The latest budget agreement has been announced in Washington with the usual mixture of hyperbole, distortion and lack of detail. A national celebration is unwarranted. But Clinton himself appears happy to pass up that chance, postponing any real hope of balancing the federal budget until well after he has left the White House. But when Republicans and Democrats are heaping praise on each other, the public still needs to stay alert. Many average Americans are concerned about the country's enormous debt and unfunded future commitments, but they wonder whether there is anything they can really do about these problems.
Nothing gets the attention of the American people faster than the subject of taxes.
That's understandable because the tax system in this country has been riddled with loopholes and infested with favoritism. Although many people resist the idea, there is no escaping the need for fundamental reform of the federal entitlement programs that send out hundreds of billions of dollars a year to certain segments of the American public. In laying their plans for the coming year, Republican congressional leaders appear to be veering toward the political center. The debates began long before starting time last Saturday as 138 people gathered to try to work out realistic plans to balance the federal budget. As the budget battles continue in Washington, voters have plenty of reasons to be angry and disappointed over the behavior of President Clinton and congressional leaders.