Fox News’s post on the House’s passage of a three-week continuing spending bill today includes this quotation from Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi:
“I think this debate is on a higher ground of our values. It’s not about money. It’s about the morality of what we’re doing.”
Actually, the debate is about money–the money taken from taxpayers or piled on them as debt. But it also should be about morality—the immorality of government having expanded beyond its legitimate role.
This is a concept alien to Ms. Pelosi, as well as to most Democrats and Republicans. Consider them the two wings of the Socialist Party or the Big Government Party, or, in the phrase of Cato Institute president Edward H. Crane, a single Incumbent Party, neither Democrats nor Republicans really favor downsizing government.
But maybe Ms. Pelosi was indeed alluding to the need to at least restore government to its constitutional limits? No. Here is the context of her remark, as set forth in her office’s media release:
“If middle ground is to say that 6 million seniors who are home bound will no longer received Meals on Wheels, but we can just compromise at 3 million, I don’t think that’s an appropriate debate.”
Apparently, it would be immoral to cut any federal funding of Meals on Wheels, since only the federal government is interested in seniors surviving. Hence the Founding Fathers’ careful inclusion of the Meals on Wheels Clause in the Constitution.
Ms. Pelosi continues:
“And this debate in the public about who we are as a country; how we keep the American people safe; how we continue the economic growth and the creation of jobs; how we educate our children; how we protect people in their neighborhoods; how we keep our country strong in measuring it in the health and well being of the American people…”
Ms. Pelosi goes on to caution against “early” cuts in “investments” (“because you will harm the economic recovery”). She also thanks President Obama for noting “that we cannot afford tax cuts for the wealthiest people in our country,” and praises him for having “created” jobs.
If Congress is unwilling to debate the moral limitation on government action, it could at least consider the constitutionality, and wisdom, of federal programs. As a start, it could correct some of the misconceptions reflected in Ms. Pelosi’s remarks. First, the federal role in many areas, including welfare, education, local safety, and health–is at best inappropriate and unnecessary. Second, government does not “invest”—it spends. Third, the faster the cuts in spending, the better the economy will respond. Fourth, government can only kill jobs; it cannot create them. Finally, maintaining high taxes is not only unfair, but also unwise.
Let the debate begin!
References:
Brandt, John, “House Dems Not Enthusiastic About Short-Term Budget Vote,” Politics Blogs, Fox News, March 15, 2011, http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/03/15/house-dems-not-enthusiastic-about-short-term-budget-vote.
Crane, Edward H., “Republicans and Democrats Are in It for the Money, the Power, the Prestige,” Cato Institute, March 16, 2001, March 15, 2011, http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4346.
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, News Room, “Pelosi Remarks at Media Availability Following Democratic Caucus Meeting,” March 15, 2011, http://www.democraticleader.gov/news/press?id=2085.
