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Ladies & Gentlemen of the CRFB:
Three points:
1. With regard to the statement by the 80+ CEOs:
Clearly, the nation
has a serious deficit and debt problem, but it’s hard to take these guys
seriously.
Most any reasonably
bright college students, particularly those who have mastered “Washington Speak”
(i.e., tax, spend, entitlements, deficits, debt) could string together words
that make themselves look like deficit-debt statesmen while they call upon
someone else, particularly elected officials, to take courageous steps that may
end their careers.
How many of these
80+ CEOs will tell now their lobbyists, trade associations, chambers of
commerce, and company-financed NGOs to stop pressuring members of Congress and
executive branch agencies to continue and expand the tax breaks and subsidies
that they want for their companies?
Think for the moment about the campaign contributions and lobbying by the
US Chamber of Commerce, NAM, dozens of other associations, and hundreds of
lobbyists who worked to protect their employers’ and members’ special interests
in the multi-billion dollar “Christmas Tree” tax break extender bill reported in
September by the Senate Finance Committee.
How many of the
companies represented by these 80+ CEOs operate on the basis that “mining”
Washington DC for tax breaks and subsidies is more profitable with less risk
than focusing entirely on entrepreneurial, productive, commercially viable
private sector products and services?
How many of them like to have Washington “pick winners” by lavishing tax
breaks and subsidies on their products, technologies, and services that cannot
compete in the marketplace? How
many of them are producing products that will never be competitive without
government dictates and/or tax breaks and subsidies that add to deficits and
debt?
A cynic might even
conclude that some of these 80+ CEOs are a bit hypocritical.
2. With
regard to the CRFB and its "Fix the Debt" campaign:
It's also hard to
take the CRFB seriously. It seems to be populated by individuals who
helped mightily to CAUSE the problem through irresponsible actions during the
past 10-20 years that expanded government, spending, credit programs,
entitlements, regulations, and special interest tax breaks.
Now they want
someone else to correct THEIR mistakes. Perhaps they are merely trying to
"stay relevant" and protect their ability to profit from their past positions
and/or current lobbying activities. The last thing that the nation needs
is more "solutions" from the Washington Establishment.
3. With
regard to a "comprehensive program":
When has a
"comprehensive program" EVER succeeded in limiting the size, cost and reach of
government or limited the expansion of spending, credit programs, entitlements,
regulation and special interest tax breaks?
The search for a
"comprehensive program" appears to be just one more way for individual
members of the Congress and the Executive Branch to AVOID taking the step by
step actions needed; i.e., learning to tell the difference between facts and
propaganda from lobbyists and other special interests, cutting programs,
holding down appropriations, cutting entitlements, wiping out special
interest tax breaks, reining in regulators, stop funneling tax dollars to their
friends, and attempting to pick winners that can be picked successfully
only by the marketplace.
It appears
that promotion of a "comprehensive program" is just one more attempt
by the Washington Establishment to save itself and it's influence.
Glenn
Schleede
Ashburn,
VA
