Blog Archives
2/25/08 – Better days ahead; fiscal visionaries should persevere
“I continue to support the overall goal of our organization,” says SAFE member Harry Kenton, “but realistically I believe we are ‘tilting at windmills’ because no Congress will ever accept our agenda.” Is he right?
2/18/08 – Let’s hear it for real change! - Read a Reply
Calls for change are not new in American politics. Thomas Dewey said “it’s time for a change” during his presidential runs in 1944 and 1948. The question is, what kind of change and why should it be made?
2/11/08 – If you want good answers on healthcare, ask good questions! - Read Replies
U.S. Comptroller General David Walker has spoken often about the coming fiscal crisis, and he did so again at Princeton University on February 6th. His subject was “Keeping America Great”
2/4/08 – State of the budget: the road ahead.
The State of the Union Address is “in the can,” setting the tone for 2008. Beyond that, fiscal visionaries should start paying close attention to what the candidates in this year’s presidential election have to say.
1/28/08 – State of the budget: a 40-year slump
Many presidents have talked about fiscal responsibility in their State of the Union addresses, offering plans or commitments to shrink the deficit, balance the budget, or even start repaying the National Debt. Why, then, has the situation been deteriorating since the 1960s?
1/21/08 – An update on global warming (cooling?)
Some people say the global warming debate is over; we say it is just getting started. Here are three reasons to question hugely expensive programs based on predictions of catastrophic climate change.
1/14/08 – New spin on an old theme could make a big difference.
Remember the line James Carville coined in the 1992 election, “It’s the economy, stupid!”
1/7/08 – Cut the pork; earmarks need to go.
In the context of a nearly $3 trillion federal budget, why all the fuss about a few Congressional earmarks?
1/1/08 – Opportunities abound for fiscal visionaries!
Attention fiscal conservatives, deficit hawks, and others with similar ideas, we have been playing defense for years and it is not working.
12/24/07 – Fiscal visionaries at bay.
At the end of another year, we ponder the performance of the country’s political leaders vis-à-vis the SAFE agenda.
12/17/07: Government spending: what crackdown?
There has been much said about the president’s recently demonstrated readiness to veto budget-busting spending bills, and we find this change in attitude encouraging.
12/10/07: 2008 campaign: government’s fiscal woes will be discussed.
Given irrefutable evidence that a fiscal crisis is coming unless the government takes decisive action to cut spending, raise taxes, and/or restructure entitlements – if you can’t believe the top accounting executive of the federal government, Comptroller General David Walker, who can you believe – one might think all the presidential candidates would be staking out positions on what should be done.
12/3/07: Learning from experience: why government programs fail
For those who favor more government controls to address the “healthcare crisis” (see last entry), we would like to offer a history lesson.
11/26/07: The key to a better healthcare system: empower patients
Last week’s topic was rebooting the tax system; this week we will conduct a similar exercise for government healthcare policies/programs.
11/19/07: Let’s stop tinkering with taxes and reboot the system
When repairs become expensive and performance is not up to current standards, there comes a time to buy a new car.
11/12/07: Three signs that fiscal visionaries are gaining ground
SAFE and those with similar views are not conservatives dedicated to maintaining the status quo, they are visionaries who see the fiscal problems that lie ahead and are offering ideas to make things better.
11/05/07: Two cheers for the Fiscal Wake-Up Tour
The speakers were smart, well informed, and pulled no punches about the coming fiscal crisis.
10/29/07: How to win: be proactive, not reactive. Read a Reply
Our theme this week is that “fiscal conservatives” need to develop a positive, forward-looking message.
10/22/07: Potpourri: updates and snippets
Writing this blog presents a different challenge every week.
10/15/07: Refundable tax credits: not the answer for healthcare.
In the 2008 election campaign, candidates will be asked to offer solutions for relentlessly rising healthcare costs and 45 million+ Americans being without healthcare insurance.
10/8/07: The SCHIP veto: a “Pyrrhic victory” at best
Last week’s entry advocated the elimination of government grant programs as a step towards putting the finances of the federal government in order.
10/1/07 – Enough already with government grants!
SAFE has been conducting a letter writing campaign against government grants for months, attacking them from many directions with good, rational arguments.
9/24/07 - Taking the public pulse: lessons learned
SAFE has hosted a booth at Newark Community Day for years, most recently on September 16, 2007.
9/10/07 – The coming fiscal storm: an historical perspective.
In the digital age, with nearly instant access to news and commentary around the world, there is a tendency to think that everything worth knowing about was written or said in the past two weeks.
9/17/07 – Getting through to “irrational” people.
Last week’s entry took a trip down memory lane, demonstrating that both SAFE the Concord Coalition were making the same basic points in the 1990s that they are making today.
9/3/07 – Alternative energy: let the market decide
As explained in our 8/27/07 entry, the outcry about global warming by Al Gore et al. seems considerably overstated. However, one point must be corrected.
8/27/07: Global warming: let’s get real
Some people claim the linkage of CO2 emissions to global warming is backed by the overwhelming weight of scientific opinion.
8/20/07: The future of healthcare finance; choosing a path.
Our last entry focused on the overall cost of U.S. healthcare – tripled since 1960, highest in the world, said to be headed higher – and asked a question: who is going to pay for all this?
8/14/07: Healthcare by the numbers.
You may have seen a recent AP report that the U.S. lags many countries when it comes to human life expectancy, ranking 42nd in this category.
8/6/07: Universal health care: we don’t want it!
Much has been said and written about the millions of Americans who lack healthcare insurance; the issue will keep coming up between now and the 2008 elections.
7/31/07: Ideas for making a SAFE Commission pay off.
The Fiscal Wake-Up Tour (see 7/13 and 7/26 entries) paints a grim picture:
7/26/07: Understanding the fiscal problem is great, but we also need answers. Read a Reply
As reported on 7/13, the Concord Coalition, Heritage Foundation and Brookings Institution have been crisscrossing America.
7/13/07: Wake-Up Tour; some questions for political candidates.
The Concord Coalition, Heritage Foundation, Brookings Institution, and U.S. Comptroller David Walker have been touring America to make a point.
The “energy crisis” hit in the 1970s, and for all the promises of our political leaders it has never gone away.
7/7/07: Low share of medical outlays paid by patients leads to waste.
For more about a 1970s era study (the Rand Health Insurance Experiment)
6/20/07: SAFE represented at National Taxpayers Conference.
This biennial event took place in Washington, D.C. on June 14-16, 2007