WHEN GEORGE W. Bush was elected president in 2000, his platform was based on two clear approaches: one foreign, and one domestic. Abroad, he promised a reduction in military deployments for nation-building and peacekeeping missions. In the post-September 11th world, this approach was no longer feasible, and Bush committed to an aggressive campaign against terrorism.
But Bush has neglected to adapt his domestic philosophy of "compassionate conservatism" to the new reality.Bush's policies have shown no sign of fiscal discipline, reflected in the huge budget deficits under his administration. Rather than proposing meaningful steps toward reducing the deficit in the 2006 State of the Union address, Bush offered more flawed government programs.
Bush's economic philosophy in the State of the Union was no departure from his previous policies. Thankfully he rejected calls for protectionism, tax raises and greater government direction of the economy. He called on Congress to make permanent the tax cuts passed during his presidency, which, in his words, have "produce[d] more than four years of uninterrupted economic growth." All this economic growth, according to the Treasury Department, has resulted in increasing government tax revenues, which in 2005 were $2.15 trillion, nearly $300 billion more than in 2003.
Even with this rise in tax revenues, however, our government still is not balancing the budget. In his speech, Bush said that Washington ought "to be good stewards of tax dollars," but the best he could come up with was a promise to eliminate $14 billion of discretionary spending out of a budget that will likely be over $3 trillion. Even with this modest reduction of spending, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the 2006 budget deficit will reach at least $337 billion.
Bush's failure to reduce the budget deficit is not surprising, considering several proposals he put forth in the State of the Union address. As he has in the past, best evidenced in the No Child Left Behind Act, Bush proposed to throw money at problems rather than seek innovative solutions. Two examples from his speech stand out.
First is the Advanced Energy Initiative is his plan to reduce American dependence on foreign oil. While it sounds exciting, this "initiative" is simply a 22 percent increase in federal funding for research into alternative energy sources such as hydrogen and ethanol. Hydrogen fusion holds great promise and is a worthy investment, but studies have consistently shown that ethanol requires more energy to create than it yields.
Rather than a gasoline tax hike or an increase in fuel-efficiency standards, which would be immediately effective but unpopular with voters, his proposal is politically safe but of little practical worth.
Similarly, the American Competitive Initiative seeks to improve American expertise in science and technology, which in recent years has lagged behind other parts of the world. One part of the plan, a tax credit for research and development, is an excellent way to stimulate new fields of research. Another part seeks to address the problem of student deficiencies in math and science by training 70,000 more teachers for Advanced Placement courses in high schools. Unfortunately, however, the problem is not just a shortage of good teachers in high schools.
In a devastating report released last year, the Fordham Foundation assigned grades to the math standards of every state but Iowa. The foundation, which focuses particularly on education, assigned only six states an A or B. There are fundamental problems that funding alone cannot solve, including over-reliance on calculators, a failure to memorize basic number facts, and no requirements for knowledge of long division. Hiring more teachers will be of little help if the states are not able to create effective curricula.
In his State of the Union address, President Bush showed no signs of change in his governing philosophy. Americans can continue to trust in his handling of national security. At home, however, his proposals deserve of skepticism. Once again he proposed wasteful government programs instead of steps to reduce the deficit. Bush's State of the Union address had some excellent goals, but once again he declined to address his administration's greatest flaw -- a budget deficit spiraling out of control.
Stephen Parsley's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at sparsely@cavalierdaily.com.
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