West Virginia University (WVU), uncomfortably, has given us a sneak preview of what America has in its future.
A Wall Street Journal story on cuts to the University’s offerings reported that, “Dozens of faculty, students and alums, as well as a Morgantown, W.Va., city councilman, addressed the board Thursday during a three-hour public comment period, aiming to halt the remaining cuts.”
“Many speakers, their voices trembling with emotion or rising in anger, donned red shirts and bandannas in a nod to the labor movement and solidarity with the faculty. Some spoke of the opportunities West Virginia University provided them as low-income, first-generation college students. Others expressed concern that future graduates will struggle in the workplace without access to programs like Arabic language or public administration, and that the cuts would lead to an exodus of talent from the state.”
“This is a school and not a business, and these proposals that rip educational opportunities from students, and jobs from faculty and staff, will only weaken this institution,” said Christian Rowe, a graduate student in history. He said that cuts would make structural issues worse, and students would be deterred by “WVU’s lack of course offerings and respect for its community’s voices.”
“This is a school and not a business…” Every organization that has financial needs will be measured by money in, money out. If WVU cannot meet revenue needs then it has to reduce costs. Or, increase tuition or fees. Unlike our national government, West Virgina does not have a perpetual credit card.
But then if perpetual is definitional neither does the United States. It is this fact which frames the annual fiscal face-off over budgets and appropriations. A face-off that looks increasingly rabid.
America is not invulnerable. As our debt goes up our credit risk goes up and with it the cost of borrowing—a debilitating circle. Do we want more taxes? Higher rates? And if you say tax wealth then what will the rate have to be to catch up and combined with other taxes produce a balance? And crucially, how do you keep wealth from seeking more advantageous tax jurisdictions?
Or, do we want less of government and if so, what should we cut? And ultimately how much debt are we comfortable passing on to our children and grandchildren?
Right now, politics is mostly being fought along tribal lines. Barely civilized language is the patois as we talk about Trump’s outrages and Biden’s age and infirmities. And, it is hard to have a civil conversation about public affairs.
What we should be doing is what WVU is being forced to do. Its leadership now must ask, what courses should be dropped? What majors should be eliminated? And what about spending on extracurricular activities? This parade of questions needs to march through our federal government’s budget. And through our election cycle with its debates and interviews.
Biden and Trump and the range of wannabes need to be asked. Do not give them the easy out of squabbling about our latest emotional outburst. Make them answer our questions. The hard ones! Because we are in the middle of a national scandal—an assault on our children and grandchildren. And circumstantially we are infantilizing those who have been elected to make decisions that will preserve and protect the union. We hope.
Meet the Press, Joe
Kristen Welker, the newly minted moderator of Meet the Press, began her first show last Sunday with a long interview of former President Donald Trump. While he physically shows a few more years, he sounds like 2016. He was engaged and has even upped his game as he talks through accusatory questions. He has certainly had a lot of practice.
The takeaways from the interview were then discussed by a panel of three who said the expected. They noted inconsistencies, “falsehoods” and spent time talking about his ducking and dodging around whether abortion policy should be re-federalized.
But this panel of worthies failed on the central takeaway. He was engaged. He spoke quickly. The Donald Trump I watched will not win my vote, but neither will President Joe Biden. Unfortunately, Joe Biden cannot engage in the political repartee that is a feature of Presidential politics. And, international diplomacy. In the last election Covid was the cover to stay at home. It is unlikely to be an acceptable excuse in 2024.
President Biden’s allies spend much of their time targeting Trump or the possibility of a third Party that they claim will siphon more votes away from the President. They don’t get it. If Joe Biden is the nominee, Donald Trump has a good chance to win a second term.
Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.
Reed Fawell 3 says
This article is a good harbinger of coming events, where thoughtful people across most of the political spectrum at long last turn to face together the terrible challenges, and many hard, but powerful, opportunities, we all must confront to save this Constitutional Republic from the tailspin it is now in.
Steve Cades says
“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” Barring a disabling illness, our choice in November, 2024 will be between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump. All the polling data to date suggests that any third-party candidate will take more votes from Mr. Biden than from Mr. Trump.
In effect, there is no difference between not voting and voting third-party: the effective result, from the perspective of anyone who fears a second term for Mr. Trump, is that by so-voting, one gives the latter a one-half vote.
My guess is that Mr. Sykes would love to see an old-style East Coast moderate Republican in the White House. I would be fascinated to see the next step in Mr. Sikes’ argument: how, realistically, does that come about?
As it happens, barring major catastrophe (from my perspective), Maryland’s electoral votes will go to the Democratic candidate, Mr. Biden or otherwise. That’s all but guaranteed given the past decade or more of Maryland’s elections. So in that sense, it matters little whose name Mr. Sikes marks off in the voting booth.
Nonetheless, an interesting thought-experiment.
Oh: the response of any knowledgeable American to Mr. Sikes’ “hard questions?” Return tax levels for major corporations and very wealthy citizens to their levels prior to Mr. Reagan’s presidency. Problem solved.
Reed Fawell 3 says
Yes, I agree.
But as to your saying: “As it happens, barring major catastrophe (from my perspective), Maryland’s electoral votes will go to the Democratic candidate, Mr. Biden or otherwise.” I reply that the chances are increasing daily that we well might not get to a legitimate vote at all in Nov. 2024.
Think of the ways that failure of election might happen, given daily news:
1/ Wide open open borders; surging illegals from all over, 5.8 million known, 1.5 million plus unknown, in past 2 years;
2/ Increasing lawlessness of US citizens and non citizens, and lawlessness of US governments state, local, federal;
3/ Collapse of US families, communities, cities, and birth rates;
4/ Surge in Government prosecutions of political “enemies”, now likely including Elon Musk.
5/ Surging inflation of staples necessary to live (food, energy, autos, education, health);
6/ Surging government impositions taxes, fees, and regulation of citizen’s daily lives;
7/ Collapsing US education, and failing health care, systems;
8/ Rising power of public and private unions to control and collapse whole US industries and institutions public and private, and for US and state governments to do the same;
9/ Weakening US allies combined with arising threats worldwide – Russia, China, North Korea, Iran; 10/ Alarming depletion of US national defense capabilities to counter-balance these rising international threats worldwide;
11/ Failing and corrupted International institutions like UN, World Health Organization, etc. and related international treaties like arms control, and international financial agreements;
12/ And the above is only for starters.
The truth is that an outright civil war started in America in 2016, and now that civil war is just begun to pick up a full head of steam. So for example, NY city council has just begun another round of historic statue destruction in city, starting with G. Washington, and Thomas Jefferson, as the city reels beneath 10,000 illegal immigrants arriving daily. And meanwhile America confronts another shutdown of its federal government.
This is a time of Madness in America. And in the world at large. Like in the 1930s. Or in 1915s. Or in the 1850s and early 1860s. Or the 1790s though 1820. And this is only starters.
Wilson Dean says
I must give a strong endorsement to Mr Cades proposal to raise the taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals to pre-Reagan levels. There may still be some difficult choices to make after that is accomplished, but it will be much easier to achieve our country’s financial balance if these two groups pay their fair share.
Brice Gamber says
I would suggest changing the word “knowledgeable” to “naive”…… it would be painful and mind numbing to take the readership through the math that shows there is no possible way that the deficit spending trajectory can be overcome simply by raising taxes on those who already pay the vast majority of taxes. It’s tantamount to your college freshman saying “Dad, how can there be no money in my account ? I still have checks”
Bruce Wakefield says
Mr. Sikes fails miserable in his identification of “The National Scandal” It is not about voting for one party versus another. It is clearly about free and fair elections in the United States! It is unacceptable to have one party, the one in power, clearly messing around with and Interfering in our American Elections. If anyone out there thinks it is OK to have Election Interference from one political party on another better hold your breath. Turn around is fair game, especially in politics.
William Dalton says
Mr Sikes would have us believe we are faced in the next Presidential election with the familiar Hobson’s choice.. His answer is to either throw away his vote on a candidate that has no chance to win but could possibly end up helping the least qualified candidate to win or to not vote at all which would be a disgrace to those patriots who have given their lives for our country enabling us to exercise our right for self government. How can anyone compare an indicted would be criminal who sought to overthrow our government with an experienced public servant who has proven over the last four years that compromise and good government programs can be accomplished in a divided Congress is beyond me. Instead of just complaining give us just how Mr Sikes would cut the budget and reduce spending. Give us facts. Explain why we should not reverse tax benefits for the ultra wealthy and corpate empires that are awash with profits. The United States is strong and we can do better. The glass is half full and not half empty. We need to quit wringing our hands and accept the challenge.