02.13.10
The Big Picture
I have thought long and hard about the bills being considered by Congress. They seem to want to ram huge spending bills through without looking at the big picture.
Yes, we have need to address health care costs. But the first step to doing that is to examine factors that contribute to the costs. Congress seems bent on mandating huge changes that will be detrimental to our health care delivery system without addressing the issues that need consideration.
Yes, we have a need to replace lost jobs, but Congress doesn’t seem interested in why we are losing so many jobs. What factors are causing jobs to go out of the country and what makes it so difficult for people to find jobs in the same or other industries?
What about costs of education? And the quality of our schools? How are these issues affecting our economy? How do we improve the performance of teachers and students in what seems to be a failing system? How can we provide access to better schools for students in failing ones?
What is the effect of illegal immigration on the job market? On health care costs? On education? On other public services? On crime?
We need to know the answers to these questions before we can approach legislation. Sure, everyone has an opinion, but what are the facts? Here in Minnesota, studies have been done on the cost to schools, hospitals and public services related to illegal immigration. Yet the problem goes deeper than just those individuals. Often they do not pay taxes, so the state gets a double whammy … lost tax revenue as well as the cost of providing services. Clearly there is much to think about before we go legislating. Since Congress and the President seem so fond of commissions, how about one to study these issues and make some recommendations? We are running out of time.