Deficit Spending

Sent to Omaha World Herald on Sept 5th, 2011 and not published.

"At the end of the day, infrastructure is the right answer,'' said Iowa State University economist Peter Orazem. "That's what government is supposed to do to fuel the engine of economic progress.''
Some truths cannot be denied:
1) All resources the stimulus consumed were extracted from private sector-- always remember --government has no resources of its own. Everything government does must come from the hides of private producers and the citizenry in general, in the future if not immediately.
2) Reagan was often correct.
"Our system freed the individual genius of man. We allocate resources not by government decision but by the millions of decisions customers make when they go into the market place. If something seems too high-priced, we buy something else. So resources are steered toward those things people want most at the price they are willing to pay." What we need are FEWER decisions on what comprises progress from planners in government.
3) The transportation tax dollars spent on the Bob Kerrey Foot Bridge was diverted from needed infrastructure projects. We cannot force Congress (politicians) to spend on needy projects rather than visible landmarks like the foot bridge. We, the People, are not in charge anymore as President Obama proved in Libya.
4) Giving the federal government more ability to spend is like giving a drink to an alcoholic. An infrastructure bank is like setting up a still.

Permission to print only if not changed in any way.