Yesterday, I attended a meeting at which former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich spoke at length. He was extremely impressive. He spoke for over and hour and took questions for about another 20 minutes. He had no notes (and no teleprompter) and yet he spoke clearly, in paragraphs and with great logic. It was easy to see where Newt got his reputation as an idea man. Here is an example: Gingrich discussed unemployment compensation and the issue as to whether or not long term benefits discourage people from seeking work. Gingrich says that studies have shown that most people do not look for work until about 4 weeks remain on their benefits. In the interim, they are happy to collect the benefits and not work. gingrich says he was struck by a recent decision in Georgia to close state parks since there was no funding to pay for park employees. His suggestion: those who are unemployed get benefits for 4 weeks while they look for work. After that, benefits continue but only on the condition that the recipient either works or studies for three days each week. Such people could easily man the parks and allow them to stay open. Many other jos could also be accomplished. In many respects, this idea mirrors the very successful welfare reform passed by the Republicans in the 1990's and signed by Clinton into law.
Gingrich also discussed the need for a philosophy in Washington that was both pro-growth and anti spending. Job creation would not only increase government revenues, but it would also cut government spending. The combination would go a long way towards balancing the budget.
The speech was simulcast on the internet. My understanding is that it can be seen at www.americansolutions.com
No comments:
Post a Comment