Editorials

Now it's time to make some painful cuts in federal budget

TBO.com
Published: January 6, 2013

Congratulations to all the U.S. senators and representatives who did the right thing with their votes to spare most Americans from huge tax increases in last week's vote. They did the right thing, regardless of what anyone says. Of course, the real work is coming up and we all need to brace for it.

Passing the bills that averted large tax increases for most folks was a must, and an important first step in doing what ultimately needs done: lowering the national debt. But raising taxes on a few certainly won't fix the problem. Big cuts must be part of it as well, and that painful step was pushed off a couple of months.

The reality is that billions of dollars must be cut and there aren't that many places in the budget where substantial dollars on that level can be found. Our defense and entitlements take up a huge portion of the federal budget. If people think cutting foreign aid or food programs is where it's at, they are sadly mistaken.

No doubt, the first places to trim are subsidies to industries such as oil, where billions are handed out to industries that make billions in profit. And this is just the beginning. Nothing should be off the table unless it's a critical need. Feeding people and providing health care is a critical need for everyone.

The bottom line is that while most of us are feeling good about averting the so-called fiscal cliff, actually we're just dangling over the edge. To truly fix what ails our country will require big cuts to many things we all hold dear. It's going to be painful to a lot of folks but there's no getting around the fact that it's time to stand tall and take the medicine necessary to turn this around.

Let's hope our politicians have the fortitude to do what's necessary and the American people the understanding that these things must be done. We've waited too long to address so many of these expenditures and it's time. We must do it for our country's security and our children, who will be paying the bills for our excesses for generations to come.

That's what happens when you fight two wars on a credit card while cutting everyone's taxes. It's what happens when politicians are beholden to business interests instead of people's interests. It's what happens when our elected officials are just partisan puppets and we keep electing them because of the sound bites that flow from their lips.

Time's up. We have to move forward and it won't be easy.