If there's any part of the It's Time to Pay Our Bills [0] report released today that deserves to be printed out and stuck on a politician's refrigerator, it's the six steps leaders can take to build public support for budget reform. Sure, there are politicians out there that "get it" when it comes to the long-term fiscal challenge we're facing. But many in politics have no faith in the public's ability to understand, care or make tough choices on the budget. In fact, the research shows there's a real opening to build public support on this issue, if political leaders are willing to take it. True, the national debt and the aging of the baby boomers isn't the first concern of most people, but research shows people grasp the problem quickly once it's explained. They're willing to listen and waiting for someone to step up and lead.
It's worth reading the full report [1] (it's only 18 pages) but the six points are:
- Start speaking more frankly. People are actually relieved to hear frank discussions on this.
- Stop compartmentalizing the discussion. People respond when a discussion ties spending to revenues, tax cuts to spending and everything else is linked to our enormous debt.
- Prove you're serious about making fair decisions for the national good. Shoring up public confidence in how decisions are made is critical.
- Prove to the public that you understand how hard people work for their money and that their taxes are well spent. To people in Washington, earmarks and pork-barrel spending may not be the problem, but Americans want these cleaned up before they reach into their own pockets.
- Don't expect people to become budget experts. The research shows people can grasp the essentials with just a few budget facts. Waiting until people know all the details of fiscal policy is just an excuse for inaction.
- Bipartisan and fair-minded leaders, step forward. The Facing Up research asked people to consider a range of options for solving the problem, including conservative, liberal and middle-of-the-road alternatives. People really want constructive dialogue on this -- and they can handle it.
Any takers?