Government keeps spending, so more debt

To the Eagle:

I was recently having dinner out with friends. Over the courses, the conversation ultimately became partisan. These folks, with a liberal political opinion, seemed obsessed with how President Donald Trump needs to be removed from office. The conversation never got around to policy issues such as the liability of our $20 trillion debt, the broken healthcare system, foreign relations or other aspects of what we should refer to as politics. Now, some Liberals seem enchanted with the idea of Oprah Winfrey as the next president!

This is not politics, rather it is the self-indulgence of believing in whatever or whoever you want, to satisfy a confirmation bias.

Conservatives are not any better with their own indulgences.

I recently received a tax-payer funded postcard from our US representative Jamie Herrera-Beutler. The mailer touts how she wants to give some in the fishing business $20 million in federal disaster aid because of climate related problems. In a November 15, 2017 letter to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Herrera-Beutler stated, “Seafood processors, bait and tackle shops, motels, restaurants, gas stations and a host of small businesses have all felt the impact . . . of an anomalous warm ‘blob’.”

Anyone who has lost a business venture can certainly sympathize with the people affected by the fish killing anomalous warm blob. Just like a sea monster, the numbers on a ledger sheet can be as unforgiving. It is the cruel natural law of business, but in the end this provides a benefit—an inherent pressure that ultimately drives innovation and efficiency for our economy.

Republicans need to look past indulgences and realize the dynamics of our free enterprise system.

It seems nice that our US Representative thinks government can save businesses. Notwithstanding, Herrera-Beutler recently voted for a tax-cut that dug another $1.5 trillion into our $20+ trillion national debt. Is anyone out there adding up the numbers between $20 million and $20 trillion?

To be clear, my issue is with the indulgent government spending and resulting debt. If people want a socialist system, there must be the conversation on how to pay for it. It is about asking what is the role of government in our economy? Should government be a spigot of borrowed money?

We seem to live in the United States of illusion. Instead of facing real problems, too many buy into the notion of easy fixes—and celebrity change agents such as Trump and Winfrey are a symptom of the problem.

I suppose it is just easier for some to believe in whoever or whatever they want. Do Republican voters in our congressional district really believe in free enterprise? This recalls the story of the wife who caught her husband in bed with another woman. The husband turns to the shocked wife and says, “Honey, are you going to believe what you see, or believe what I am going to tell you?”

Krist Novoselic

Naselle