1. One more critical element is a robust plan for messaging to the American people why this is necessary and how the various pieces have been selected. (Bill Clinton did a superb job explaining to the people why we needed tax increases when he brought the economy into balance, something that--despite their malarkey--Republicans have had less success at than Democrats.)
2. There needs to be a whole lot of thoughts about how various moves might interact with each other. And how they play out over time. To keep with the medical framework, eliminating insurance supports may be a short run gain but when more and sicker people show up in the ERs, these savings evaporate. This is particularly true with regard to environmental issues. Short run savings/actions might have truly long run catastrophic results.
3. I can't stress how much I agree with the importance of humility. We desperately need that. But we need to be careful to not extend the need for humility to assuming vast swath of science is irrelevant. Yes, science always need to be questioned BUT at some point willful ignorance is stupidity not humility.
4. All this discussion seems pointless as long as Trump and Musk are insisting there will no increases--maybe decreases--in the taxes of the richest. Democrats would be politically (and probably morally) idiotic to go along with that. So, for now, deficit discussion is DOA. Republicans in Congress have shown no ability to stand up for what they know to be true. In what universe does this suggest spending time worrying about the deficit is worthwhile? I think before we can have this discussion there must be a clear sign that there is going to be pushback to the Trump agenda. Simply figuring out how to fight that agenda might be more productive.
Thank you for thinking and writing about the debt, but it is time we stopped helping Congress with expert panels that are not listened to. It is the constitutional responsibility of Congress to control spending and the debt. DOGE is a ruse to increase the debt, tax benefits for the wealthy, and gifts to friends. Congress needs to put on big-boy pants.
Thanks for another thoughtful, targeted, articulate, sensible post.
If only ...
Several things:
1. One more critical element is a robust plan for messaging to the American people why this is necessary and how the various pieces have been selected. (Bill Clinton did a superb job explaining to the people why we needed tax increases when he brought the economy into balance, something that--despite their malarkey--Republicans have had less success at than Democrats.)
2. There needs to be a whole lot of thoughts about how various moves might interact with each other. And how they play out over time. To keep with the medical framework, eliminating insurance supports may be a short run gain but when more and sicker people show up in the ERs, these savings evaporate. This is particularly true with regard to environmental issues. Short run savings/actions might have truly long run catastrophic results.
3. I can't stress how much I agree with the importance of humility. We desperately need that. But we need to be careful to not extend the need for humility to assuming vast swath of science is irrelevant. Yes, science always need to be questioned BUT at some point willful ignorance is stupidity not humility.
4. All this discussion seems pointless as long as Trump and Musk are insisting there will no increases--maybe decreases--in the taxes of the richest. Democrats would be politically (and probably morally) idiotic to go along with that. So, for now, deficit discussion is DOA. Republicans in Congress have shown no ability to stand up for what they know to be true. In what universe does this suggest spending time worrying about the deficit is worthwhile? I think before we can have this discussion there must be a clear sign that there is going to be pushback to the Trump agenda. Simply figuring out how to fight that agenda might be more productive.
Thank you for thinking and writing about the debt, but it is time we stopped helping Congress with expert panels that are not listened to. It is the constitutional responsibility of Congress to control spending and the debt. DOGE is a ruse to increase the debt, tax benefits for the wealthy, and gifts to friends. Congress needs to put on big-boy pants.