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Earlier this
year, there
was a joke
making the
rounds in
Washington.
It went like
this:
Question:
What do
Republicans
and fiscal
conservatives
have in
common?
Answer:
Absolutely
nothing.
The joke was
not
particularly
clever. But,
unfortunately,
it was
illustrative
of part of
the GOP’s
election
problem this
year. In
short, the
party that
had been
elected to
balance the
budget had
blown the
budget
completely
off its
hinges.
Yes, there
were some
excuses.
The war on
terror costs
money. The
worst
natural
disaster in
our Nation’s
history is
not cheap.
But there
was also a
clear sense
that the
party’s
commitment
to fiscal
discipline
had come
undone. And
Republicans
paid a price
for it at
the polls.
In this
issue of the
Forum, we
look at the
mess that
has been
left and
some of the
solutions
that have
been
proposed to
get spending
under
control. We
ask whether
deficits
really
matter
during this
time of
solid
economic
growth, and
examine how
the new
Democratic
majority may
go about
handling the
situation.
For more
insight in
this regard,
we also hear
how one
Governor has
successfully
balanced the
budget in
his own
state, and
how one
Mayor has
charted a
new course
for his city
that
produced
better
services and
a budget
surplus to
boot.
We get
things
started,
though, with
an article
not on
federal
spending but
on another
issue that
contributed
to the GOP’s
downfall –
ethics. Joel
Hefley, who
is retiring
from the
House after
20 years of
distinguished
service,
shares his
thoughts on
the ethics
process in
Congress and
how it can
be
improved.
There’s a
lot of food
for thought
in this
issue, and a
lot for
Republicans
to think
about as
they pick up
the pieces
and look
toward next
year.
Bill Frenzel
Chairman Emeritus
Ripon Society
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