Complacency About National Debt Criticized

There is an “unwarranted sense of complacency” about the federal debt in Washington even as it approaches $19 trillion, according to an op-ed by two prominent New Hampshire residents.

“Ignoring the nation’s growing debt burden has become a bipartisan pastime,” write John Broderick, a former chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court, and John Tinios, an entrepreneur. Both were on the host committee for a Portsmouth forum whose co-sponsors included First Budget, a joint project of The Concord Coalition and Fix the Debt. The forum was part of the Community College System of New Hampshire’s “Granite State Conversation” series.

The op-ed notes that presidential candidates “have been promising voters trillions of dollars in tax cuts, expanded government benefits and other new spending – often with few credible plans on how to pay for these promises.”

But soon after the next administration takes office, the op-ed argues, “Washington must pursue sweeping reforms to prevent a ballooning debt, repair critically important programs like Social Security and Medicare, fix the inefficient tax system and ensure a vibrant American economy in the coming decade and beyond.”

External links:
Nashua Telegraph Op-Ed Link
Fosters.com Op-Ed Link