Ed Rendell, former Pennsylvania governor, and Paul Stebbins, former chairman of World Fuel Services Corp., recently stressed in Iowa the importance of the public and presidential candidates focusing on the nation’s fiscal challenges.
“I firmly believe that if you give the American people the facts they will respond responsibly,” Rendell said. “You have to challenge the candidates: what are you going to do in your first budget to address this?”
He and Stebbins spoke at the 2015 Caucus Federal Issue Series forum on the national debt, presented by the Iowa Caucus Consortium, The Greater Des Moines Partnership, Microsoft and First Budget.
“We need to to own this problem — we the people, not we the Congress,” Stebbins said. “We need to have a bigger voice in this issue . . . growing debt is holding back economic growth and productivity.”
They warned that if nothing is done, eventually the government will be unable to make crucial investments in areas such as education, infrastructure and technology development.
Rendell had an unorthodox suggestion to encourage bipartisan cooperation:
“I would play the Rolling Stones song ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ in the halls of Congress, in the restrooms, in the cloakroom . . . . if you listen closely to the next line, it says ‘and if you try sometime, you find you get what you need.’ ”
External links:
Fix the Debt’s Paul Stebbins Joins WMT Morning Radio Show to Discuss National Debt
Iowa ‘Debt Matters’ Forum: Fixing Debt that’s ‘Eating at Us’ Will Require Courage (The Gazette)
Paul Stebbins Joins WHO Radio Morning Show
‘First Budget’ Asks Iowans to Press Candidates on Fiscal Issues (Des Moines Register)
Iowans Urged To Ask Candidates About Debt and Deficit (WHO Radio)
First Budget Website
