President Clinton and the Republicans in the U.S. Congress should have learned one thing from their standoff last week - Americans are extremely tired of the wrangling and politicking and are ready for behavior that more closely resembles statesmanship.
Both sides so far have failed to live up to a standard their constituents should expect. The Republican Congress tried to tie a boost in Medicare premiums to its original short-term spending proposal. Clinton balked, as he should have. And the impasse continued.The wrangling solved nothing, and 800,000 people were put out of work. The Grand Canyon was closed for the first time ever, infuriating visitors, some of whom had traveled from other parts of the world. The Smithsonian was closed; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was idled.
Employees of the federal government, told their jobs were "non-essential," worried about whether they would be able to pay the rent and buy groceries. Still, each side held out for concessions from the other, all the time knowing that the real decisions would be made after the short-term spending bill was approved.
The opponents argued about philosophy, when the nuts and bolts of the budget bill still have to be assembled into a working machine. The collective sigh of relief when federal workers went back to work Monday will soon turn into hyperventilating as the Dec. 15 expiration date of the temporary spending bill looms.
The budget must be balanced. That is something Americans have known for many years. President Clinton knows it. The Democrats and Republicans in Congress know it. It's time for the political posturing to end and for elected representatives to get to work on solving their differences.
Unfortunately, the 1996 elections seem to be taking precedence over the welfare of Americans. The budget arguments are sounding too much like campaign speeches. The boasting and claims of victory by both sides after Sunday's agreement did nothing to restore faith in the abilities of this Congress and president to get the job done.
There is work to be done to make the budget cuts as fair and compassionate as they can be. Often the "cuts" are merely reductions in growth, as in the case of Medicare, and Americans should remember that. Tax cuts should also benefit the middle and lower classes, so everyone is paying a fair share.
The two-party system should guarantee some balance in final legislation. The ability to compromise and look beyond petty political differences is what makes the system work. It won't be easy. It will be the most difficult task a Congress has faced in many years, and the results will be far-reaching.
But it's time to put the past where it belongs - in the history books - and go to work - not in an effort to out-politick the other party but to bring about the beginnings of a new economic era. A balanced budget is the starting point.
The coming weeks will furnish a fascinating picture for Americans to watch. The outcome will undoubtedly affect how voters mark their ballots next November, but more importantly, the outcome will decide the economic fate of this country for decades to come.