Awesome piece in today’s Washington Post by Robert Samuelson entitled “Truth Serum on Trial.”
It’s pretty much a small op-ed about what politicians would say if they had to be honest with the American people. It’s kinda funny, especially his ‘honest speech’ that he gives as an example of what a truthful candidate would have to say. I’ve pasted a short excerpt and the link for the remainder of it below. Enjoy:
“Fellow Americans, I know you worry about the economy. So do I. But, frankly, if you elect me, I won’t do much about it. It’s a $14 trillion economy. Every three months, 7 million Americans change jobs. Presidents aren’t powerful enough to steer this colossus. Sure, we can pass ’stimulus’ programs, but if we overdo it — as we did in the 1970s — we will make the economy worse. Believe me, presidents would prevent recessions if they could.
“What we can do is preserve an economic climate that favors long-term growth. That means holding down the tax burden to maintain incentives for work and investments. We’re already running a $400 billion or so deficit; some broad-based tax increases may be needed. This will disappoint conservatives, who think no one should pay taxes, and liberals, who think only the rich should pay them. But we must also cut spending, because, unless we do, the future tax increases will be crushing.
“Of necessity, spending cuts should focus on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. These programs are projected to grow from about 45 percent of the present budget to 70 percent over a couple of decades. Paying for that exclusively with taxes would be devastating for the economy and our children. Paying exclusively by cutting other programs would gut vital government services. I admit that raising eligibility ages for baby boomers and cutting some benefits are unfair. People should have received more warning. But our politicians have so dawdled that there’s no warning time left….Read the Rest of it here
