Letters to the Editor for Aug. 3, 2011

By: Staff | Nelson County Times
Published: August 03, 2011

Just a baby step in the right direction

I watched in disgust the machinations of the Congress and the president regarding the federal budget and the debt limit.

Both Democrats and Republicans presented fuzzy math with regard to cuts, and there are no cuts. The president is unwilling to take a position except to be preemptively against all Republican proposals. I do, however, agree that it is the responsibility of the Congress to come up with the budget related plans, not the president.

The problem, while difficult, is not complicated. In simple terms, the federal government is spending $300 billion a month. There are revenues of $200 billion a month. Of that $200 billion, $100 billion is paid by the American people in FICA taxes for the purpose of funding the Social Security and Medicare Part A, the in-hospital care, Trust Funds. The problem, therefore, is simple. The federal government is spending $100 Billon a month it does not have and is increasing the national debt by $100 billion every month action is delayed.

The solution: reduce the spending by the federal government by $100 billion a month in real dollars.

Doing it is the hard, but not complicated, part.

One need only go to the 2011 federal budget, which is online, and strike sufficient line items to arrive at $100 billion in cuts for the 2012 budget.

Now the question is: What is important?

Recently, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission received a grant of a million dollars to initiate a study of a complex program of rural and urban development. This may or may not be a good thing, but that is not the question. The real question is whether we can afford it today.

Nelson County receives $500,000 annually from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to underwrite the costs to the county of providing about half of Nelson County school children with free and reduced cost breakfasts and lunches. Is this a program and federal government expense that the citizens of the county would be willing to step up and fund?

So, our politicians dance. When will we address the difficult choices that must be made and stop the music?