Mayor Dave is wrong on the facts

Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz argued recently in his blog for more federal stimulus spending. According to the Mayor, "We risk a plunge back into deep recession or worse if our federal government doesn't inject another shot of stimulus into our still anemic economic body."

He goes on further to state that "Most economists seem to be on the side of more stimulus spending," and that "I side with the economists."

The Mayor doesn't cite his source for the claim that "most economists" support more stimulus spending. Surely the source wasn't CNN which ran this headline in April: "Economists: The stimulus didn't help." That article claims that 73% of private sector economists surveyed said that the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act had "no impact" on employment at their companies.

And certainly it wasn't MSNBC which ran the headline last December declaring "Economists see no need for more stimulus," according to "the majority of economists surveyed."

It couldn't have been the Wall Street Journal, which over a year ago was already running headlines such as this: "Few economists favor more stimulus." Forty-three out of fifty-one economists in that survey were against another stimulus package.

And it couldn't have been based on this anti-stimulus ad which ran in newspapers early last year, and to which 250 economists signed onto (including four Nobel laureates).

Which begs the question: Where is the Mayor getting his data from? The mayor claims that it is "only political types" who are arguing against more stimulus, while most economists support increased stimulus. In fact the Mayor has it exactly backwards, and he himself is a case in point: It is the "political types" who are arguing for more stimulus, with the majority of economists holding the opposing viewpoint. This irony would be humorous were not the ramifications so serious.

But the Mayor is very clear about the real reason he supports more stimulus: Because "it is good for local governments" and "will help us do even more infrastructure projects." Bingo.

Don't get me wrong – I am all for government investing in necessary and smart infrastructure projects. But government also needs to prioritize, spend wisely and within its means, and make changes to non-essential budgets to free up money for essential services. The Mayor, it seems, simply wants a federal bailout for local government to preclude the need for making tough necessary decisions – the same decisions that most families and businesses have had to make throughout this recession.

Mayor Dave believes the federal bailout is "good for taxpayers" because it will help keep property taxes down. But is anyone really buying the Mayor's free-lunch theory? Where does the Mayor think federal money comes from, or who will need to pay it back after it is borrowed? The taxpayers of course! But it sure does make the Mayor look better if he can keep property taxes unchanged here, and instead have taxpayers pay the federal government for local government services. The Mayor hopes that such a delinking of service provision from payment will keep taxpayers from noticing that they are still ultimately paying the bill.

Will Madison voters be buying the Mayor's un-cited claims and free-lunch theories when he comes up for re-election next year? I'm not sure, but I'll bet you one thing: The majority of economists won't be.

Independence Day history lesson (six-year old version)

As I tucked her into bed – for the second time, mind you – Stella asked, "What is the Fourth of July for? I mean, on Easter we celebrate Jesus' death, and on Christmas we celebrate Jesus' birth. On Father's day and Mother's day we celebrate... well, everyone knows what that's for. But what is the Fourth of July for?"

And then it occurred to me: I had not discussed this with her yet. An eminently important holiday in our nation's history, one that has utmost meaning and importance for me personally, and I had failed to begin the process of educating her.

Now, asking me what the Fourth of July celebrates is like asking a die-hard Packer fan to explain who Vince Lombardi was. But it was already after 9:00, and chances are I would lose her if I didn't keep it short and sweet, so that's what I did.

I talked to her about Great Britain and tyrannical government, utilizing euphemisms as necessary.

"You don't like it when people tell you what to do, right?" I asked her. "No," came the prompt reply. "Well neither did many of the British people like their government telling them what to do" I explained to her. This would have to suffice for a six-year old, two-hour past bedtime explanation of "tyranny."

"What's government?" she asked. After a short pause, I opted for the simple explanation over the one I give like-minded friends over a few beers at the weekend barbecue. "Government is the group of people who make all the laws and rules we have to follow," I told her, gritting my teeth. "Working in government is what Daddy is running for right now."

I told her how some of the British came over to America to start new lives, but that the British government still continued to "tell them what to do." So they decided to form their own nation and government, and they wrote a letter called "The Declaration of Independence" explaining to the British government what they were doing and why.

"And that is what we celebrate today – Freedom. Freedom to be who we want to be and do what we want to do. The freedom to live our lives by our own values."

My summation filled my heart with that feeling one can only feel when talking about something they hold so dearly.

But was my daughter feeling the same way? Did she understand what I was saying? She must be, I thought – she's a smart girl. Like father like daughter, right?

A moment later I got my answer: "But will the fireworks keep me awake all night?" she queried.

Alas, you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. But let's face it; she is, after all, only six. And the fact is, she (sadly) now knows more about the history behind the holiday than many adult citizens. I had done my fatherly duty, and I had taught. It's a lesson I shall teach again – and again, and again, and again.

It's a lesson that is not taught often enough these days – in our schools, in our homes, or in our government. Fireworks are pretty, and a day off of work is nice. But that only lasts a day, a weekend at most. Freedom lasts a lifetime, even generations – if we have the courage and wisdom to retain it.