OPINION: There has to be a better way

Some might think since we won’t be around too long, we older folks don’t care about what happens to this country. But we do care, and we have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done in Washington to make things better. We know there has to be a better way than how things are being done now.

Right now, there’s just utter chaos, much of it caused by the DOGE experiment to reduce waste, fraud and abuse in government - while remarkably overlooking fraud and abuse in the Oval Office. Elon Musk claims savings of $150 billion but has provided no numbers to prove it and no recommendations for Congress to make funding cuts legal.

The U.S. does have a serious problem with its finances. My generation takes the huge debt very seriously and knows something must be done about it. But it has to be done right. Top leaders in business, government and education must develop together a serious, comprehensive plan for reducing the debt. It should not be a one-man show.

Both parties are guilty of overspending. Politicians may care about their constituents, but regretfully, getting re-elected takes priority; therefore, they back legislation desired by the rich donors and corporations who fund their campaigns. The best way to reduce government spending would be to limit campaign financing; however, the Supreme Court squashed that idea with their decision on Citizens United.

All presidents since the turn of the century have increased the debt. George W. Bush did it by going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan but never raised taxes to pay for it. Americans were never asked to make any sacrifices for those wars.

Before Obama could even be inaugurated, he was faced with the collapse of the housing and banking industries resulting in the Great Recession. Forced to bail out banks, housing lenders and auto companies, Obama saved the country from a horrific depression, but increased the debt by $5 trillion dollars.

During his first administration, Trump got huge tax cuts passed favoring rich people and corporations. Then, the calamity and his mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic further decimated the U.S. economy. A total of $7.8 trillion was added to the debt.

Biden, elected president while the pandemic was still raging, initiated economic programs that resulted in significant recovery but added another $4.7 trillion dollars to the debt.

Now in his second administration, Trump and the House of Representatives have already approved a new bill that increases the debt by $3.7 trillion.

Believing that Donald Trump would reduce the debt is laughable. The man has been in debt his entire life. His business history is strewn with borrowing huge sums of money, losing millions in risky ventures, business failures, bankruptcies, cheating vendors, refusing to pay workers and finding new ways every day to become richer. He’s still doing it as president.

In the whole DOGE debacle, there’s been no concern about services rendered by governmental agencies or the people they serve. The elimination of USAID is the cruelest of examples. This foreign humanitarian-aid program was halted so abruptly, employees were fired immediately and trucks loaded with food were never delivered. Many of the children and infants in countries served by this program may very well starve to death.

There has to be a better way. Why can’t a group of smart, experienced people carefully evaluate every department of government for waste, fraud and abuse, determine functions, measure effectiveness, make recommendations to Congress for action and make legitimate decisions on funding?

Compared to the chaos and destruction sprung on us during the last four months, a comprehensive plan is the only reasonable way to bring about real, substantial reduction of the debt. To jump in without any thought or planning and do wholesale firing of government employees was ridiculous!

Huge tax cuts for people and corporations who don’t need them always increases the debt. Making huge cuts in medical programs for Americans already struggling in this uncertain economy won’t reduce the debt. Instead, the burden of caring for sick people will shift to emergency rooms of local hospitals already at risk of survival, and untreated illnesses will wind up costing more in the long run.

Cuts in food programs for families won’t reduce the debt, either, it will just increase the number of hungry American children.