Mackenzie Wolfgram
Econ 411
9/16/2015
Bernie Sanders’ Outrageous Budget
I was floored by Wall Street Journal’s estimate on how much Bernie Sanders’ latest proposals would cost. 18 trillion dollars. This is more than any presidential candidate has ever planned to spend, and more than any presidential candidate that intends to win the race should ever admit to budgeting. When I first came across this estimation I intended to write about why this was an outrageous budget; it is an outrageous budget, but it is also one that needs to happen.
I have traditionally been conservative on most issues concerning the economy (writing this is as much of a personal exploration of more liberal views as it is expression of opinion) so when I saw that WSJ estimated a 18 trillion dollar price tag on Bernie 2016 I was ready to write about the anti-capitalistic, needless nature of his platform. Bernie himself insists that it will be less than 18 trillion, but either way, it’s not exactly thrifty. There was no way that I could support this kind of spending. But then I looked at what he was spending money on.
Single payer medicare (finally), roads, transportation, social security, affordable college, and paid leave, among other programs. So while I can’t say that I love the idea of preposterous government expansion, I kind of do love the idea of this preposterous government expansion.
First and foremost, I’m sticking to my guns that this platform is to expensive. Unfortunately, the price tag is not the part that we can change, these things cost what they cost. So while this plan is outrageously expensive, I think that it would be worth it. It’s hard for me to admit, but there is nothing outlined in this proposal that I look at and think, “we don’t need that.” First of all single payer health care, this should be a given for any remotely civilized society. It’s barbaric that people go without medical care/have to pay their life savings to stay alive. The entire principle behind government is that it helps the citizens which it governs. Keeping them alive might be a great place to start.
Single payer health care is by far the biggest chunk of WSJ’s estimated budget, coming in at 15 trillion dollars. This price tag means that this will be the most hotly contended part of the platform, and the most likely to be rejected by congress if Bernie is elected. I also believe that it will do the most for our society.
Another issue that I am passionate about, given the number of loans that I have taken out, is affordable college. Again, this is a hot point for a lot of conservatives. Jim Kessler, a “centrist democrat” opposes the plan since “There’s no such thing as free college; somebody is going to be paying for it.” This is one of the less groundbreaking quotes that I’ve read. Obviously somebody has to pay, that’s why there are 750 billion dollars dedicated to this project in Bernie Sanders’ budget. Mr. Kessler’s question should not be about whether or not we can send kids to college for free (we can’t, clearly) but rather, who should foot the bill for an educated America. Should we all pitch in, or should the kid taking 18 credits whose parents can’t pay for anything get a second job?
Regularly I’d say that it’s unfair to make the taxpayer pay to send other people's kids to school, it’s unfair to make the taxpayer foot somebody else's emergency room bill, we’re taxing ourselves to death if this thing goes through, etc. However when I look at this proposal with an open mind, I realize that it’s full of what this country, as a whole, needs. It’s too expensive, but we need to pay the price.
Daniel Strauss
Bernie Sanders disputes WSJ claim of $18 trillion in new spending
Laura Meckler
Price Tag Of Bernie Sanders’s Proposals: $18 Trillion
No comments:
Post a Comment