Why I Am a Fiscal Conservative

Editor's Note: This is an opinion piece and part of our "Local Voices" initiative. To write for Local Voices, e-mail lynn.jusinski@patch.com and I can get you started.

Who, me? Really. Absolutely. I am all for a balanced budget. 

And that is why I believe the only responsible policy is absolute health care reform that will be self-funding. How? First, we must resolve ourselves to the reality of a national health care system. And we must accept the need for federal guidelines on wages for all public sector employees, including teachers, police, firefighters, doctors, nurses, hospital staff and technicians, and most importantly, congressional members and their staff.

That’s right, let’s use the same pay scale, based upon education, experience and performance for all public employees. I’d also add a phase out for anyone with a certain amount of passive income. They would opt out of all publicly-funded pensions, and receive nominal compensation, based upon the amount of annual passive income they receive.

Second, a national health care tax. Simple changes to our current Social Security funding mechanism will allow us to fully fund social security, health care and education. First, raise the wage base to $5,000,000, or do away with the wage base altogether. This has the added benefit of taking away the tax welfare incentive for excessive executive compensation. 

We create the Social Security, Health and Education fund, establishing an endowment that will self-fund the administrative costs, and allow for cost increases over time. The fund will not be managed by an investment bank per se, but by a private non-profit that will invest the funds and manage returns in the public interest.

Third, we will ensure the balanced budget is resolved by utilizing current tax law and not by establishing any new taxes. First, we will limit tax deductions for executive compensation and benefits to the federal pay mandated above. Next, we will limit tax deductions for travel and entertainment to federal per diem.

Last, each of us must resolve to contribute not only financially via taxes, but intellectually to our political system. We must fight to add Civics, Ethics, Government, Economics and Public Policy classes as requirements at every level of education. We need to ensure participation in our democratic process by addressing low voter turnout and working to increase the number of voters at every level. 

In order to protect our civil rights and constitutionally mandated second amendment rights, we need to ensure adherence to the spirit of the law, and ensure the right to bear arms is equated with an educated and registered “militia."

There is not a dichotomy in my stance as a socially liberal progressive fiscal conservative feminist. So go ahead, call me a fiscal conservative. I welcome it.