If you went to the doctor but left with only a diagnosis, you might wish some possible remedies had been offered as well.
That’s where we are in politics, according to a guest column Sunday in the Sioux City Journal by two leaders of “First Budget,” a nonpartisan initiative by The Concord Coalition and the Campaign to Fix the Debt.
“Based on the comments from presidential candidates marching through Iowa, voters are being accurately told that our growing national debt is a problem,” write Sara Imhof and Mike Murphy. “But what about the cure?”
For too long, the column says, candidates have sidestepped explanations of what’s needed “to heal the ailing federal budget.”
The next president will inherit a budget on an unsustainable path, perhaps with less and less flexibility to make needed investments in areas such as defense, education, infrastructure, low income support and basic research. Key challenges include the aging population, an inefficient tax system and rising interest costs.
“The next presidential term will be crucial; the longer we delay comprehensive budget reform, the more difficult it will be,” Murphy and Imhof write. “So, First Budget is urging voters in the Sioux City area and across the state to encourage candidates to detail what they would do in their first budget as president.”
External links:
First Budget Website
