Hilariously Hypocritical a Trillion Times Over
Our infrastructure is failing. It needs to be improved. I ride a motorcycle and well, our highways are frightening and as pock holed as lava rock. A massive improvements program has been proposed and debated over and over again. President Obama sought to realize such a vision but was told that it was going to affect the deficit. So, yes, there are good things to borrow for, that are investments in the future (think at the personal level house, education, retirement) and there are things that are just plain stupid.
Safe roads, bridges — call me crazy, but I think it is a good idea to invest in them. But what will most likely be the proposed “populist” package in order to sway public opinion, will be large spending (perhaps with private financing strategies that will sell off our public infrastructure) and tax cuts. And we will be told that they have to go together. They do not, and should not.
And like past conservative administrations, think post Clinton, post Obama, an economy that was damaged, is repaired by a Democrat, is on the upswing and then is inherited by a Republican. And then what happens? Deficits are exacerbated with tax cuts to the wealthy based on the disproven theories of trickle-down economics. We know what trickles down and it sure as hell as not been healthy for the shrinking middle class.
What is most disconcerting is that what usually happens is taxes are cut, deficits are created and then Republican uses that created “crisis” as the overarching narrative to cast a shadow on, and control safety net spending.
It cannot be business as usual for nonprofit leaders when this specific federal government turns to the sector to clean up their mess. It happened with Reagan in California with mental health systems, and nationally with an expectation of the faith based community to step up and serve food, help veterans, build affordable housing, educate our youth, provide economical health care. And, yeah, forget about the arts. It happened with both Bushes, touting “lights’ flickering here and there as a PR campaign and it will most definitely happen with this administration.
Problem is, such voluntary association efforts should enhance life, fill in the gaps to enrich community experiences, not be some thin thread in a tattered safety net, stretched thin over a deteriorating commons. How do nonprofit leaders react to increased demand, reduced resources, a divided public, and a hostile environment? Can we all march on a coordinated day to demonstrate our strength? We are roughly 10% of the GDP and the labor force. We hold communities together.
This time around, I refuse to walk down that same road. I’d rather buy a dirt bike and ride over rough roads then the same damn highway that is so utterly predictable and goes in circles while good hearted nonprofit organizations run themselves ragged cleaning up the carnage that will be created with various pending policies and strategies. Nonprofits, go to the Rest Area, meet up and decide when and where you want to go for this next journey. I would hope supposed national leadership organizations and associations, including the Independent Sector, are not just sycophants, but honk the horn loudly and long — maybe even encouraging us to all stop — delaying our good services traffic for a day or two.
