Donate
Action Center
Register To Vote
Find your
Representatives
and Candidates
Polling Places
Eye on the Media
Get the Whole Story
|
More should say no to big spending
Many representatives of the Democratic Party, including the president, have taken to calling Republicans "The Party of NO." Republicans should take that as a compliment!
Saying NO to spending is what you must do if you are a good steward of the funds collected from taxpayers. You have to say NO and you have to say it a lot. Every parent should understand that. Anyone who disagrees should walk a typical child through Walmart on a mission to buy one item.
"Dad, can I have a new bike? NO. Dad, can I have a new game system? NO. Dad, can we get a new TV? NO. How about a new computer? NO. These new LEGO sets are really cool. Can we get one? NO." You don't say NO because you don't want your son or daughter to have everything they want and when you say NO, it's not necessarily because you can't afford the thing they want. You say NO because you probably can't afford everything they want.
You also might say NO if you feel that you might find a better deal elsewhere. Sometimes, you just want more information before you make a purchase or you say NO because you don't trust the information you have been given by a biased source. Most of us, regardless of party affiliation, regard parents who always say YES as over-indulgent. There is NO shame in saying NO.
Republicans are criticized for saying NO to health care in spite of the fact that many on the other side of the aisle will admit that the proposed legislation is flawed. Who would spend money to buy something for their child that they knew was junk? If the legislation is flawed, we should say NO until we have a good bill that meets everyone's needs.
Republicans are criticized for saying NO to Cap and Trade even though a large portion of the population remains unconvinced that manmade CO2 is causing global warming. Who would spend massive amounts of money on something for their child if they had any uncertainty that a specific need would be met?
We should say NO until we are certain that the proposed legislation will solve the real problem and not just serve to move money around. Republicans are criticized for saying NO to half-baked stimulus bills without a specific purpose. The president is calling for a "jobs" bill. Wasn't the last stimulus bill supposed to create jobs?
I wish more politicians would have said NO to the last stimulus bill until it did focus on jobs. We have to stop saying YES to every idea that might be a good one and instead say NO until we have a plan that is certain to succeed.
Locally, fiscal conservatives on the West Chester Area School Board have been criticized for saying NO to a number of spending proposals and motions they felt were equivalent to spending proposals.
They voted NO to a maintenance bundle that included some items they felt were worthwhile and others that were not. They were right to say NO to the bundle and ask that each item be evaluated independently. They voted NO to move forward with the lights at the Rustin High stadium after it became apparent that some board members were withholding information and they voted NO to increasing the limit on our next school tax hike.
Their detractors say they were limiting the board's options. I say they were appropriately applying the brakes to a trend toward saying YES to everything. Their NO votes don't mean that asbestos flooring won't be replaced at the elementary school or that there will never be lights at the Rustin stadium. Their NO votes mean that taxpayer money won't be spent on them until the board is presented with solid plans that are good for everyone concerned.
Lately, I hear a lot of people and politicians saying, "We can do better." Well, we can do better and I hope that all politicians will get more comfortable with saying NO and holding out for good legislation that is certain to benefit everyone they are supposed to represent.
Dan Truitt
East Goshen
|