Why Not Cut Spending?

By: Michael M. Shapiro

Nearly all of the Democratic candidates for President have pledged to roll back the tax cuts enacted under President Bush and some have also said they will raise taxes in addition to the roll back. Although the roll back is a possible solution to our nation’s fiscal woes, before candidates for President rush to increase our taxes, how about cutting spending?

Under President Bush, federal government spending has skyrocketed: “No Child Left Behind”, Medicare prescription “reform,” and the war in Iraq have contributed to an exponential increase in the federal budget. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks continue to be provided with no end in sight. These are good places to start cutting costs.

“No Child Left Behind” has met with mixed results, with numerous findings indicating that many teachers simply teach to the required tests rather than having our children learn what they need to know. The costs of the program and its additional mandates to the States have contributed to increased federal and state government spending. Given the program’s mixed reviews and the increased costs attributed to it, the federal government should consider eliminating “No Child Left Behind” or the components that are not working.

Similarly, Medicare’s prescription drug “reform” has sharply increased the costs of the federal government, yet positive results are not readily apparent as many of our nation’s elderly continue to be unable to afford health care and prescription drugs. The “reform” appears to have mainly benefited the health care and pharmaceutical industries. As a result, the federal government should think about curtailing the newly enacted “reforms,” thereby saving our taxpayers billions.

The war in Iraq is costing our nation hundreds of billions of dollars. Isn’t it time to start using the Iraqi oil wells to finance the war and reconstruction rather than our taxpayers? Furthermore, a stable nation contributes to stability in the region. Why not press Iraq’s oil-rich neighbors like Saudi Arabia to finance Iraq’s reconstruction?

Despite massive budget deficits and skyrocketing costs of federal programs, our legislators continue to approve earmarks for their pet projects.  Hundreds of millions of federal dollars are being used to facilitate the re-elections of incumbent officeholders. This is not only wasteful but an abuse of the system and should be stopped immediately.

While we are hearing over and over again from the Democrats running for President that taxes will have to increase in a Democratic Administration, we hear next to nothing from anyone about cutting government spending.  It is time to refocus the debate on government spending rather than on taxation and it might, therefore, be suggested that those running for President advocate that our government start living within its means.

Michael M. Shapiro, founder of ShapTalk.com, is an attorney who resides in New Providence, New Jersey. He currently serves as the Editor of The Alternative Press, www.thealternativepress.com Contact Mike at mike@shaptalk.com