July 25, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "Americans want change, but only if it doesn’t threaten their favorite programs," asserts Lee Hamilton. In a newspaper op-ed, the veteran statesman and 1952 graduate of DePauw University cites a recent Pew Research Center poll, which found that most Americans realize Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are in need of substantial reform, however, "an even stronger majority wants the programs’ benefits to be left alone."
Hamilton, a Democrat who served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, adds, "Members of Congress often hear the same on the deficit: Constituents demand action, but they don’t want Medicare or Social Security touched."
He writes, "Now, let’s
say you’re a member of Congress trying to tackle the deficit. You’ve spent time looking into the matter, so you know a few things: You know that most Americans believe we can reduce the deficit by taking steps like cutting foreign aid, even though in reality foreign aid accounts for just 0.6 percent of the budget. You know that most Americans don’t want tax increases, but you also know that the only way to make major progress on the deficit is to find new revenues and to tackle entitlements. What do you do? You do what lawmakers have been doing for years when confronted by voters’ contradictory impulses: You give your constituents most of what they want (after all, you want to get re-elected), and you hope somehow it will all work out. And if Washington ties itself in knots trying to untangle the American people’s competing and contradictory messages, you sympathize with voters who express outrage at the mess on Capitol Hill, even as you privately shake your head that your constituents’ demands hand you the impossible task of providing more with less." (above right: Hamilton with DePauw student journalists)
According to Hamilton, "Legislators are constantly fielding demands for government action, each defensible on its own, that when taken together add up to an out-of-control budget. But I think that we, as citizens, can help lawmakers get to a fiscally responsible result. How? By recognizing the impossible task we have given them and taking on some of the burden ourselves."
Citizens must "learn to look at the big picture, to understand that cutting the deficit demands hard decisions and difficult tradeoffs, and that even some of our most desired programs need to be reconsidered," he opines. "As for legislators, they need to get past being cynical about the American people, believing that we can’t tolerate bad news and that we turn a deaf ear to complexity. In my experience, when you present people with a reasonable argument -- for instance, you can’t make meaningful progress on the deficit without addressing entitlement programs and the need for more tax revenues -- most of them appreciate what you’re trying to do. Lawmakers need to treat their constituents more like adults, not always agree to their requests."
In conclusion, Hamilton declares, "If both sides -- legislators and citizens -- do their parts, maybe we can make the impossible task manageable."
Access the complete essay in California's Turlock Journal.
Lee H. Hamilton, who co-chaired both the 9/11 Commission and Iraq Study Group, is the recipient of the Churchill Award for Statesmanship, the Eisenhower Medal for exceptional leadership, and the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute Freedom From Fear Award, among many other honors. He returned to DePauw on March 15 to address "The U.S. Role in the World After Afghanistan and Iraq" in a Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture. A summary including video clips can be accessed here.
The man called "Mr. Integrity" by Newsweek was president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., until late last year, and continues as director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University.