ENTITLED TO WHAT?

Here is the zillion dollar dilemma: entitlement or waste? Entitlement or waste.

Do you believe in a guarantee of access to benefits due to law? Do you believe in paying for programs simply because they are “good”? Do you instead believe all entitlements are wasteful spending?

Or perhaps... perhaps... is there a balance somewhere in the middle?

First, let’s not equate this current culture of entitlement with “Entitlement Theory.” “Entitlement Theory,” coined by Robert Nozick in his book Anarchy, State, and Utopia, creates a strong system of private property and a free-market economy based on voluntary transactions. Since transactions are to be voluntary, taxation of the rich to support social programs for the poor is not advocated because the acquisition of money is not voluntary. This theory has been embraced by many libertarians.

Truthfully, some degree of taxation (WITH representation) to support social programs has been efficient and effective in this country. The dilemma is how far do we invest in that process. It is thus reasonable to ask if our pace of current entitlement spending has become unsustainable. Have we lost our balance in the middle?

Quoting from The Weekly Standard, written 18 months ago: “Conventional wisdom has held that Congress won't tackle entitlements until they are forced to; that they will be forced to create a blue-ribbon panel of experts to deflect blame for the political pain; and that it will require significant support from both Republicans and Democrats to pass.” It may be time to force Congress to tackle this polarization-based problem.

Please note that The Weekly Standard is a national publication with a politically conservative slant. Note also that its reading is supported by multiple slants, including Slate.com, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, GQ Magazine, and Abe Rosenthal, former editor of The New York Times. We need Republicans and Democrats to respectfully convene and discern which entitlements are necessary. In the wake of President Obama’s proposed $3.55 TRILLION budget, let’s ask: which entitlements simply satisfy party “passionates”? Which qualify as waste? Which are truly necessary? Two congressmen showing solid leadership in this area are Senate Budget Committee Chairman, Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota), and Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member, Judd Gregg (R-New Hampshire). They have encouraged lawmakers to tackle the long-term budget problems posed by these entitlement programs. Senator Joe Lieberman (D- then I- then D- then back to I-Connecticut) joined them last week, as he (along with Gregg) unveiled targeted legislation aimed at reducing both wasteful federal spending and the deficit.

Prior to taking office, then President-Elect Obama acknowledged the threat these entitlements pose to our already fragile economy. He said, “If we do nothing, then we will continue to see red ink as far as the eye can see.” He is a smart man. The fair question is if his proposed budget contains any of that red ink. Maybe it does. Maybe it does not.

Back to that zillion dollar dilemma...

AR