On Dropping Dollars to Raise The Same

A prevailing conservative idea in our time of economic turmoil is that government spending (as in the stimulus) does not make sense. It's irresponsible and risky to burden ourselves with more debt to grow the economy. I agree, somewhat.

Spending money we don't have is risky, yes, and has the potential to go awry (be irresponsible) also, but what other time in this country's history have we lived otherwise? When have we not taken out loans to start businesses, go to college or invest in properties? When have we not bought cars, boats or houses with borrowed money? When we pay cash out to insurance companies, it's to be allowed to borrow from a pool that others paid into as well. That vast majority of us, regardless of political ideology, are happy put an entire Christmas on credit, so why are roughly half of us speaking out against using the Federal Mastercard to solve the economic crisis?

Now I'll be the first to admit that this phenomenon has something to do with saying one thing and doing another. Some citizens condemn credit and then thrive on it, much to the detriment of their families and futures. But if we've learned anything from U.S. History, it's a matter of what you do with your borrowed money when you get it. It's also a matter of having the money to do anything at all. Ask.com reports that it costs anywhere from $461,000-788,500 to open one McDonald's franchise. Most entrepreneurs don't have this kind of cash under the mattress, so they borrow it and hope to turn a profit. This is how most business is conducted in this country. Whether buyer or seller, you operate on credit until you make money or you go out of business/broke.

So all of this raises the question: if negative spending will turn a profit, then what's the problem? The most recent package returned more capital to the middle class in the form of tax breaks than any bill in U.S. history. If this produces positive Gross Domestic Product, then what's wrong with it? The same goes for alternative energy projects, such as overhauling the federal fleet. These types of programs are about saving lots of money over time (and taking care of the environment).

The problem is ideology. Republican obstructionists are fighting the president (and the citizenry) by standing dogmatically by pet causes, some of which are good and some of which put us in this mess. In order to solve the economic riddle, these causes must be evaluated with a lens that prioritizes the citizenry first. That means, yes, tax breaks, no, deregulation of large businesses, etc.

Thankfully, the country is mostly behind the president, along with the democrats in Congress, a few choice Republicans and the general population. This year, Change will move quickly to your door.