The US budget and Latin America

Everyone agrees, I think, that our federal government has budget problems. It borrows more than it can repay and spends more than it can take in. So changes are obviously needed and there are about a million people out there who are sure they have just the remedy. I’m not one of them.

But after reading various perspectives, including a piece today by Lisa Haugaard of the DC-based Latin America Working Group on the significant impact that proposed budget cuts would have on Latin America, I do think the whole budget issue warrants some level-headed thought. Spending and borrowing beyond our means is not smart, and is in fact quite dangerous in the long term. But making deep cuts to all foreign spending except military and security “aid� isn’t the answer either. As Haugaard writes:

Is the United States really more secure if its neighbors view it as narrowly interested only in its own security? Do we want our nation's reputation to be more about guns and less about helping to fight diseases and recover from natural disasters? Do we win good will and allies by being perceived as selfish?

Michael Gerson, former Bush speechwriter and conservative columnist for the Washington Post, wrote an important column last week, defending smart aid (health initiatives in Africa especially). He correctly points out that some of the best health initiatives originated with the Republicans themselves:

So, do these cuts symbolize the Republican rejection of fuzzy-headed liberalism? Actually, the main initiatives on malaria and AIDS were created under Republican leadership. They emphasize measured outcomes and accountability. If the goal of House Republicans is to squander the Republican legacy on global health, they are succeeding.

As I said earlier, I’m not sure what the answers are. Our escalating deficit has its consequences, but indiscriminately slashing the budget will have consequences too. We should consider the impact these decisions will have on our hemispheric neighbors one way or another. Quite frankly, any workable solution will require compromise, something neither party seems particularly interested in right now.

If you’re still not convinced this is a messy issue, feel free to balance the budget for yourself.

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