because a committed team of public servants made huge political sacrifices for the benefit of their children. It took a government shutdown (showdown) to make it clear to President Bill Clinton that I and others in Congress would stop at nothing less than fiscal responsibility. Less discretionary spending, savings in entitlement programs, lower interest rates and capital gains tax cuts — which provided incentives for economic growth — were the drivers of our success. We balanced the first budget since man walked on the moon because we were able to beat back the big-government, business-as-usual politicians. The political sacrifices called for in taming government are enormous. The demands to spend more on programs come from inside and outside Washington, and I learned first-hand that when you fight these interests you become an enemy to many. Unfortunately, our success was short-lived. Since 2001 government spending has grown almost 20 percent, from $1.96 trillion then to the more than $2.3 trillion contained in the budget that President Bush is expected to release to Congress tomorrow. The Congressional Budget Office predicted last week that the deficit would hit a record $477 billion, and yet the spending spree goes on with no apparent end in sight. The surpluses that could have been used to save Social Security are gone, and Medicare continues its move toward bankruptcy. Some blame President Bush's tax cuts, some blame the war on terrorism, but it all comes down to one simple reason: a lack of political will to curtail the rise and growth of government spending. An example of this is the bloated budget bill. It provides money for a birthday party for Hawaii and the study of fruit flies in France. Who is to blame? Everyone who has participated in the process, which means both Republicans and Democrats. So I have a few things I would like to say to both sides. To my Republican friends: please don't argue that deficit spending and big government don't matter. They are a claim on future income either through higher taxes, or inflation and higher interest rates. And to my Democratic friends: deficits are not caused by taxes being too low, but by spending being too high. Your solution of raising taxes will lead only to slower economic growth and even more spending in the future. I also have a few suggestions for my former colleagues on what needs to be done: • Reduce government bureaucracy, shrink the size of the federal work force by 2 percent to 3 percent, and trim overhead expenses like travel and utilities. • Eliminate corporate subsidies for ethanol and other programs for well-connected businesses. • Cut ineffective foreign aid programs that put money into the hands of corrupt and inept governments. • Close unnecessary military bases. Modernize and privatize Pentagon personnel operations where appropriate. • Curb the skyrocketing growth of health care spending by putting unrestricted and robust Medical Savings Accounts into effect and reducing the number of frivolous lawsuits. • Scale back the bloated farm program. • Cut the pork out of the highway bill. Better yet, return the program to the states and let them manage it. • Auction surplus federal assets to the highest bidder. These suggestions are obviously not comprehensive, but this is not about numbers, nor is this about deficits or budgets. This is about leadership. And leadership is about example and sacrifice, not cheers and re-election. It's about a quiet voice deep inside reminding you that working for the good of the country often means putting others before yourself and special interest groups. It's about a legacy that can't be seen until tomorrow. Which leads me to wonder: where are tomorrow's leaders, those few good men and women willing to fight with passion and stand on principle to make a difference for the next generation? John Kasich, managing director of the Lehman Brothers Investment Banking Group, was a Republican representative from Ohio from 1983 to 2000. Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company