THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 17, 1996 TAG: 9601170362
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY YOUNG, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: CONCORD, N.H. LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
The two-minute warning had been given. There was not enough time for patience or subtleties. Something had to be cut: Would it be defense or entitlements?
``We kept all your guys' stuff, now come on,'' Debra Hagberg, a 40-year-old bookkeeper said to a recalcitrant Mark Sullivan, a 41-year-old construction worker.
Sullivan could not believe his ears. ``Oh come on, you cut almost everything!''
At the next table over, John Scott, a 50-year-old engineer, did some quick calculations, then slumped in his chair.
``Well, we're balanced,'' said Scott to his group. ``But we're increasing taxes by $407 billion.''
The 21 residents had gathered here to be members of Congress for the day and do what needed to be done to balance the budget.
They shared a willingness to engage in open deliberation over the unwieldy federal budget, which has so far gotten the best of Washington legislators and President Clinton. A day later, they discovered that at least one GOP candidate, Lamar Alexander, balked at the idea of spelling out what he'd do to balance the budget.
Republican candidates know that a primary win here next month is crucial to gain their party's nomination. They know they ignore New Hampshire's citizens at their political peril.
Making sure that the citizens who will be making such an important choice for the nation are as well-informed as possible is a goal of The Concord Coalition, which developed the DebtBusters 2002 game the New Hampshire citizens played. The coalition is a nonpartisan group with chapters in all 50 states whose goal is to push for a balanced budget and eliminate the federal debt.
The game is meant to mirror both the process and the issues - including actual budget numbers - being faced by federal legislators. The residents were brought together by New Hampshire Voters' Voice, a media election partnership.
Cheryl Bourassa, a history teacher at Concord High School, decided that the best final exam for her junior and senior economics students would be to balance the federal budget. Her students were up to the challenge, but, like the residents earlier in the week, they were by no means in agreement over their priorities.
``You need to cut out corporate welfare, tax breaks and subsidies (for big business),'' said Dan Tobin, 18.
``If you don't have those, then you'll have unemployment,'' said Jesse Payne, 17.
Amy Currie, 18, questioned the need for a balanced budget in the first place.
``I'm going to do the best I can to balance the budget, but I'm not going to cut things we need just to have it be balanced,'' said Currie.
At another Concord Coalition event, Alexander said that he balanced budgets as governor of Tennessee and reduced the state debt six out of eight years - apparently in the hope that the group would accept his past as evidence enough of what he would do as president.
They didn't.
Alexander was asked questions about what he would do about Social Security. He said that he would discuss the issue after he was elected.
When pressed by Concord Coalition's Brian Keane, Alexander repeated that position. Keane wasn't satisfied.
``If you'll tell me you'll means test Social Security, I'll vote for you,'' Keane said.
``I can't tell you that, so vote for someone else,'' snapped Alexander, who then paused and said to Keane that if people ``press candidates to take positions . . . they'll expect you to keep that commitment.''
``The tragedy is I like the guy,'' said Keane, who expected to be won over by Alexander. ``I just can't see running for president and not having a plan.''
The citizens in the Voters' Voice group would have been somewhat sympathetic to Alexander's plight of trying to win the election while being forthright about sacrifices. The three groups of seven who came up with their balanced budgets all did so by raising taxes - something that would be a tough sell in a state known as being ``tax-a-phobic.''
Carole Weiner, a 63-year-old homemaker, said that she would introduce her group's budget proposal to voters simply by saying, ``I'm not going to run again.''
For Jon Rudolph, an 18-year-old senior in Bourassa's class who will be voting for the first time in the primary, it's even more important that legislators be candid about their positions.
``There are a lot of people, myself included, who are cynical,'' Rudolph said.
``I'm going to vote . . . but I feel like it's picking the lesser of two evils, the best of the losers. It would be different if there were regular people running; there'd be some incentive to make some sort of connection with them instead of someone off in a lofty place . . . They should have to say what they would do.'' by CNB