Mankiw influences change in Obama policy...
From the President-elect's website:
The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.
In the past, economists of both the right and left opposed the military draft. Will they similarly come together to oppose conscription for community service? I hope so.This initiative brought to mind the opening passage of Milton Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom:
In a much quoted passage in his inaugural address, President Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country." It is a striking sign of the temper of our times that the controversy about this passage centered on its origin and not on its content. Neither half of the statement expresses a relation between the citizen and his government that is worthy of the ideals of free men in a free society. The paternalistic "what your country can do for you" implies that government is the patron, the citizen the ward, a view that is at odds with the free man's belief in his own responsibility for his own destiny. The organismic, "what you can do for your country" implies that government is the master or the deity, the citizen, the servant or the votary. To the free man, the country is the collection of individuals who compose it, not something over and above them. He is proud of a common heritage and loyal to common traditions. But he regards government as a means, an instrumentality, neither a grantor of favors and gifts, nor a master or god to be blindly worshipped and served. He recognizes no national goal except as it is the consensus of the goals that the citizens severally serve. He recognizes no national purpose except as it is the consensus of the purposes for which the citizens severally strive.
The free man will ask neither what his country can do for him nor what he can do for his country. He will ask rather "What can I and my compatriots do through government" to help us discharge our individual responsibilities, to achieve our several goals and purposes, and above all, to protect our freedom? And he will accompany this question with another: How can we keep the government we create from becoming a Frankenstein that will destroy the very freedom we establish it to protect?
Update: The presidential transition website to which I linked above no longer uses the word "require." The passage quoted above was copied and pasted from that website (with bolding added by me). But within a few hours after I posted it here, the wording changed to "setting a goal."I am delighted to see this blog having so much influence on the policies of the new administration.
That's change I can believe in!Addendum: Click here for a shot of the original webpage.
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barack Obama. Show all posts
Monday, November 10, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
"Mankiw's Message to President-Elect Obama"
President Bush's former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors and Harvard Professor Fregory Mankiw has a message for President-Elect Barack Obama.
Congratulations, Senator Obama. You ran a good campaign, and you racked up an historic victory. As you get ready for your new responsibilities, let me suggest four ways for you to become a reliable steward of the economy:
Listen to your economists. During the campaign you assembled an impressive team of economic advisers from the nation’s top universities, including Austan Goolsbee from University of Chicago and David Cutler and Jeff Liebman from Harvard. Your campaign’s director of economic policy, Jason Furman, is a smart, sensible, and well-trained policy economist. I know: He is a former student of mine.
Pay close attention to what they have to say. They will often give you advice quite different from what you will hear from congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. To make sure you hear the views of your economists, put them in offices close to yours. Tell your chief of staff to invite them to all the relevant meetings.
Embrace some Republican ideas. No party has a monopoly on truth. Be ready to take the best Republican policy proposals and make them your own, as Bill Clinton did with welfare reform in 1996.
Health policy is a case in point. Over the past several months, you lambasted McCain’s proposal to reform the tax code to include a refundable health insurance tax credit. Did you know that long before McCain ever proposed this idea, it was advanced by Mr. Furman, your campaign’s policy director? He can explain to you why the Furman-McCain plan makes a lot of sense.
Now you may decide that this plan does not go far enough. You may want a more generously funded social safety net to help the less fortunate get health care. Fair enough, but in pursuing that goal, you run into the next issue.
Pay attention to the government’s budget constraint. The nation faces a long-term imbalance between government spending and tax revenue. The fundamental problem is that the federal government has promised the elderly more benefits than the tax system can support. This fiscal imbalance will become acute as more baby boomers retire and start collecting Social Security and Medicare.
Yet during the campaign, you promised that you would cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans, that you would vastly expand health insurance coverage, and that you would never cut Social Security benefits or raise the retirement age. You will almost surely have to renege on some of these promises. As your economic team will often remind you, even if the laws of arithmetic are ignored during campaigns, they provide a real constraint when making actual policy.
Recognize your past mistakes. As a new senator, you voted along predictable left-wing lines. As president, you will need a more eclectic, nuanced approach.
Take trade policy, for example. In the senate, you voted against the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement. You opposed free trade agreements with Colombia and South Korea. You supported Senators Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham in their quest to put tariffs on Chinese goods if China failed to revalue its exchange rate. You supported the Byrd Amendment, which encouraged domestic companies to file anti-dumping suits against foreign competitors. You supported subsidies for domestic producers of corn-based ethanol and tariffs on imports of more efficient sugar-based ethanol.
Your economists can explain to you why these positions were wrong-headed. Economic isolationism is not in the national interest. A high point of the Clinton presidency was the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which passed both the House and Senate with a majority of Republicans and a minority of Democrats.
This past Tuesday, many people voted for you hoping you would achieve the kind of economic success that Bill Clinton enjoyed in the 1990s. Your best chance of delivering what they want requires that you abandon some of your past positions and pursue a more moderate, bipartisan course.
Congratulations, Senator Obama. You ran a good campaign, and you racked up an historic victory. As you get ready for your new responsibilities, let me suggest four ways for you to become a reliable steward of the economy:
Listen to your economists. During the campaign you assembled an impressive team of economic advisers from the nation’s top universities, including Austan Goolsbee from University of Chicago and David Cutler and Jeff Liebman from Harvard. Your campaign’s director of economic policy, Jason Furman, is a smart, sensible, and well-trained policy economist. I know: He is a former student of mine.
Pay close attention to what they have to say. They will often give you advice quite different from what you will hear from congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. To make sure you hear the views of your economists, put them in offices close to yours. Tell your chief of staff to invite them to all the relevant meetings.
Embrace some Republican ideas. No party has a monopoly on truth. Be ready to take the best Republican policy proposals and make them your own, as Bill Clinton did with welfare reform in 1996.
Health policy is a case in point. Over the past several months, you lambasted McCain’s proposal to reform the tax code to include a refundable health insurance tax credit. Did you know that long before McCain ever proposed this idea, it was advanced by Mr. Furman, your campaign’s policy director? He can explain to you why the Furman-McCain plan makes a lot of sense.
Now you may decide that this plan does not go far enough. You may want a more generously funded social safety net to help the less fortunate get health care. Fair enough, but in pursuing that goal, you run into the next issue.
Pay attention to the government’s budget constraint. The nation faces a long-term imbalance between government spending and tax revenue. The fundamental problem is that the federal government has promised the elderly more benefits than the tax system can support. This fiscal imbalance will become acute as more baby boomers retire and start collecting Social Security and Medicare.
Yet during the campaign, you promised that you would cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans, that you would vastly expand health insurance coverage, and that you would never cut Social Security benefits or raise the retirement age. You will almost surely have to renege on some of these promises. As your economic team will often remind you, even if the laws of arithmetic are ignored during campaigns, they provide a real constraint when making actual policy.
Recognize your past mistakes. As a new senator, you voted along predictable left-wing lines. As president, you will need a more eclectic, nuanced approach.
Take trade policy, for example. In the senate, you voted against the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement. You opposed free trade agreements with Colombia and South Korea. You supported Senators Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham in their quest to put tariffs on Chinese goods if China failed to revalue its exchange rate. You supported the Byrd Amendment, which encouraged domestic companies to file anti-dumping suits against foreign competitors. You supported subsidies for domestic producers of corn-based ethanol and tariffs on imports of more efficient sugar-based ethanol.
Your economists can explain to you why these positions were wrong-headed. Economic isolationism is not in the national interest. A high point of the Clinton presidency was the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which passed both the House and Senate with a majority of Republicans and a minority of Democrats.
This past Tuesday, many people voted for you hoping you would achieve the kind of economic success that Bill Clinton enjoyed in the 1990s. Your best chance of delivering what they want requires that you abandon some of your past positions and pursue a more moderate, bipartisan course.
Friday, November 7, 2008
"Time to Come Together"
Our country is facing many challenges. For many, including myself, there is much concern over the recent election of Barack Obama. What direction will he take our nation? What condition will he leave our country when his term in office ends?
We must unite as Americans to address these challenges. We cannot afford to be remorseful, but rather we need to be keen and share our voice with others. Perhaps this is an opportunity to open the American eyes to how socialist policies are not the path to U.S. global economic leadership but a path to global economic complacency. This could be what the United States needs to quell the desire for far left policies and restore an America based on its founding principles.
There are some things we can do. First and foremost, we can pray for our nation. As our country is moving in a direction to further separate our religious convictions from national policy, we can pray that our nation's true values will survive the far left's governance.
We don't often think of it, but a branded memory from my childhood education was saying the "Pledge of Allegiance" every morning. That is only one generation away from being forgotten! Not that saying the "Pledge" will save our country, but if reciting the "Pledge" is wrong as it has been deemed, what subtle changes can we expect in the future?
Second, we must listen to understand! I can even admit at face value that liberal policies seem attractive. Giving money to those who need it most, providing free health care to everyone, and giving everyone a college education are good things! They are... at face value! But we must communicate the consequences. Many of there arguments end here... at these face value statements. Look at many press articles and liberal activist statements that support these policies. Notice they don't include solutions and most do not understand the economic implications.
We can listen. We can understand. And we can explain the economic consequences of these actions.
In "An Age of Turbulence,"Alan Greenspan spoke on capatalist economics in Moscow to an audience of socialist economists in the early 1990's. He was surprised by their conceptual understanding of capitalism that was evinced in the follow-up question-and-answer session. Later, he engaged one of these economists on his knowledge of capitalism. The economist replied that economics is a science of numbers, formulas, and solutions. There is truth and freedom in numbers. He was implying the political freedom of economics.
Last, become active in communicating these values. We have many opportunities for this type of discussion. Let's take advantage of them. There were once times in this country that these were the only issues at the table. Now, it seems they have been taken completely off the table.
I will begin blogging about what will happen to our country in many respects under a socialist regime. Topics on the table include education, health care, taxes, along with many others. Perhaps these can serve as some tools based on facts to communicate your positions. As always, I would appreciate your continuous feedback.
We must unite as Americans to address these challenges. We cannot afford to be remorseful, but rather we need to be keen and share our voice with others. Perhaps this is an opportunity to open the American eyes to how socialist policies are not the path to U.S. global economic leadership but a path to global economic complacency. This could be what the United States needs to quell the desire for far left policies and restore an America based on its founding principles.
There are some things we can do. First and foremost, we can pray for our nation. As our country is moving in a direction to further separate our religious convictions from national policy, we can pray that our nation's true values will survive the far left's governance.
We don't often think of it, but a branded memory from my childhood education was saying the "Pledge of Allegiance" every morning. That is only one generation away from being forgotten! Not that saying the "Pledge" will save our country, but if reciting the "Pledge" is wrong as it has been deemed, what subtle changes can we expect in the future?
Second, we must listen to understand! I can even admit at face value that liberal policies seem attractive. Giving money to those who need it most, providing free health care to everyone, and giving everyone a college education are good things! They are... at face value! But we must communicate the consequences. Many of there arguments end here... at these face value statements. Look at many press articles and liberal activist statements that support these policies. Notice they don't include solutions and most do not understand the economic implications.
We can listen. We can understand. And we can explain the economic consequences of these actions.
In "An Age of Turbulence,"Alan Greenspan spoke on capatalist economics in Moscow to an audience of socialist economists in the early 1990's. He was surprised by their conceptual understanding of capitalism that was evinced in the follow-up question-and-answer session. Later, he engaged one of these economists on his knowledge of capitalism. The economist replied that economics is a science of numbers, formulas, and solutions. There is truth and freedom in numbers. He was implying the political freedom of economics.
Last, become active in communicating these values. We have many opportunities for this type of discussion. Let's take advantage of them. There were once times in this country that these were the only issues at the table. Now, it seems they have been taken completely off the table.
I will begin blogging about what will happen to our country in many respects under a socialist regime. Topics on the table include education, health care, taxes, along with many others. Perhaps these can serve as some tools based on facts to communicate your positions. As always, I would appreciate your continuous feedback.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
"CNN Removes Obama Story"
Barack Obama's aunt has been residing in Boston illegally for the past four years. This story appeared on CNN Sunday morning yet was removed from the headlines by early afternoon.
The media has faded into an immoral abyss misleading and taking advantage of the American people. CNN and NBC,in particular, have consistently misreprepresented the facts throughout this election. A seemingly "fair" McCain headline on CNN.com seems to always include anti-McCain sentiment and pro-Obama rhetoric within the story. The latest disenfranchisement of the American people occured today when CNN withdrew the Obama headline and conceal a story the American people deserve to be aware of.
Barack Obama declared he was unaware of "Auntie Zeituni's" (how he refers to her in his memoirs) status as an illegal alien. Apparently within a single day, the Obama campaign can uncover detailed tax information on "Joe the Plumber" but after nearly two years running a presidential campaign, they are unaware Barack Obama has an aunt living illegally in the United States.
Please pray for our country this week as we determine who will lead us over the next four years. Let us trust that whoever is elected is part of HIS plan for our country.
The media has faded into an immoral abyss misleading and taking advantage of the American people. CNN and NBC,in particular, have consistently misreprepresented the facts throughout this election. A seemingly "fair" McCain headline on CNN.com seems to always include anti-McCain sentiment and pro-Obama rhetoric within the story. The latest disenfranchisement of the American people occured today when CNN withdrew the Obama headline and conceal a story the American people deserve to be aware of.
Barack Obama declared he was unaware of "Auntie Zeituni's" (how he refers to her in his memoirs) status as an illegal alien. Apparently within a single day, the Obama campaign can uncover detailed tax information on "Joe the Plumber" but after nearly two years running a presidential campaign, they are unaware Barack Obama has an aunt living illegally in the United States.
Please pray for our country this week as we determine who will lead us over the next four years. Let us trust that whoever is elected is part of HIS plan for our country.
"Economist Thomas Sowell Fears Obama Presidency"
Acclaimed African-American economist Thomas Sowell fears an Obama presidency and equivocates it to an American historic disaster! Read for yourself.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/11/ego_and_mouth.html
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/11/ego_and_mouth.html
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