Recently the Denver Post’s banner headline shouted “Colo. crisis worst since Depression”. In the same edition the mayor of Denver was also bemoaning their budgetary situation.
Similar headlines about state, federal and local government fill newspapers across the country. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, our state’s original 2010 budget shortfall was $1.4 billion, but we are pikers compared to the big dogs like California, just under $54 billion – almost 60 percent of their entire annual budget! – and New York at $19 billion, 32 percent of theirs.
But as a good management consultant, one has to constantly analyze the “what ifs” of every action. Yes, the state, federal, and local government’s budget problems are severe but what would the present situation be today, if we had followed their advice in the recent past?
Just a few months ago Governor Ritter, Mayor Hickenlooper, and many legislators were touting this or that wondrous bill – totally hundreds of millions of dollars in new proposed spending.
Luckily only a few of these monstrosities made it to law. But not because the attempt wasn’t made. Now only months later we are in a budgetary crisis that is coming close to the Great Depression! We should listen to these people in the future?!
The city of Denver, Colo., every other state in the nation, and the federal government would all be in much worse economic condition if the very desires of these political “leaders” had come to fruition.
Don’t these people have to answer for this? Certainly the mainstream media could find the time to spend a little time in reporting this? For holding people’s feet to the fire? For simply reporting the factual truth.
What if as your longtime management consultant, my response to your present difficult business situation was: “yeah, I know things are bad.. but on a positive note think how much worse things would be if you had followed my advice and implemented my proposals ”
Would you ever hire me again? Or how about the same answer from a military leader? Or the General Manager of your business? Or your doctor or teacher or the list is long.
In fact is there anyone you would accept this answer from and still voluntarily do business with them? Then why oh why do we think it is acceptable to allow the same from our political “leaders.”
I don’t care whether these individual’s political affiliation is Republican or Democrat, if the above quote captures the reality of their actions, why should we ever allow them near the levers of power again?
The world doesn’t start anew each and every day just because one is a politician. Ask yourself why do you have to live with the actual results of your decisions, many times from years in the past, while the media gives politicians a completely free pass on things they proposed only a few months ago?
Look back at your politician’s proposals and desires. Where would the various budget crises be if their desires had been implemented? In almost all cases the budget shortfalls would be much, much worse.
In fact at all levels of government if most of these proposals had been implemented, the headlines would instead read “National financial crisis far worse than even the Great Depression”. And we willingly let these same people guide our collective economic futures?! Depressing indeed.
John Conlin is a self-employed management consultant. He lives in Littleton. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
