The "Firefighters First" Strategy

I was the chair of the Iowa Senate budget committee during the last economic downturn at the turn of the century (makes me sound old, doesn't it?). Economic downturns mean downturns in governmental revenues, necessitating budget cuts.

Opponents of budget cuts implement a public relations strategy which legislators call the "firefighters first" campaign. Opponents pretend that there are no other efficiencies to be found in government other than to layoff employees who do essential public work--firefighters, police, etc--and cut popular services.

As proven in the defeat of Senate Bill 5 this week in Ohio, it's a very effective strategy. Unions in Ohio threatened cutbacks in the number of firefighters and nurses.

With Veterans Day being commemorated this week, the postal workers union is running a television ad that threatens the lay-off of thousands of veterans if a bill sponsored by U.S. Representative Darrell Issa passes. The postal service--which operates on its own revenues without government funds--is deeply in debt. Issa is proposing budgetary reforms to stave off a government bail-out of the postal service.

Here's the reality: if fiscal reforms don't pass, taxpayers are faced with the same problem that initiated the debate: more money is being spent than is being collected. 

If reform isn't enacted, then layoffs and cutbacks are actually WORSE than under the reforms. Without necessary changes, the only alternative is a tax increase, or in the case of the postal service, a government bail-out.

But voters react more strongly to the message that popular public servants will be fired and safety will be threatened. This messaging is going to go nationwide in the next election, and fiscal conservatives need a better answer.