The 2011 Budget Battle - "It's Only a Few Billion Dollars"

Well my friends, I find myself a little torn on this one. Here is the dilemma. Should the House have insisted on the entire one hundred billion and shut down the government if necessary, or compromised to get things moving?

On one hand I find myself ready to buy into the argument about how important it is to strive towards great goals while keeping in mind that usually compromise is a key component of all negotiations. I certainly remember how furious I was just a short time ago when the Dem's controlled the White House and both houses of Congress and they crammed Obamacare down our throats. They did not offer an ounce of compromise and it was quite literally infuriating. I think I even remember Obama saying things like, well we won and you lost so this is how it's going to be. (I deliberately left off the quotation marks as I am paraphrasing, my memory not being what is used to be). So now that we conservatives have regained some power in Washington do we go with the "payback is a bitch" route or the "do unto others" route? I have been a businessman for many years and negotiated all sorts of deals. I have always thought that if any one party involved in the negotiations is one hundred percent (100%) pleased with the deal, then the other party got stiffed.

On the other hand how about we simply forget about the numbers for the time being and look elsewhere. In truth it is only a measly few billion dollars and will honestly not have any impact on our budget. How about instead of money we concentrate on silly outdated things like principals and keeping our word. I am going to keep this very simple as no "fluff" is necessary to make this point. If you state you are going to seek a cut of one hundred billion dollars and will not back down or settle for less, then don't! How in the world do you expect to be taken seriously in the upcoming battle over trillions of dollars when you cave on billions of dollars. Stand on your principals!

Okay, so there it is. Two very different approaches to the same problem. Frankly neither approach is unreasonable, so which way do you go? For me the answer while not simple, it is clear. If I give you my word on something you can count on what I tell you! I might later regret making the commitment but I will keep it.

Thank you and God bless, Doug Lang