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Show 5 OPINION Congress must learn to compromise Tuesday March 5, 2013 www.dailyutahchronicle.corn STEVENSON SMITH Opinion Columnist Oda M arch i came and went, and no deal to avoid sequestration was made. This means automatic budget cuts totaling nearly $85.4 billion will be established, slashing programs in special education, military research and the Library of Congress. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the impact of this sequester will shave off about five-eighths of a percent from the projected growth in the Gross Domestic Product this year. Some estimates claim the number of jobs lost because of the sequester will be as high as 2.14 million. Neither mainstream Democrats nor Republicans ever wanted the sequester to happen. However, no plan or compromise was made to avoid what was unanimously deemed stupid and disastrous. So now we're left to wonder why everyone lost. The sequester originated as a last-minute deal to raise the debt ceiling. It was a compromise to create a plan to decrease spending by $1.5 trillion. It was meant to force Congress to make difficult long-term decisions about fiscal responsibility. However, it was never meant to act as any kind of se- LUIGI GHERSI/The Daily Utah Chronicle rious plan in and of itself. The devastating nature and stupidity of the cuts were meant to compel Washington to create a new plan — one that would cut spending correctly and balance the budget in a reasonable, bipartisan manner. This never happened, and the issue at the heart of this massive debacle in Washington was — yet again — tax increases. However, the debate over tax increases was political — not ideological — and this is what is so incriminating about our leaders in Washington today. Speaker John Boehner proposed a plan last December that would increase tax revenues to more than $800 billion. The plan that eventually came out of Washington only increased tax revenues by about $600 billion. Clearly, Boehner and the House Republicans who supported his proposal in December are not ideologically against increasing revenues a little bit more, given that their original proposal had revenues from taxes in considerably higher amounts than what they are now. Moreover, the White House proposed to increase revenues through the same method Boehner and the Republicans suggested in December — tax reform. However, congressio- nal Republicans stood firmly against any and all tax revenues as a part of a deal to avoid sequestration. This discrepancy can only be explained politically, not ideologically. This is not to say the Republicans are the only ones at fault for playing politics when the jobs of millions of Americans were at stake. It is difficult not to feel sympathetic for congressional Republicans when we recog- nize that the Democratic Party got many of the tax increases its members wanted just a couple of months ago, without having to agree to any additional spending cuts. The tax cuts made under President George W. Bush were set to expire the same day the sequester cuts were to be enacted. This was, no doubt, intentionally done so Washington would create a balanced plan to increase taxes and cut spending at the same time. Instead, Washington only increased taxes and kicked the spending cuts down the road to be dealt with March 1. It is difficult to imagine Republicans would have agreed to the tax increases Jan. i if they knew they would have to increase taxes even more two months later. Republicans compromised and now they feel like they got screwed. Instead of being sympathetic to this reality, the Democratic Party is now campaigning on the argument that the Republican Party only cares about the rich and is holding the economy hostage because of its out-of-touch beliefs. This is hardly a way to encourage compromise. Our government is full of leaders who despise each other and don't know how to compromise. Our leaders have put politics over ideology, and the result has been disastrous for all of us — the economy will now slow in growth, and millions of Americans might lose their jobs. In the end, we all lost. letters@chronicle.utah.edu Utah's spring break appeal sorely lacking pring break is a ritualistic event in the United States. Anyone you choose off the street could list any number of places to go for the best and biggest parties across the nation during March and April. Not one of them, however, would mention Utah. Utah is missing out without any destinations in the area for spring break festivities. While ski resorts do as much as they can to advocate for the state, students ages 18-24, who comprise 4 million of our country's skiing, cross country and snowboarding participants, according to snowsports.org , have their eyes focused elsewhere during spring break season. Businesses in Panama City Beach, Fla., one of the well-known spring break destinations, are reported by the Wall Street Journal to make about sum million in March. Although Utah lacks the tropical ocean setting many partyinciting cities boast, we still have a lot to offer. Anyone who thinks a desert is no place for a festival has never heard of Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nev. Utah could thrive as a spring break site, since most travelers aren't looking for seven days of non-stop partying. Skiing, hiking and climbing offer unique alternative activities that few other destinations can compare. Those who would consider spending a portion of their spring break in the mountains might be swayed to come if the activities in the state were a little more well-rounded and better promoted. It's imaginable there are many residents who would discourage promoting what might often might be a rowdy form of tourism. As represented by the strict liquor and gambling laws in the state, Utah is no stranger to putting perceived morals above economic advancement. However, with 2012 being the warmest year on record and the S RORY PENMAN/The Daily Utah Chronicle Welfare recipients can help society by serving jury duty T he two most formidable swear words in America are "jury duty." A citizen's obligation to serve as a juror entails long hours and little pay (less than minimum wage — which is definitely something to curse about). It also requires working-class citizens to leave their jobs with no mandatory compensation from employers. However, there's a simple solution — rather than taking working-class employees out of their jobs to serve as jurors, the state and federal governments should enlist current recipients of unemployment and welfare benefits to serve instead. If American citizens on unemployment and welfare serve on jury duty, there would be remarkable benefits for the United States. By requiring mandatory jury duty, unemployment and welfare would no longer be derided as "free giveaways." Those dependent on federal benefits would work for what they receive in perhaps one of the highest-calling jobs of citizenship. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 7.9percent of Americans are currently unemployed, and more than 4 million people (4.ipercent of the U.S. population) are living on welfare, according to the CATO Institute. COURTNEY TANNER Opinion Columnist If these citizens worked to earn unemployment and welfare dividends by serving on juries, perhaps later they would become more accustomed to working for their earnings. There wouldn't be any more handouts, per se, but a simple way to repay the government for their services. Former President Ronald Reagan once said, "we should measure welfare's success by how many people leave welfare, not by how many are added." Jury duty could encourage such a movement. Welfare and unemployment are programs designed to get people working again. However, this hasn't been the case in recent years. Both programs have become a dependency for many Americans. By making jury duty a requirement for any governmental monetary supplements, more citizens might be inclined to get a job. Let's face it — no one likes jury duty. ailyDeal! Those who already have a job need to be exempt from serving, as they are already fulfilling a citizen's duty in society — earning a living. Lastly, having those on welfare and unemployment pay their dues through jury duty would save a little money. Everything in life isn't about pinching pennies, but pinching pennies certainly doesn't do any harm. The federal government spends $1.03 trillion a year on the 83 welfare programs in the United States. By reducing the number of those dependent on welfare and unemployment, the extra money could fund other programs to finance the national debt. Additionally, federal jurors are paid $40 per day to serve on jury duty. This money would no longer be required to pay a juror, as jurors would essentially be paid through their welfare or unemployment benefits. Making jury duty a requirement for those receiving government benefits is not punishment. Rather, it is a way to make the systems of welfare and unemployment more beneficial to every American. Welfare could become more rehabilitating in this way. Jury duty is a swear word that could be transformed into a blessing. letters@ chronicle.utah.edu Opinion Columnist Olympic bid only coming every 24 years, "the Greatest Snow on Earth" might soon need help from other avenues to draw attention to our state. Local festivities will also help inspire youth to remain nearby this time of the year, rather than travelling across the country with a group of friends, hoping to get the most they can out of an expensive investment. Notoriously destitute college students probably won't disagree with spending a few spring breaks at home either, and it would give our friends at BYU, who don't even have a spring break, the opportunity to be included in such a hyped-up part of college life. Utah has much room to grow. Our local geography offers a lot, but if the state wants to become a travel hot spot, it needs a little more diversity in the tourists it attracts and the tourism events it promotes. Acknowledging the jubilance of the spring break season will hardly turn Utah into America's Amsterdam, but it would offer opportunities for college students, and even local families, to celebrate the return of warm temperatures while promoting economic growth. Hopefully something will develop that U students will find worthy of sticking around for, but for now, while students are gearing up for their holiday travels, nothing screams "Visit our state!" like searching "spring break Utah" on the web and getting back nothing but academic calendars. letters@ chronicle.utah.edu Deals for food, entertainment and everything else for students, faculty and staff at the University of Utah. Go to www.UtahCampusDeals.com and sign up today to get $10 in Deal Bucks! Tell us where you want deals from - email ads@utah.edu |
