I.O.U.S.A - Addison Wiggin [17]
health of the federal government.
is responsible
for drafting
In an effort to explain the budget defi cit in an easily Congress’s annual
understandable way, Bixby uses various metaphors that reso-budget plan and
nate with the average American. First, he likens a budget to monitoring action
going on a diet. They only way that you can really lose weight of the budget
is to get more exercise or to eat less. Similarly, there are really for the federal
government. The
only two ways that you can balance a budget: You can cut Committee is
spending or you can raise taxes. Not surprisingly, people chaired by Sen.
don ’ t necessarily like those hard choices so they look for easy Kent Conrad
solutions.
(D–North Dakota)
Next, he likens the budget committee to that of a family and the ranking
minority member is meeting. He says that the committee is like Mom and Dad sit-Sen. Judd Gregg
ting at the kitchen table at the beginning of the year, fi guring (R–New Hampshire). out what the family can afford. Everybody comes to the table c02.indd 26
8/26/08 8:42:37 PM
Chapter 2 The Budget Defi cit 27
with their ideas about the new things that the family needs.
Mom and Dad then look at how much income they ’ re going to have that year and how much they can afford to spend.
“ The family hasn
’ t been doing too well,
” Bixby says,
chuckling. “ We ’ ve been running defi cits of two hundred to three hundred billion dollars every year, which is quite a bit of money.
“ I think everybody realizes this sort of a family budget is unsustainable over the long term. At this rate, the family ’ s going to be in a lot of trouble. ”
On this particular occasion, four people were testifying at the Senate Budget Committee hearing: Bob Bixby, of the Concord Coalition; Dr. Stuart Butler, of the Heritage Foundation; Jason Furman, of the Brookings Institution and Barack Obama ’ s chief economic adviser; and Joseph Minarik of the Committee for Economic Development.
Senator Kent Conrad from North Dakota was presiding.
“ One of the major threats to our economy, ” began Senator Conrad, “ is the budget stresses from the baby boomers as they begin to retire en masse. ” Conrad quotes Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who recently testifi ed before the same committee: “ If early and meaningful action is not taken, the U.S. economy could be seriously weakened. The longer we wait, the more severe, the more draconian, the more diffi cult the objectives are going to be. I think the right time to start was about ten years ago. ”
Conrad continued, “ We need the will to put our fi scal house back in order . . . the sooner we act, the better. ”
“ We ’ re all involved in the Fiscal Wake - Up Tour, ” Bixby says, motioning to those who are testifying before the hearing.
“ Dave Walker is involved, as well. We ’ ve been going around the country holding town hall meetings . . . and talking to local media. We are fi nding the public seems to be willing to hear the tough choices that need to be made. What they want to make sure is that you ’ re serious about them, ” he added, pointing to the members of the Senate committee.
c02.indd 27
8/26/08 8:42:40 PM
28 The
Mission
When we talked to Senator Kent Conrad, the ranking member of the Senate Budget committee, after the hearing, he fl ipped the coin the other way:
Obviously, if the public doesn’t
“ Obviously, if the public doesn
’ t
understand, there’s going to be no
sense of urgency and no pressure
understand, there ’ s going to be no
on our colleagues [in Congress] or
sense of urgency and no pressure
in the White House to act.
on our colleagues [in Congress] or on
—KENT CONRAD
the White House to act. ”
The public needs to care and
may be moving in that direction.
“ There ’ s this perception, ” says Bob Bixby, “ that ‘ Oh, the public doesn ’ t care about it. These are just numbers, you know; it’s boring stuff. ’ But when we go to our town hall meetings . . .
people love it. What they ’ re frustrated
When we go to our town hall
with is