Deficits and Family Values: A Point of View

[rbnyc]

http://nynp.biz/points-of-view/6910-deficits-and-family-values-a-point-of-view

"We’ve heard a lot lately about how the United States needs to start making tough financial decisions, just like families all across the country are having to as they struggle with the worst economy in decades. “When families sit around the kitchen table they tote up the bills and look at the household income,” the argument goes. “If there’s not enough cash, something has to go… the next vacation, the premium cable channels, the new car dad had been dreaming about.”

I’m fine with that. I think the United States should begin thinking of itself like a family that loves and cares about each other – and then start behaving accordingly.

It works for me because I understand that when they are sitting around the kitchen table, families – real families– may cut back on the Christmas presents or skip going out for dinner. But, there are a lot of things they won’t do. They won’t make a “tough” decision to drop little Jimmy from the health insurance plan and stop sending him to the doctor when he’s sick. They don’t keep Suzie home from school because it’s too expensive. They don’t skip over Uncle Harry’s plate when serving up dinner because he’s been out of work for two years. They don’t tell Grandma and Grandpa that if they haven’t saved up enough for a hospital stay, they’re on their own."

[dkf]

1. Actually they do make those decisions.

Families don't take care of each other nowadays, especially uncles and grandparents. Otherwise they wouldn't need help from the government.

[rbnyc]

2. I see your point...

...but I agree with the spirit of the article. And taking car of each other has to start from both the bottom up and the top down.

[bhikkhu]

8. That's my first thought too - real people do make those choices

...they space out dentist visits more than they should, and skip doctors visits (hoping for the best, instead), and have their own teeth pulled when they have problems because every other fix is too expensive...and that sort of thing.

There's way too many people with way too much money who just won't sit around that table, though.

[roxiejules]

3. One of the questions should be...

WHY do we have to make tough financial decisions?

Is it because big Jimmy is gambling away the family fortune and not putting any back in the pot?

[rbnyc]

4. Yeah. (nt)

[Quantess]

5. There's rec #5

[starroute]

6. The better comparison would be to a small business

When a business's revenues aren't meeting expenses, they may look for certain efficiencies here or there. But unless the business is obviously in a failing situation, they don't do anything that would cause it to contract.

They don't lay off employees or cut the hours they're open or put less stock on the shelves, because in the long run that would be self-destructive. Instead, they try to increase income. They go out and drum up more business. They think about how they could diversify to increase their customer base. They try to make the store more attractive and convenient. They study what their competitors are doing and think about how to do it better.

In short, the "family budget" model applies only when there is no plausible way of bringing in more money. But for a business, that way of making ends meet is only a last resort, and one that generally means the business is already on its last legs. So unless we want to think of the United States as a dying business venture, we would be foolish to take that approach.

[Just One Woman]

7. correctly stated

One of the first things we would nix is that war we have been having with the neighbors. Almost 60% goes to military complex. Yes, that bill would have to shrink.