The following is section from this month’s Message from Liz . . .
Once again our leaders in Washington are fighting over cuts to the deficit, while our economy teeters on the brink of a “double dip” recession. At the federal, state, and local levels, the focus is on cutting programs rather than increasing revenues. But what many of these leaders have chosen to ignore is the fact that this strategy will have radical macro and micro economic and political consequences for decades to come.
Take a look at the chart to the left. Please understand how dire these federal cuts will be on everyone! You might not think you will ever need to collect unemployment…but stop and consider how many people you know who’ve lost their jobs in the last three years. Maybe you don’t think cutting government education aid to poor children will impact you personally. But do you think that our country will somehow gain an economic competitive advantage with even lower educational outcomes? And what about destroying funding for public health (CDC) and health research (NIH)? Are we really trying to say we’ve solved all those issues? Please think about this: instead of creating a fair, progressive tax system in this country, we are trading vital programs away.
