Bold Initiatives Needed

Who will make the really bold move, propose the truly bold initiatives we need right now to ensure a stabilized economic environment that will extend at least a decade, not just to the next election cycle?  A bold plan would address the long-term solvency of entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, establish reasonable and attainable debt reduction targets, establish a defense budget that reflects the realities of our role in world events, and establish a simpler and fairer tax structure that would benefit businesses and citizens alike.  Is this too much to ask?

Mr. Obama already had that opportunity but, when he put the Simpson-Bowles plan on the shelf, he backed away from the recommendations of the very commission he empaneled.

Mr. Romney has offered an outline as to how he would tackle such a task; but he is too busy telling the world how terrible a job Obama had done.

The simple fact is that no one seems to have a vested interest in doing the bold things.  Quite the opposite: money in politics is vested in maintaining status quo.

Maybe this is the starting point: campaign finance reform, reform that really gets the money out of politics.  Terms are too short (two years for the House), and members of Congress have to spend far too much time raising funds for the next campaign, leaving little time to work on any solutions, bold or otherwise.

The stability of our economy should be the number one issue in the campaign.  We need to invest in our nation’s infrastructure, retool our military, and rededicate our commitment to building our nation’s future on the strength of small businesses, better education, and a strong middle class.   

But the money in play today is pitted against these goals.  We will never be able to tackle the bold initiatives until we get the money out of politics.