Many of you have heard about the documentary movie I.O.U.S.A. For this blog post, I would like to borrow just the first three letters of this catchy title as I thank the wonderful Concord Coalition volunteers of the Midwest: I.O.U.

Although the report doesn’t speculate on the size of the potential cost savings that could be obtained from some of the reform proposals (most of which are not terribly comprehensive or economically “bold”–although elimination of the employer-provided health care tax exclusion would surely be politically “bold”), I found the discussion on pages 118-119 of the health care chapter most interesting:

A few weeks back we had our annual Economic Patriot Award Dinner, and among the short list of speakers (which included award recipient New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg) was Yoni Gruskin, Executive Director of the youth advocacy group, Concerned Youth of America (CYA). A sophomore from The University of Pennsylvania, he gave an inspired and inspiring address that spoke to the timelessness of partiotism and an honest sense of American stewardship shared across generations. 

Executive Director Bob Bixby has a timely (in light of today's Congressional hearings) Op-Ed in this morning's Washington Post that analogizes congressional pressure on the big three automakers to come up with a sustainable, long-term business model, to the pressure that should be put on Congress to come up with a similarly forward-looking plan for the federal budget.

Congress has been developing a stimulus plan in recent weeks which it hopes will provide a much needed boost to the ailing economy. There has been a tendency to pin those supporting a large stimulus plan against those individuals deemed to be “deficits hawks.”

One of my tasks here at Concord as the Youth Outreach Director is to help design our website. Because of this, I am always looking for new ways to present our message and I pay close attention when Concord's message appears in the many different media publications our staff has the fortune of being featured and interviewed in. Readers can normally keep up-to-date on these appearances at our "Concord in the News" page for traditional print articles or by clicking on the "Video and Audio" section of that page for multimedia.

Even though my job as Policy Director means I spend a fair amount of time sitting at my desk and staring at my computer, I also get to play "in the field" giving chart talks or running budget exercises.

In the movie I.O.U.S.A., Warren Buffett affectionately labeled China “Thriftsville” in his parable about the dangers of the United States over-consuming and relying on foreign production and lending. The movie also introduced us to a young Chinese couple, who met each other while working in a light bulb factory. This couple boasts that "saving money is a Chinese tradition," and they save half of the $20-a-day they earn.

The Concord Coalition congratulates Barack Obama on his victory in the presidential election. As we detailed in a recent issue brief, the challenges he faces are formidable. Let's hope that after a campaign lasting nearly two years, politicians, the public and the media will now turn to the crucial business of governing. On fiscal policy, it will help to suspend partisan preconceptions and focus instead on practical problem solving.

As the children get ready to trick or treat and those of us who are of-age get ready for a night (or weekend) of partying with friends, many Americans will keep to the tradition of telling haunting Halloween stories in the spirit of the holiday. While you may have planned to get a scary movie delivered to you by mail, or have fired up the computer and directed it to your streaming web-video service of choice, I suggest an alternative.