With growing frustration over Washington’s refusal to act in the public interest, it may be worth paying attention to the drastic solution tried by the Irish.
Last Friday, Irish voters cast their ballots in a referendum to abolish the upper house, known as the Seanad. Prime Minister Enda Kenny has said Ireland does not need all its politicians and they should be made to suffer along with everyone else as the country continues to struggle with economic difficulties.
The proposal to abolish the Seanad was defeated by only 42,500 votes out of over 1,226,000 cast (51.8% to 48.2%).
While many Americans would like to dissolve Congress, that’s unlikely to happen unless voters take a page from the Declaration of Independence and “form a new government,” so another approach by Republican governors aimed at breaking the cycle of systemic inefficiency in Washington could work.
The Republican Governors Association (RGA) produced a video (www.rga.org/americancomeback) in which five Republican governors highlight successes in their states. Given the dysfunction in Washington, the video offers some compelling reasons why people should turn their backs on the nation’s capital and start looking to countries that have managed to solve many of the problems that Washington refuses to solve. Featured Republican governors include:
Bobby Jindal (Louisiana) wants you to know that his state’s GDP has grown by $36 billion since 2008, almost twice the national rate. This ranks Louisiana eighth in the nation and third in the South. According to Jindal, other categories in which Louisiana has succeeded while Washington accumulates debt include: unemployment (below the national average after adding novel jobs); personal income per capita (up over $3,600 since 2008); Charter schools – Jindal says his state has become a “national leader” in charter schools, with 80 percent of New Orleans students attending.
John Kasich (Ohio) made up an $8 billion shortfall without raising taxes and cut taxes by $3 billion. He eliminated the “death tax,” modernized Medicaid, eliminated the bureaucratic Department of Development, and created a private, nonprofit corporation – JobsOhio – to “meet the needs of job creators at their pace, not ‘at the speed of the law.’ ”
Susana Martinez (New Mexico) increased funding for education and Medicaid without raising taxes; worked with the Democratic Legislature to pass a New Mexico jobs package that lowered the corporate tax rate from 7.6% to 5.9%; three years ago, the state moved from 38th in the nation in export growth to first place today; transformed the structural deficit into a surplus and implemented comprehensive tax reform.
Nikki Haley (South Carolina) pushed diminutive business tax reform, which she says has resulted in the fastest-growing manufacturing sector on South Carolina’s East Coast and the creation of 38,000 novel jobs, driving $9 billion in novel investment.
Scott Walker (Wisconsin) reversed an inherited $3.6 billion deficit and turned it into a surplus. He provided nearly $1 billion in tax breaks for families and businesses, resulting in two years of job growth that he says is the best in the state under any governor in 10 years. Oh, and those “controversial” union reforms that sparked demonstrations in the state capitol two years ago? Governor Walker says these reforms have saved the state over $2 billion.
You can see more in the video.
The “American Comeback” campaign should appeal to those who long for an economically, politically and culturally vigorous America that we do not have under Obama. It’s not that we don’t know how to solve problems; it’s that too many politicians in Washington refuse to address them, preferring instead to lobby for positions of power and curry favor with special interest groups that hand them money, stroke their egos, and promise them votes on Election Day.
The real problem-solving happens in Republican-led states. If you’re tired of arguing, turn your back on dysfunctional Washington, follow their example, and emulate their successes.
Washington may then be forced to take notice. Republican governors could even teach Ireland a thing or two.
