roundtable: Re: Federal Budget Negotiations

roundtable: Re: Federal Budget Negotiations

Re: Federal Budget Negotiations

Vigdor Schreibman - FINS (fins@access.digex.net)
Mon, 18 Dec 1995 05:10:32 -0500 (EST) 

Date: Mon, 18 Dec 1995 05:10:32 -0500 (EST)
From: Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>
To: Ted Kircher <kircher@bga.com>
Subject: Re: Federal Budget Negotiations
In-Reply-To: <Pine.3.89.9512180138.A10960-0100000@urchin.bga.com>
Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951218042656.3118A-100000@access2.digex.net>


On Mon, 18 Dec 1995, Ted Kircher wrote:
> 
.....
> 
> I agree that the distribution of wealth in the US, primarily orchestrated
> by the Republicans (but there are many Democratic hypocrits like the
> Kennedys as well), has been unfair, and this needs to be one of the
> paradigm shifts that the US has to make.  
> 
> When the Republicans use the term 'family values' they really mean 
> 'family value', i.e. make sure the economic value (collected gains of 
> the past) is kept within THEIR family. 
> 
> I have some views on how to correct this, but they do not include, as 
> you seem to suggest, that we simply ignore the US debt because of past
> unfairness? 

  Not at all, quite a number of my news columns (all of which are
available in Fins Information Age Library), denounce our political
leadership (both Republicans and Democrats) for their failure to find a
viable strategy by which to place our fiscal situation in better order. 
However, the first problem to resolve in this respect is a question of
allocating priorities--who gives, who gets--which you and the Republicans
whom you follow in your comment wish to disregard.  I find it dishonest to
approach that problem by giving further tax breaks to the very class of
people in this society who already have an obscenely inequitable share of
the wealth and who benefited most from the situation that brought about
the current crisis. 


> >   Your fantastic story telling won't wash.  Take it to the garbage dump.
> 
> You sound like another Moses coming off the mountain with 'truth' on his 
> side. Being demagogic does not lead to a fruitful discussion. 
> 
> I hope you put forth constructive ideas, not just complain about the
> unfairness of the status quo. However, if you are simply a 'bleeding
> liberal', our dialogue will not go very far. 

  Ted,

  Inequity is something that must be overcome if one expects a viable
resolution of the existing situation, and squarely addressing that issue
cannot properly be called dogmatic or characterized in some other
derogative manner that have little to do with my comments. Nevertheless, 
I take at face value your desire to put forward some constructive ideas. 

  Since you agree that the inequities of income and wealth distribution
must be structurally remedied, perhaps you would tell us at the outset 
what your ideas are with regard to holding those people accountable who 
now hold an inequitable share of wealth--to help balance the budget? 


Vigdor Schreibman - FINS <fins@access.digex.net>

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