February 14, 2011

Raise the Debt Ceiling? I don’t think so!

by Steve Dana

The President unveiled his 2012 budget this morning and it was an eyebrow raiser for folks on both sides of the aisle; certainly for us on the right.  I’m not sure if the numbers are accurate, but the “deficit” part of the budget was said to be $1.65 Trillion.

How can it be that we talk about deficit reduction, form a deficit reduction advisory commission, speak to the excessive deficit in the State of the Union address then produce this budget? 

I agree that the Deficit Reduction Commission suggested some painful options, but I suspect there isn’t much low hanging fruit.  That bi-partisan panel offered both parties an entrée to the options we have in dealing with these tough choices.  The President passed on his opportunity to demonstrate responsible leadership.  Now we have to try a different strategy.

There is an important date approaching next month where the Congress has to authorize raising the debt ceiling.  In order for the President to put our country deeper in debt, the Congress has to agree to it.  Could failing to do this be likened to pulling an Emergency Brake?

I am not in favor of raising the debt ceiling.  I don’t care what the ramifications might be; this is not a good idea.  This should be our line in the sand.

I’ve heard some suggestions regarding what will happen if there is no approval.  I would only suggest that the President and his Cabinet meet with their smartest people to start adjusting their budgets accordingly.  There will need to be some prioritization of spending to maintain essential services while ramping down and mothballing less essential services.

This may be the only tough language they understand. 

In my own family, I’ve been told I was guilty of enabling bad behavior.  I won’t deny it’s possible.  I know how painful it has been for all the parties involved to change our ways.  But, my enabling was as unacceptable as the bad behavior.

I understand that my family situation is not really interchangeable with our Federal Government, but we all understand how difficult it is to take on difficult challenges knowing that the outcome might be very painful for everyone concerned.  But if we truly care about our family members, we do it anyway.

I am in favor of using the bi-partisan Deficit Reduction Commission’s report as the guideline for tackling this problem recognizing that the only meaningful solutions will mean altering retirement plans for millions of Americans; myself included.  What choice do we have?

Let’s all bite down hard on that leather strap and get on with the procedure!

Maybe if our elected officials can muster the courage to tackle this issue they might also look at the IRS, DSHS, DOE and the EPA!

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February 13, 2011

Bombs in the Hands of Street Gangs

by Steve Dana

So what have we learned from the shake-up in Egypt?

I think the most stunning lesson we learned was the power of social networking.  If what we now think happened in Egypt is true, it will be revolutionary, literally revolutionary around the world.  Wherever there is internet capability there will be the power to organize for a desired purpose; even take down a government.

We have known for a long time the younger generation had tapped into an instantaneous method of sharing information on a world-wide basis.  We weren’t concerned about whether it would improve the human condition or not.  It was a fun way for kids to stay in touch with one another.

On the surface it has been a little annoying to some of us older folks.  We see our young people with a device in their hands seemingly 24-7.  What in the world are they doing so much of their time?

Now we know that some of them weren’t just talking about girl friends and boy friends.  The implications of this “network” thing are huge when you see the creative ways the technology is being applied.  That creativity may spark debate about a need to regulate.

I suspect that governments around the world have been a little nervous about the possible outcomes in their own countries.  The ones that now move toward clamping down on internet accessibility and restrict social networking are the ones we should watch because they know they have something to fear.

Where the outcome in Egypt worked out so far on the positive side, the potential could just as easily benefit a disruptive movement in any country for any purpose.

I am not sure how the government will be able to offset the power of social networking to link individuals with ideas from communicating them to others when the desired outcome is harm to our country as we know it today. 

This tool is like a nuclear bomb in the hands of a street gang.

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February 12, 2011

What do We Get for All That Money?

by Steve Dana

I was listening to pundits on the television this morning haranguing about American Foreign Aid. 

They were angry because of all the billions of “aid” our country had given to Egypt.  They believe that Mubarak received $1-2 billion or so every year for thirty years and skimmed most of it off for his own account instead of feeding the poor and improving living standards for all Egyptians.

The pundits concluded that all foreign aid should be suspended because the money doesn’t get into the hands of the people who need it most. 

All this pundit can say is “If only the issue were that simple!”

The other day, I watched a video on the internet where David Cameron, Prime Minister of the UK disclosed that the British government had actually pressured the Scottish government to release the Lockerbie Bomber on humanitarian grounds even though the evidence did not indicate the guy was actually terminally ill.  Former PM Gordon Brown denied it.  

PM Cameron exposed his own government and revealed that Great Britain was negotiating a deal for British Petroleum in Libya and freeing the terrorist was a part of their deal.  I would consider that Foreign Aid.

It makes you wonder about the motives of our government when we give financial aid or use the resources of our country to benefit a foreign government.  I know we want to believe that Foreign Aid is given to help poor countries do something to improve the human condition, but how often do we ever accomplish humanitarian goals considering how much of the money actually is spent on the problem? 

The reality is that Foreign Aid is a pay-off to leaders of countries we need on our side for acting in a particular way.  We buy performance from foreign leaders.  Sometimes those leaders are not the best citizens.

Not all foreign leaders skim off the cash for their own account, but most do.  Should we stop giving foreign aid?  I wouldn’t advise it.  In spite of the flaws in the system, there aren’t many foreign leaders that would see things our way if we stopped giving them stuff.

Everyone has heard the phrase “Follow the Money!” and Foreign Aid is exactly that.  Foreign governments support our initiatives because we either pay them with money or give them security against aggressors.  If push comes to shove, we don’t have too many real friends in this world, at least in the sense of personal friends.

If those pundits were successful in halting foreign aid programs, our country would begin to feel pretty lonely pretty fast.  Imagine how life in this country would change if we swapped places with Israel and felt the pressure on our borders from every jackal in the neighborhood like they do.  What would you pay to keep that threat away?

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February 11, 2011

What’s Next for Egypt?

by Steve Dana

I’m leaving for work this morning, watching the television news when the screen changes to Egypt and the word that something big is happening in Cairo.  Momentarily the reporter on the scene turns to the camera and said something like “I have never seen anything like this, something really big is happening right now.”  Then after watching a little more, he comes back and tentatively reports that President Mubarak had resigned.

Folks, this is one of those good news/bad news situations.  It is good because the protesters got what they wanted.  It’s bad because nobody knows what comes next.  In my view, there are more unanswered questions now than before.

So I check my email at work and I am scanning the news on the internet this morning and a video comes up about expatriate Egyptians in New York City.  It gets me thinking about all the Egyptians that have left their homeland because Mubarak denied them the freedom they could get in America.  How many of them came to our country to experience all the benefits of a free society and now have an opportunity to go home and help shape the political process in Egypt?

Leadership in our country should be gathering as many of those expatriate Egyptians as they can to help them create a framework for a government they can share with their friends and relatives back in Egypt.  To set up resources for Egyptians to use that will enable them to make informed decisions about their options.

If Social Media gets the credit for starting the revolution, Social Media can have the same impact in stabilizing the country after the fact.

Americans will not determine the future for Egypt, Egyptians will.  We need to make sure that those who value what Western Style government can offer have every opportunity to share their views and have a seat at the table.

There have been “Opposition” leaders in Egypt in the past that have been imprisoned for their political views.  Do any of them have tendencies supportive of both democratic style of government and “pro-western” interests that appeal to Egyptians in the square?  Let’s get the bloggers and twitterers working to get it started.

Our government’s job should be to help Egyptians explore their options.  Our job should be to empower Egyptians in our country and other Western countries to have a voice in their homeland.

The final outcome of this whole process will have repercussions around the world.  The “butterfly effect” of events taking place in Egypt will be earth shaking.  We need to watch carefully.

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