More on (im)Moral Budgeting

We have a budget debate going in the federal government and in state governments throughout the nation, and the decisions made have serious moral implications.

Republican rep. Paul Ryan has proposed a plan that would significantly cut social programs that millions of American families depend on while also lower taxes for the wealthy. The Obama administrations counter-proposal, however, still calls for only $1 in revenue increases for every $3 in spending decreases. So, even the "moderate" proposal at this point expects the lower and middle class to bear the burdens of deficit reduction.

In order to determine if this is a moral approach, everyone who reads this post should take a look at this interactive graph. The sliders allow you to look at which income groups have gained and lost over the last 100 years of economic growth. Take a look at how things have played out from 1988-2008 and from 1998-2008, and then consider the federal proposals for balancing the budget.

Rising prices and policy

A recent story on NPR discussed how prices are rising at a faster rate then wages. Consumers are seeing higher prices at the pump and the grocery store. Food and gasoline are two resources that people depend on, and most people don't have a choice to simply buy less. Middle-income families may have the option to spend less on things like recreation and entertainment. Lower-income families, on the other hand, really don't have much room to cut spending from their family budget. Rising oil prices are often discussed as a national problem, but the consequences will be most severe for people who are already struggling.

So what can we do about rising oil prices? Prices can rise for a variety of reasons, but fundamentally they rise because of either and increase in demand for oil or a decrease in supply. So we have two basic options, decrease demand for oil by using less of it or discover more oil. While discovering more oil may lower prices for the short-term, there is increasing evidence that extraction of oil will begin to decline within the next few decades.  So, increasing the supply will probably not be an option for long, in which case decreasing demand will have to occur whether we like it or not. The question become-- how do we want demand to decrease? Do we want to let the market take care of it and decrease demand by increasing prices, to the detriment of millions of poor families? Or, should we take a proactive approach and come up with methods for decreasing demand now?

What opportunities do you see for reducing demand before it's too late?

Immoral US Education

Every so often, a new report comes out showing how the US is lagging behind global competitors in standardized test scores. In response, policy makers clamor to discuss higher standards for K-12 students and teachers nationwide.

However, United States educational failures are not a nationwide problem: top-performing schools and students perform as well as any nation on standardized tests. Poor schools in poor communities, on the other hand, have outcomes that bring down the national average. Kozol's book, "Savage Inequalities", shows the horrifying reality of struggling schools.

The inadequate funding of schools in low-income contributes to the problem, and is certainly immoral. But schools are only part of the problem. A recent NPR story shows how living in a violent community can prevent kids from even getting to school. Experiences prior to entering the K-12 system also have a significant impact on educational outcomes, as high-quality childcare has been correlated with decreased need for special education and a correctional services. Indeed, some studies have found that the earlier the intervention, the greater the outcomes.

 So, any effort to address this "Sputnik Moment" should not simply focus on a national reform of the K-12 system, like the No Child Left Behind policy. Reforms must recognize that our education problem starts as early as as prenatal care, not when a child enters kindergarten. Also, reforms must focus on revitalizing struggling communities as a whole. Proposed budget cuts to the Community Development Block Grant program only detract from this goal.

Studies like the one linked in this post show that investments in early childhood education can actually save us money by increasing productivity and decreasing spending on this like special ed. and correction. Now, more than ever, an educated public is essential for a competitive economy. However, I think there is a better, moral argument for such reforms. Children deserve to live happy, healthy lives. It is simply wrong to deny children access to a happy and safe upbringing.

Moral Budgeting

Have you heard?  Local, state, and federal governments across the US are faced with a serious budget challenge. Like any public problem, there is no “right” technical solution that will solve everything. Every proposal has trade-offs. So, when making these tough decisions, it is extremely important that we honestly weigh the pros and cons of different proposals. Sure, we want to balance the budget, but it is not enough to justify a cut to a program, or the removal of collective bargaining rights, by simply saying "we're faced with a deficit.".  If the deficit were the only value we looked at when making a political decision, then we wouldn’t have extended the Bush Tax cuts, we would raise taxes, and cut virtually every government program.

I think that it is immoral to justify a political decision in such a superficial way. We don’t want a society that jumps to conclusions based on rhetoric, so any effort to sway opinions using rhetoric is just plain wrong. Further, our societies reliance on mass media outlets for political information is one of the factors that leads to decision-making based on rhetoric and the wrong way to make decisions. 

Now, budgeting is a complex and time consuming process, so it is unreasonable and idealistic to propose that every American should have thorough discussions about every budgetary proposal. However, THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO LEARN ABOUT BUDGETING AND PARTICIPATE IN BUDGETING. The Participatory Budgeting Process in Porto Alegre, Brazil is a classic example of a different way to do things.

In the United States, democratic innovation is our proud tradition. We must learn to create new methods for budgeting that are less vulnerable to political opportunism and manipulation and more likely to reflect our societies strong moral compass.

The Concept of Moral Politics

I can imagine how some will react to the idea of moral politics...

There will be the cynics, who will feel quite witty when they proclaim "Moral Politics, that's an oxymoron!"
Then we'll have some economist, policy-wonk, technocrats responding, "there is no room for morality in politics, we should be making decisions with objective, rational judgment..."

And, since this is a blog named Moral Politics, I welcome such feedback, and I will happily provide a respectful anticipatory response.

In many cases, yes, politics appears to be a very immoral process in which powerful groups ruthlessly seek more power while other groups don't have the resources to influence political decisions. When you look at most political blogs and discussions online, the overwhelming norm is ruthless partisan bickering, character attacks, and language that wouldn't fly at my grandma's dinner table. So, politics and the way we talk about politics can both be highly immoral. But: THIS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THE CASE. Indeed, our nation's great history has many examples of the government doing the right thing because the American people stood up for it. As for the way we talk about politics, this blog is an effort to fill the void a provide a space where people can talk about moral issues in a moral fashion.

In response to my wonkish friends, I agree with you whole-heartedly that political decisions should always be informed using knowledge developed through rigorous, thoughtful analysis. However, I think it is irresponsible to make political decisions without equally rigorous and thoughtful moral reasoning, because every political decision is embedded with values.

This blog seeks to assess the scientific evidence and the values behind today's public policies in a respectful and reasonable way that I hope you will enjoy.