Good morning. Well as we emerge from the latest government shutdown, I thought it a good time to examine our government's budget and what it says about how those in power assign value to elemental resources that allow a society to breathe. Back in March 2017, the current administration released its proposed federal budget for 2018 and one quickly begins to see what matters most.
Now to be fair, the overall budget proposed by the current administration is not all that different from the budgets of previous administrations. For if there is one commonality shared by Presidential budgets since WW II, then it exists in the reality of high defense spending ultimately results in sizable cuts to other critical resources.
So while I am adamantly opposed to proposed budget listed above, I concede the federal budget process is a terrible burden loaded with extremely tough choices. Often times there are no good choices when it comes to finding a equilibrium between preserving security and procuring prosperity.
And yet I think it is important to ask ourselves, how long can we run the engine of American government at red-line before it overheats? How much malnutrition can we afford before the organs of American society start shutting down?
Speaking of malnutrition, lets take a look at what societal nutrients this proposed budget aims to cut. First, the budget seems determined to have the EPA operate on one leg by proposing 31% (2.6 billion dollars) cut to its funding. Even if such a cut improved our defenses, I would still question the necessity of defending any place where one could not breathe due to heavy smog or protecting any space that was under water?
Second, the budget recommends a 14% (9.2 billion dollars) cut for the Department of Education. This reduction effectively reduces or eliminates several grant programs for teacher training, after-school programs, and support to poor and minority college students. If college isn't already difficult enough to afford, this budget also profoundly decreases federal work-study aid to college students.
Third, the budget suggests a 18% (15.1 billion dollars) cut at the Department of Health and Human Services. The saddest victim of this reduction must be the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which gives health coverage for children of the laboring poor. The budget would reduce CHIP funding by $5.8 billion between now and next year. I'll the first to admit wasteful spending in government is a real problem that we need to remedy, but I think we would all agree that it is not a waste to provide healthcare for sick poor children.
And then there is the Department of Defense. A department whose budget has not been cut in 70 years or more. The 2018 budget is no different as the departments stands to receive a 9% (52 billion dollars) increase. In the sixteen years since 9/11, the defense budget has ballooned from 287 billion to a proposed 639 billion in the 2018 budget. I do not question the need to procure adequate funds for those who bravely put themselves in harms way to maintain our defenses. I guess my question on defense spending is, "where is the ceiling?"
In an age or drones and nuclear weapons, does our government really need to continue funding programs aimed at killing more people with greater efficiency? In a press conference in 1963, President Kennedy voiced similar reservations on expanding our nuclear capability when he said,
“To anyone who works in the laboratories today, a 30-megaton weapon is perhaps not as sophisticated as a 60- or 70- or 80-megaton weapon. But it’s still many, many, many times, dozens of times, stronger than the weapons that flattened Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
How many weapons do you need and how many megatons do you need to destroy? I said in my speech what we now have on hand, without any further testing, will kill 300 million people in one hour. I suppose they could even improve on that if it’s necessary. ”
So since we have already met the threshold for maximum destruction, why not divert such funding elsewhere to ensure veterans obtain the best healthcare possible or invest in our crumbling infrastructure that constantly finds its head under the ax of budget cuts.
I don't have the time now, but I encourage all of us to take time to do a Goggle search of reliable sources on US spending on defense compared to other world nations. I think you will find that other nations of similar size and abilities would need 5, 10, or even 20 years of spending to match one year of US defense spending.
The campaign slogan of this current administration reads, "Make America Great Again." However, it seems to me that the administration's budget proposal for 2018 works against this pledge. I mean how can any society can be made great when past and present administrations continue to weaken their commitment to Justice, Transportation, Housing, Health, Education, Labor, Agriculture, and the Environment?
Again I don't pretend to have easy answers or quick fixes. I just think the time has come for deeper reflection on budgets, and even greater consideration of the consequences.
CJE