By Merrill Matthews Jr., Ph.D.
Dallas, TX – When George W. Bush left Texas for Washington, he took a little of the Old West with him, and I?m not just talking about what?s on his boots. He took some of the language that those of us out here in the West understand. And although Washington folks seem to be picking that language up, I?ll swear if they don?t get it all confused.
Now take President Bush?s tax cuts, for example. The President wants to cut taxes by $1.6 trillion over 10 years. He thinks his plan will stimulate the economy and get it going again. Most of the Senate Democrats and even a few Republicans aren?t so sure. So they want to put a "trigger" on the tax cut that would end it if the economy gets worse. This makes no sense. To us out West, unless you?re talking about Roy Rogers? horse, a trigger is something you squeeze to make a gun work. But it seems that when these senators are referring to the tax cut, a trigger is something you squeeze so it WON?T work.
All I can say is, if the Senate does decide to put a trigger on the tax cut, someone ought to put a safety lock on it before it goes off.
Another thing that?s got me confused is the Social Security lock box. We?re supposed to be able to put the Social Security surplus into something called a lock box in order to keep it safe. But safe from whom? In Texas, a lock box is something you put behind the stagecoach driver so that people can get to their money, but robbers can?t. In Washington, a lock box is a place where they put your money so YOU CAN?T get it, but Congress can.
And then the other day I heard that President Bush and the Democrats were going to have a "showdown" over his budget. Now in a Western-style showdown, the hero has to face a bunch of bad guys out to get him. And you can always tell who?s who because the townspeople will tell the hero he ought to compromise his principles, give up and maybe even high-tail it out of town - just like they did to Gary Cooper, who played Will Kane in the movie "High Noon." In the budget showdown, lots of people are telling President Bush he ought to back down from his campaign promises and give in to the gang of big spenders. So far, he?s refused to budge. If this were one of those old Westerns, the audience would be cheering him on.
Of course, Washington ain?t the Old West. In Washington they cheer you NOT for standing firm behind your principles, but for giving in. That?s what Washington calls courage. Out West, where President Bush and Will Kane came from, we have another name for it.
Dr. Merrill Matthews Jr. is a visiting scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation and Policy Director for the American Conservative Network.