On taxes, no less. On the editorial page.
One of the toughest questions that will face the next president is what to do about taxes. There can be no real progress on health care, rebuilding the military or any other major issue without dealing with rising budget deficits and mounting debt from nearly eight years of profligate spending and tax breaks for the wealthy.
And that is why it has been so distressing to see all three of the presidential hopefuls pretend they can make good on their promises without broadly raising taxes.
My interests in much better fiscal accountability by both government and politicians seems to often make me something of a minority in my Progressive community. For me, this is less about keeping your house in order (although that is a requirement) than it is about honesty. People who will lie to and try to bamboozle you about the status of your money are simply going to be toxic to you. Can you imagine your bank or brokerage providing an accounting of your funds that is a fantasy?
This is not a post asking for more or fewer taxes. It is asking for more leadership from these candidates (and all other pols) to take up a serious conversation of what their promises cost — whether it is a discussion of what services you no longer get if taxes are cut (or not keeping up with real costs) or a discussion of the bill for a new program or service. What I am tired of is the game — hiding increases in “fees”, handwaving about paying for stuff from “efficiencies”, and an end to the simpleton ideology that would ignore the real vicissitudes of a seriously stressed economy just to score points. Americans deserve to see their financial picture dealt with in a more grownup manner,with all of the tradeoffs clearly spelled out, in order to make grownup decisions — not just about what we want as a society, but what we can truly afford.