Friday, January 18, 2013

How Shall We Deal With National Debt?

     Months ago, when I logged into Facebook and scrolled down my homepage, I was stuck by a photo post that listed the salaries of some of the CEO's of top health insurance companies. One of those is the one that I have been enrolled in for the past few years. These CEO's are not only millionaires but multimillionaires and billionaires. I posted this photo on my page and on all three of my pages and I did not see that I got one "like" or comment on this post. What I don't understand is the lack of outrage. I feel both sad and angry that people, both online in my social networks and offline, especially in my church family, seem to feel that the very real and often devastating issues surrounding so many in our culture are somehow secondary to what they seem to perceive as "getting out of office" a President that they resent and hate and whom they would like to see fail. And so many blame him for all that ails our economy. There is a Facebook photo with the caption, denigrating President Obama: "Obama loves the poor so much, he has created millions more of them!" Some are accusing him of scaring senior citizens and others that they will "lose their benefits" if the debt ceiling is not raised; they are calling him the enemy of the people. The same people, from what I have observed, are the ones who tend to call for cuts in spending rather than increased taxes on those with high incomes, certainly millionaires and billionaires.

Now I am not putting down wealth or the right to get rich, as long as it is done by ethical means and the wealthy use some of their resources to support and assist those in need. And many already do and are to be commended for it. But guess what? These wealthy philanthropers, like Bill Gates, are calling for an end to tax breaks for the wealthy, realizing that our ailing economy needs extra revenues from their taxes far more than they do. And also, our President has also gone on record as saying that he does not need any tax breaks. I know that there are so many people who are worried that tax revenues from increased taxes on the wealthy, would "trickle down" to rest of us as these same "super-wealthy" are the "job creators." Really? If that was the case, then why has unemployment so dramatically risen even as these "job creators" were getting their tax breaks? Where were the jobs that supposedly were supposed to produce that "trickle down" effect? I may be missing something her (but I don't think so), but I have not seen these effects of these tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires "trickle down" to the rest of us. And please do not write me off as someone who has "class envy" or begrudges the wealthy their wealth. For I know that if there were not people in the position to provide substantial help to those in need (and this would include many people in positions of wealth or influence), so many charities would not be able to serve those in need and so many of our congregations would not be doing well. And I know that it will be a few such individuals, when I am able to come to their attention, who will be the ones who can help my petition, on behalf of the autism community, really take off!

What really saddens as well as angers me is the resentment, prejudice and even vitriol so many people, in certain social circles in my life and among so many in my social networks, have shown toward those who use "entitlement" programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and certainly need-based programs such as Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and SSI (Supplemental Security Income). I know that so many have expressed concerns and (and in some cases this concern is valid), that people are abusing the system and using these programs to avoid having to work and paty their way through life. I know that many are deeply concerned about this matter. I'm not pooh-pooing the concerns of those who feel this way about the use of government programs. I'm saddended that so many seem to think that using these programs is somehow the "ticket" to the "good life" and that some people "on welfare" are living "better lives," of more material prosperity, than taxpayers. I can tell you, from personal experience, that the use of any of these government programs is not the ticket to lives of material prosperity. It's the live of living on a fixed income, getting just enough for bare necessities, and living with the ongoing stigma of knowing that so many others are stereotyping you as someone who does not want to work and have chosen to "live off society." And I think the resentment and stereotypes of those who use government programs is why so many are supporting the package of spending cuts proposed by the Paul Ryan Plan AND not supporting the call to end tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. This is sad.
I fear that I risk offending those in my social networks and in my "real life," who are among those who are wealthy or even upper middle-class. I'm talking about those who in the upper income brackets and who make around, let's say, $250,000 or more a year and certainly anyone who is a millionaire or more.  I don't envy your wealth and I don't want to cause you "undue hardship" or bring an end to your prosperity. And if you are using your resources to help those in need (and not just material, but time also), I commend you heartily. But I hope and pray that you will realize the facts about those who are not as blessed as you are and who are in life circumstances where they DO need to use government programs. And I hope and pray that you will see that increased tax revenues from your incoimes will only pay for itself many times over, especially if your $$$ are used to help balance our national budget. We only want you to pay as much PROPORTIONATLY in taxes as the middle-class do. Isn't this fair?

There is the issue of waste in government spending and I have heard and read horror stories about that. It has come to me that in a Facebook user's home state, a factory employed workers who sat around much of the day, played cards and games and were paid out of tax dollars! And the total cost to finance this travesty amounted to a total than what has been set aside to fund autism! Frankly, I find reports like this hard to believe, but the Facebook user showed me the news article with this information (no just because something is in print does not mean it is so). Days ago, a research project was conducted indicating that "autism can possibly be cured"! We have been having such studies ever since the autism spectrum diagnosis came out over 20 years ago! Why do we need another such study! Talk about government waste! Talk about all the tax dollars that are spent on paperwork in administering government programs that are redundant! Anyone who uses programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid or others will tell you about all the forms that have to be filled out and all the notices that are sent even to say that one is receiving a $1 increase in benefits or is receiving only $1 in benefits each month! Many years ago, my late stepdad remarked about what he hear about some government study about the sex habits of "fruitflies"! And I do not mean to denigrate NASA or the decades of having sent people to the moon; I know that space studies and programs have benefited children in school programs who have been fortunate enough to have access to such programs. But the dollars that have gone to send these people to the moon could have, in my opinion, been used to apply the same technology to matters like aiding law enforcement in solving crimes and finding missing people, for example. I can go on and on. On one of my local news channels for years, there has been a series called, "You Paid For It," which tells you have big the issue of government waste in spending tax dollars is.

I don't argue that spending cuts need to be made and that there is much government waste. I'm concerned (as are so many others) that the needed $$$ to balance the budget will be made off the backs off the most vulnerable people in our society and will be taken from services that serve us and keep us safer. We are hearing more and more about lay-offs of public school teachers in some states and about cuts to law enforcement. These are just two examples of services that are vital to all of us! And our government is seeking to cut such services instead of asking the wealthy to pay more in taxes! The argument for millionaires and billionaires paying taxes is that our economy needs it and they can afford to spare $$$ to help meet this need. Now, I understand that no one is going to like the idea of paying extra taxes and that paying more taxes means less money for the taxpayer. But when the taxpayer is a millionaires or a billionaire, isn't it only fair that they pay as much, percentagewise, as so many others who make far less, already do? Middle-class workers typically pay up to 40 percent in taxes, while the wealthy pay only around 15 percent out of much bigger incomes. How can anyone claim that this is fair? This is a call for justice, not welfare. What about cuts to the salaries of politicians, including retired politicians? This has been proposed many times and there is a popular Facebook photo calling for that, and which provides figures. The idea of all local, stated, deferal and all retired politicians taking pay cuts to their salares seems like one this is needed in an ailing economy like this one. Why are they not calling for this, for their own participation in the sacrifices they are calling on all of the rest of us to make?

As for spending cuts on the backs of vulnerable people who use government programs, such as the poor, those with disabilities, senior citizens, and others, why are there so many who seem okay with asking those in these people groups to make further sacrifices beyond what so many already make just to survive? So many younger people who use these programs, would much rather work than undergo the stigma of "living on the public dole," knowing that they are looked down on and stereotyped by so many in society. Many have disabilities or differences which employers can't/won't accommodate. This is one HUGE reason I have begun a petition on behalf of the most unemployed people group (at least in the US), those with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). While people are calling for spending cuts to even entitlement programs, how are people who use these programs supposed to survive? "Go get a job!" seems to be the easy answer to such an issue, but this thinking does not take into consideration that many such people do not have the job skills, social skills or even the transportation, to seek employment. So before you say that people should "Go out and get a job!" please realize that many people with true needs and disabilities are unable to do that, as much as they want to. So many of such individuals use the mental health system, or are homeless or are in jail or prison because of unmet needs. Does it not make sense that helping such people would, ultimately, help our economy than just cutting government programs?

My call is to please realize that, whatever your feelings about government programs and about those who use them, is that ANYONE can find himself/herself in circumstances where you would be forced to use one or more of those programs, even long-term. If you are a taxpayer and you are employed, especially at a career that you love, thank God for His goodness to you and realize that that all citizens are valuable and precious to God, even those who are not in the position to pay taxes.
And please focus on protecting those who need it, not those who do not need it. I know that we are deeply divided about this matter, among others. But it is not necessarily about good vs. evil but is more often about different visions and philosophies and refusing to set aside differences. We all need to find common ground and set aside our differences for the greater good of all, especially the vulnerable who are not in the position to make further sacrfices than they are already making.

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