John Doe’s addiction

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March 15, 2010

A case study on how we’re hooked on the federal dole

Steve Boggs Weatherford Democrat The Weatherford Democrat Mon Mar 15, 2010, 02:31 PM CDT

WEATHERFORD — How addicted are we to the federal dole? More than we realize or care to admit.

Earlier this month, Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning threatened to filibuster a bill that would extend federal unemployment benefits by 30 days, provide COBRA benefits and fund a number of highway programs. Bunning’s reason for the threatened filibuster was simple: He wanted the United States Senate to cut spending in other areas to pay for the $10 billion measure, rather than add to the deficit. Unless and until he got a vote on the Senate floor to cut other spending, he refused to allow the $10 billion spending bill to be voted on at all.

Bunning is a Hall of Fame Major League pitcher, and is considered a loose cannon in the Senate. He says many outlandish things, and is not exactly in lock step with leaders of his own Republican Party. One only has to read the thousands of news reports about this filibuster attempt to know that, because the man was vilified by literally everyone in Washington for his “cheap political stunt.”

Ultimately, Bunning agreed to end the filibuster and got his vote on other spending cuts to pay for the $10 billion in unemployment benefits and other spending. Of course, the Senate voted 78-19 not to cut spending, and the deficit went up another $10 billion.

Why is this significant? Two reasons. First, the level of vilification heaped upon the Kentucky Senator was remarkable. Regardless of his motives, the man simply stated if the government is going to spend $10 billion here, it needs to cut $10 billion there.

He was virtually crucified by everyone from the radical left to members of his own party. In the blogosphere, he was challenged to look into the eyes of the people he would be throwing out onto the street by refusing to spend $10 billion for another 30 days of unemployment benefits.

Wow, really? Bunning was going to throw them out? Sounds like they will be out in 30 days anyway.

The second point to make here puts the $10 billion spending bill in context. According to Ed Hall’s famous National Debt Clock, based on the Treasury Department’s own numbers, the current U.S. National Debt is $12.5 trillion. It has been going up $3.96 billion every day since 2007.

One Senator’s attempt to prevent about three day’s worth of debt increases not only turned him into the Devil incarnate, it underscored how much we are all addicted to government spending.

Imagine the weeping and wailing that’s ahead when it all comes crashing down. That will happen sooner rather than later. The current business model of the U.S. government is not sustainable. Unemployment benefits need to be curtailed or eliminated, so do federal highway projects, Social Security, Medicare, the number of federal employees — everything from education to farm subsidies. It all has to be cut. Not frozen, cut.

Bunning’s simple filibuster threat involved a fraction of total spending so small, it’s hard to calculate as a percentage. He was thrown under the bus for it, too.

If we cannot muster enough political will to redirect such a small percent of government spending, how do we ever expect to balance the budget for 20 straight years and pay off the National Debt?

Our addiction as taxpayers to federal spending has to be conquered first.

— Steve Boggs

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The Komen Foundation recently cut ties (before announcing they would reinstate them) with Planned Parenthood and stopped funding breast cancer screenings — was that a good thing?

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