Show Me the Money

摘要

Listening to the ongoing budget debates in Washington, D.C., these days reminds me of the well-known phrase "show me the money"— uttered (and sometimes shouted) by the two main characters in the 1996 movie, Jerry Maguire. But today's debates over the budget and current economic conditions are starting to reach epic proportions—on Capitol Hill as well as in the media. By the time this column is published, we'll know whether the government closed in 2011. This year's shutdown would be similar to the 1995 government shutdown that resulted from a similar battle over funding. Just a month or two ago, I thought that Congress would pass one or two or even a series of continuing resolutions to keep the government operating at current funding levels or maybe slightly below them. But the latest "read my lips" comment by House Speaker Boehner emphasizing his desire for significant funding cuts both now and later has reversed my earlier optimism.