A-B-C

Squirrel jumping from a black fence to a tree. No thinking, just acting. Instinctual.

Like the way I play pool. It works a lot - hitting balls hard, instinctually. Not always though. I need some new tricks - to know how to hit it slow and local sometimes.

Just like federal budget policy. There are emergencies that require immediate action. Like a massive stimulus to keep schools open and fires fought. You can't let the economy and society-as-we-know-it crater.

But then there are times for thought, to carefully plan out those slow shots.

The real problem is knowing which is which.

The Republicans say - massive cuts now! The Democrats say - surgical piecemeal cuts and invest in infrastructure now!

I think we should take an ABC approach. Activity based costing looks at each widget produced and what costs go into it - materials, labor, also overhead of the factory - the heat, the lights, the accountants and lawyers and PR people. From widget #1 to widget #n.

So lets look at federal dollars spent - where they come from (you and me!) and what they are spent on.

Lets have intelligent policy discussions so we can keep from lurching from one extreme (massive stimulus or the sky will fall!) to the other (massive cuts or the sky will fall!). I honestly don't know if we Americans can do that, tending to be people of action. Lets pretend we are an international body like the UN, and have to hear all voices.

Lets get down to reality, ABC, and stop painting with words.
p.s. A tribute to Michael Jackson: www.absolutelyrics.com/lyrics/view/michael_jackson/abc