Monthly Archives: February 2011

In Memory of Donna Kane

It seems that each week we start by saying, “Wow, what a week,” and this week is no exception. The world still spins on its axis but it does feel as if it is wobbling.

Geo-politics and Geo-economics are clashing with an intensity that I cannot recall in recent history. All across the Arab world and into the heartland of America itself anger ferments. For the first time, the term regime change seems to apply equally to despotic governments in the Middle East as it does to our own State governments in Wisconsin and Virginia. It is Facebook versus dictator; union versus governor.

On Monday Colonel Gaddafi fled Tripoli and is desperately hoping to hold on to the eastern part of his country and wage a war with his own people to hang onto the power he has had for 42 years. Hundreds of Libyans have been killed by his own troops with no end in sight. Foreign nationals are evacuated by civil and military air and naval forces while our American citizens wait patiently for a ferry to dock. And President Obama dances to Motown in the White House; a far different response than that of President Reagan and the Gulf of Sidra incident in 1981.

Tuesday saw oil increase 8 ½ percent in one day on the fear of oil interruption through Libya. And in Wisconsin, Tea Party and Union forces went chin to chin at the Statehouse while Democratic Party lawmakers remained outside of the State in order to avoid voting on limiting the collective bargaining power of public sector unions.

Four American Christian missionaries were killed by Somali pirates while negotiations for their release were being conducted on a nearby naval vessel.

U.S. Rep. David Wu (D-OR) apologized to his staff for his erratic behavior while wearing a tiger costume and taking prescription drugs given to him from a campaign contributor. Wu said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that it was “unprofessional and inappropriate” for him to send pictures of himself wearing a tiger costume to staff members. I finally agree with a Democrat.

Oil hit $100 on Wednesday as speculators feared the worst in the Middle East, and why not? And our own Congressman Michael Capuano let loose with a remarkably insensitive and politically incorrect statement that the unions ought to get into the street and get bloody. This comment made just weeks after his own colleague Gabby Gifford was shot by a maniac in Tucson.

Citigroup economists reported on Friday that the US economy would fall behind China by the end of the decade and behind India by 2050. They identified Global Growth Indicators to watch for and noted countries such as Bangladesh, Egypt and Iraq as economies to watch. The United States was not among them.

And Newt Gingrich cautioned the President that even Barack Obama cannot suspend the Constitution and become a one-man Supreme Count as he decided not to challenge the Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 1996. He simply will ignore it. No, Mr. President, we have a procedure for that. It’s called the Judicial System, the third branch of government.

The world is on fire and the President dances to Motown. I heard that through the grapevine.

Press on.

There is no doubt about the fact that the economy is the number one issue facing the nation at this moment and what drives our economic condition today is the fate of the Federal Budget.

The numbers are staggering. So staggering, in fact, that I believe the average person can’t even comprehend their magnitude. So, I am not going to talk in terms of annual expenditures, but monthly expenditures: annual numbers divided by 12.

And I will even be generous. The annual President’s Budget is $3.8 trillion dollars. Divided by 12, that is roughly $300 billion dollars per month. By the way, that is 10 billion dollars per day. You may argue whether we spend all of that wisely. For the record, we do not. We borrow a lot of money, too. Every month, it amounts to $120 billion. That’s almost a half a billion dollars per day.

Is it still too much to comprehend? Say you get paid, as I do every 2 weeks. Let’s say you spend $3000 each pay period. That’s a nice $78 grand per year. Here’s where it gets funky. Following the Federal model, you would only be earning about $47 grand per year. You would be borrowing the difference, some $2400 each month. That’s about $80 per day. Every day. And every month it keeps rolling.

But you make some assumptions that make you feel better. You’ll work harder. Your boss will recognize you. You’ll get a big fat raise of $10 per hour (up from about $6). You’ll inherit something big. You’ll hit the lottery. It’s no use.

As the saying goes, you can’t dig yourself out of a hole. You have to stop digging. You have to start changing behaviors.

As recently as 2008, our Federal budget was $2.9 trillion per year. Sorry, about $242 million per month. That’s 24% less than today’s budget. Now, ask yourself, “Am I earning 24% more today than three years ago?” In the words of John Boehner, “Hell no.” So why are we spending so much?

We continue to spend because we cannot say, “no.” Seemingly innocuous programs grow in size over time. No programs are sunsetted; none are eliminated. Our government pensions are defined benefits instead of defined contributions. Our fiscal house is in desperate shape and no one wants to give back anything. That goes for corporations to unions and homeowners and welfare recipients. But something has got to give.

With the sound turned down on my hotel TV this week, I watched unruly crowds gathering. I thought it was Egypt or Libya or Bahrain. Instead, it was Madison, Wisconsin! Schools closed, public buildings crowded with protesters, legislators on the run. And over what calamitous act were they demonstrating? Establishing contributions to their healthcare and pensions. The private sector averages a 20% healthcare contribution and about an 8% retirement contribution. The Wisconsin government unions contribute zero towards either.

No one is looking to balance the budget on the backs of public unions but it must start somewhere. We are not immune in Massachusetts. To fully fund our pension liability would require almost 3 annual budgets. That’s 100% of three annual budgets. That’s the hole we have dug for ourselves on Beacon Hill. It is worse for many other States and our appetite at the Federal level is just as voracious.

We are fortunate that the conservative movement has taken control of the House of Representatives. The power of the purse resides there. We have seen some tentative steps emanating from the House on fiscal leadership. We need to see more and we need to support them in their efforts.

I used to say that this is about our children’s future and that is still true. What is becoming very clear now is that our immediate future is at stake. Time is short for all of us.

Cairo, Tripoli, Manama. Now Madison. Protest is coming soon to a city near you.

The gravy train has left the station. Press on.