Where to Begin

February 11, 2012 at 1:24 PM

The February Republican Viewpoint in The Star Democrat of Easton made a number of claims: The stimulus did nothing but create debt. The health care bill will cost trillions. The banks won’t loan because they must again retain capital. North Dakota shouldn’t have new regulations. Corporations should not have to pay US taxes on all of their income.  We made a premature decision to leave Iraq.

Although critical of President Obama for not offering the details of his proposals during the State of the Union address, Mr. Panuzio neglected to substantiate his claims.

There are certainly other valid viewpoints. For all the imperfections of a stimulus crafted by politicians, some consider averting a depression and 2.5 million jobs more than “nothing.” The Congressional Budget Office doesn’t necessarily agree with his assessment of the projected costs of the health care bill, a good start in an industry that has delivered relatively poor results in spite of being the most expensive in the world. Banks may prefer being bailed out to retaining capital to cover liabilities; they may also be finding Wall Street trading to be more profitable than loans. New industries always involve new regulations, even in North Dakota. Corporations need to pay their fair share; too many pay nothing. Taking combat forces out of Iraq seems reasonable, considering that, after a decade, the outcome may no longer justify that effort.

A rational discussion is long overdue.

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