Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty offers good advice to President Obama on how to fix the budget mess.Here's a snippet:
1. Set clear priorities but cut almost everything else. Not everything government does is equally important. When faced with a budget shortfall in Minnesota, we considered the importance of programs. We decided to protect funding for the most important ones: the National Guard, veterans’ support programs, public safety and K-12 schools.Easy? Maybe not. Pawlenty concludes in the op-ed, "But in Minnesota, we've proven: Yes, you can."
Nearly everything else has been cut. Last year, we cut overall spending in real terms for the first time in the state’s 150-year history.
2. Reform out-of-control entitlements. By far, the biggest long-term driver of the federal debt is entitlement spending, including Social Security and Medicare. These programs are going to have to be changed. And despite Beltway rhetoric, it can be done.
For example, in Minnesota, our bus drivers in the Twin Cities had benefits that were completely unsustainable. The premise of our reform was simple: The status quo must change. We kept our commitment to current employees but changed the rules for new hires.
Related posts:
T-Paw's budget a model for success
T-Paw on runaway Washington spending and the 2010 elections
T-Paw proposes Minnesota teachers reapply for tenure every five years
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