Friday, April 10, 2009

Stimulate or Cutback

Due to the sad state of the State’s economy we have to make cutbacks. To stop cutbacks we may need higher taxes which nobody really wants and many cannot afford. So service cuts are inevitable.


While many state workers are paid more than they should be or in some cases more than they are worth they are covered by contracts and political deals that will never be reneged upon. And even if we were able to cut their salaries down to less obscene levels they would only make a small dent in the large debt.


Given the options the only real choice is service cuts.


But every time a service is suggested for the ‘cutting block’ it is championed by its own vocal group of supporters. And while each argument taken on its own is rational and compelling what they are telling is a simple truth. Everyone wants cutbacks as long as they don’t affect us.


There is another way out of the mess our leaders allowed the greedy few to create and that is print more money. The problem is that we mortgage our future in doing so and must be prepared for the pain. But the State cannot print the money. They can only request some of the newly minted scrip from DC.


When the President and his team push for more stimulus which is another way to say print more cash the critics point to the increasing debt and fret about the implications. Unfortunately when told that their solutions are not viable their only response is basically the childish, “Oh yeah?”


The first thing we should do is make cutbacks in the stimulus bills. But the cutbacks should be on the amount of additions tacked onto the bill. We must make sure these are necessary to the Nation’s well being.


Our own McCarthy wants $96,175 to be paid to rappers so that they can appeal to the minorities and non-English speaking poor and help them in these sad times. With New York talking about such seemingly drastic measures as closing down Jones Beach we have to stop and think. So many people are out of work and unable to afford fifty cents for an iced tea so maybe now is not the right time to be hiring “Ice T” or “Fitty Cent” to explain things. And where the heck did she come up with that exact number in the first place?


But she is not the only one and it is unfair to single her out. There is plenty of the other "white meat" to go around. Perhaps some of these pet projects are worthy of future thought but they should be shelved for now.


Our leaders used fear to get their way for many years. How many of our children have died because of the threat of WMDs or the smoking gun in the form of a mushroom cloud? These lies hid a sinister agenda. History may finally reveal the true reasons for the Bush Cheney Rove coven of hate but let that go for now as well.


We need cooler heads put together with other cooler heads from both sides of the aisle. We don’t need posturing and name calling and finger pointing. That way only leads to fingers used in a different way and dead ends. Fear should not be the motivator, fairness should.


Many businesses cut workers salaries back and laid off many others. The governments must do the same. Now is not the time for them to be getting or giving raises as in the case of one of our towns on Long Island or many in DC. If cutbacks must be made then do so but be sure you make some sacrifices as well. The hard choices must be felt by all since we are all supposedly in this together.

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