Balancing the Budget — By John Reed

Balancing the Budget
Most of us have a monthly routine, paying bills on or near the first of each month. And there’s always the hope that there’s more money coming in than going out, which is discovered when we balance our checkbook at the end of the month.
While I know many people who do all their banking and bill paying online, people of a certain age still do things the old-fashioned way with checks and stamps and envelopes. I get kidded a lot for not moving with modern times, but then again, I’ve never had my bank account hacked. Technology does not always make life easier.
Balancing the checkbook provides a good metaphor for other areas, besides finance. For example, there is far more interest by the media, as well as the general public in what goes on in school sports compared to academics. Some team wins a game or championship and it’s the talk of the town and front page news. A similar show of excellence by the academic quiz bowl team, the literary participants, or the band garners little attention, if any.
This imbalance continues even after high school. Some kid gets a college scholarship because he can do something fancy with a ball, and we follow his career for years. Only crickets chirping for the dozens of doctors, teachers, musicians and other non-sports people we’ve graduated over the years.
The metaphor works equally well in politics. Most reasonable people can find good ideas from both the left and right sides of the spectrum. Unfortunately, hotheads on both sides have hijacked the discussions. On top of that, many can’t make a difference between personalities and issues.
Many of the Trump administration‘s policies were good for the country, but his detractors can only see his paranoia and narcissism. The Biden administration‘s infrastructure bill was long overdue and greatly needed. But many of us will only see the doddering and confused old man at the top.
The NNN’s will doubtless spill a few gallons of ink in rebuttal next week, but the optimist in me continues to look for common ground. In fact, here’s a good campaign, slogan for somebody to run on:
“We can do better.”