What Mister Rogers can teach us today

By Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Mister Rogers died in 2003, but one of the lessons he can still teach us is that you can believe passionately in something and not be a jerk about it.

Fred Rogers, the host of PBS’ “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” is the subject of the theatrical documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” It’s a revealing look at the man who was a part of so many childhoods. It turns out he really was that nice in real life.

But he also was driven by passion and belief. In one black-and-white clip, he said love was at the root of everything – “love or the lack of it.” An ordained Presbyterian minister, he believed television could be a tool to build up children, but instead much of it was shallow, wasteful and designed to mold them into consumers. He wanted something beyond pies-in-the-face humor. Continue reading →

No permanent ethics fix in part-time Legislature

Arkansas Legislature, Arkansas Works, Jeremy Hutchinson, Mickey GatesBy Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Sen. Larry Teague, D-Nashville, is an insurance agent who sits on the Insurance and Commerce Committee, so he’s able to offer insight and understanding when insurance legislation is considered. Also, he might be personally affected by it.

So which is more important: Expertise or objectivity? That’s a particularly tough question to answer in a part-time Legislature. Continue reading →

The $98.8 trillion hole

tax, taxes, debt, deficits, spending, trillion, State of the Union, deficit hawks, balanced budget amendment, Jonathan Bydlak, immigration, $98.8 triillionBy Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

A report last week offered two insights on the nation’s fiscal future: How big a hole we’re digging, and what it would take to stop.

Let’s start with the hole – one that will be $98.8 trillion deep only 30 years from now. That’s how big the government’s debt held by the public is projected to be by 2048, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO is the nonpartisan government agency that advises Congress regarding fiscal matters.

That “debt held by the public” figure refers to debt borrowed from others. It’s currently $15.45 trillion. The total national debt – $21.1 trillion at the moment – includes that figure plus the money the government has borrowed from itself.

How big are these numbers? The country’s population is about 328 million. Dividing that into $21.1 trillion equals about $66,000 for each American. Both numbers will rise unless something happens to make them stop.

Continue reading →

Fixing Congress, where possible

Shutdown, impeach, Ryan, No LabelsBy Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

It’s no secret that Congress is broken. So how do we fix it?

For this column, let’s be realistic about some of the really big fixes, such as term limits or a balanced budget amendment. Constitutional amendments must traverse a winding, uphill path that ends with ratification by three-fourths of the states. When do 38 states agree on anything these days? The Founding Fathers made the Constitution difficult to amend. Today’s culture wars make it impossible to amend.

What realistically can be changed in the near future? The rules. Procedural rules governing House and Senate business can be altered by a simple vote of either relevant body.

Granted, changing the rules wouldn’t be easy, either. As Ouachita Baptist University political science professor Dr. Hal Bass reminded me a few weeks ago, inertia in politics is a powerful thing. But at least changing the rules doesn’t require 38 states.

The nonpartisan group No Labels has some suggestions it’s calling The Speaker Project. One is electing the speaker of the House by a vote of the entire body.

Here’s the rationale.  Continue reading →

Budget balancing in my house, and the House

Steve Womack

Rep. Steve Womack is chair of the House Budget Committee.

By Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Balancing a budget is hard. I know, because that’s my job in my household. So I can empathize with U.S. Rep. Steve Womack.

Here are some things I’ve found to be true after spending countless hours crunching our family’s numbers.

– Much of your spending is difficult to cut. Your house payment, insurance, taxes, and many bills are almost set in stone. Such “mandatory spending” can consume the majority of your income.

– You can cut your “discretionary spending,” but it’s not easy. Spending less on groceries requires constant vigilance and an altered lifestyle. Also, discretionary spending includes nice-to-have “extras” that provide many benefits at relatively low cost, like subscriptions and community center memberships. Church and charitable giving are discretionary as well. Cut those?

– Because the above options are hard, you might tell yourself you can reduce “waste” and not have to change your lifestyle. That’s wishful thinking. Continue reading →