Mr. Pawlenty

Politicians never tell it like it is.  They always have a simple plan and if you just elect them, everything will be peachy keen.

Tim Pawlenty is the latest to send his "plan" out for us to read in the Tribune and papers around the country.  His statement is filled with errors and/or misleading statements, such as all we need is a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget.  Why, he was "one of 49 governors operating with balanced budget requirements".  Well, then why do have almost every state with deficit budgets?  The PEW Center  reported on March 15 of this year that "for the fourth year in a row, most states are facing budget deficits.  According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the budget gaps total $112 billion for fiscal year 2112, which starts July 1 in most states.  Only six states do not project having a shortfall to contend with."

So, it appears, at least 44 of the 49 governors must not be operating within the balanced budget requirements that they are charged with.  Since Mr. Pawlenty was governor of Minnesota until this year, he was responsible for putting the 2012 fiscal year budget together.  And guess what, Minnesota is listed as having a projected $3.8 billion deficit.  What happened there, Mr Pawlenty?

In fact, what happened in 2009, Mr. Pawlenty, when the same source lists Minnesota as having a $426 million deficit?  You went from bad to worse.  And I didn't even check the other years you were in office.  In 2009 44 states experienced budget shortfalls.  Our 49 governors are doing a bang-up job aren't they?  What happened to the "balanced budget requirements"?

In his "plan" to balance the federal budget, he said that he would ship Medicare off to the states.  That doesn't solve the problem, it just shifts it to someone else.  Medicare is a national program and a national responsibility, and therefore the problem of its solvency over time must be resolved with the Federal Government.

His "Google" test is ridiculous.  "If you can find a good or service on the Internet, then the federal government probably doesn't need to offer the same good or service."  Can you think of anything that the federal government does that isn't offered in the private sector?  The federal government exists to provide appropriate services to all of its citizens.  And not just the business community as Mr. Pawlenty seems to think.

The last paragraph of his plan states:

"We can fix our economy.  Our people are ready to get back to work.  We just need to give them tools to get there and to get the government out of the way."

Unfortunately, Mr. Pawlenty's plan does not talk at all about what the tools are.  He just talks about cutting services and cutting taxes on the richest 1% of our population (whose net worth, by the way, equals the net worth of 150,000,000 people - one half of our total population).  Or put another was, the Forbes Fortune list of the 400 richest people in the US has a net worth that equals the net worth of everyone up to and including the 90th percentile of the population.

One of the most important tools is education - people are not "ready to get back to work" unless they have a proper education.  We need more money spent on early childhood education, on primary and secondary education, and on university and graduate education.  We only have 70% of our children graduating from high school and we do not have anywhere the number of persons in the sciences to compete in today's technological world.  This will take a major effort by the federal government to support the local and state efforts.

Another tool needed is proper health care and health insurance.  That too requires a major effort and investment.  If people do not get preventive care and treatment, they will not be healthy and capable workers.

I could go on indefinitely in regards the challenges our country faces in maintaining our standing as the best place in the world to live.  These require honest research and the development of programs that address our issues in an effective and efficient manner.  They require all parts of our society to participate and feel represented.

Mr. Pawlenty's plan is just a bunch of hot air - no substance, no chance of implementation, and no chance to do what needs to be done.

Take care.