BACK • 
Hail to the Chief!
O.K., finally we're where we're supposed to be. That is, finally we've had an election, we've had an inauguration and we do in fact have a 43rd President of the United States. That some people are not satisfied with how the whole thing turned out is unfortunate, but that's life. In the meantime, I fear there are some people dumb enough to hope the Bush administration fails. That somehow, the current slow-down is bungled into a recession, that nothing gets done in Washington, and that the next four years will be enough to send George W. packing in 2004. Well, my question to all of them is the obvious one; "How dumb can you be?!" This is not about partisanship, but about the good of the United States of America. It is about your own personal welfare, whether you're in business or retired, young or old, male or female. I would think we would all be mature enough to say, "O.K. George, you beat him fair and square," or (depending on your point of view), "You're now our man, and please lead us well and wisely."
To that end, what will we see from this new administration? My guess is, more than a lot of people expect. Apparently they are going to try to put a few deals together with the Democrats on issues that have broad appeal. The education proposal is at the top of the list, and includes more money for education plus some revamping. What must be remembered about education is, of course, that it is chiefly a local issue. The federal government only supplies about 10% of the overall school money in this country, so, as it's always been, it's up to you and me to force our schools into pursuing further excellence.
Apparently, the next thing out of the box will be the President's 1.3 billion dollar tax cut proposals, and how times have changed! Just a few months ago, a proposal of that size would have had little or no chance in Congress, but with each passing day, as the economy gets stickier and stickier, such proposals have an increased chance for success. Within that overall proposal there are easier and harder parts. Certainly, doing away with the marriage penalty and elimination of estate taxes are on the easier end-both issues were passed overwhelmingly by the House last year, but got bogged down by yearend politics. Beyond that, tax cuts for an increasing number of Americans is gaining popularity quickly. Many will make the case that the tax cuts will not do that much to prop up a slumping economy, and they are, at least in part, correct. However, those cuts, plus some overall long-term modifications in the tax code can be of immeasurable value down the road.
Just in case you don't think we're overtaxed, by the way, since WWII, taxes, as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, have averaged between 16% and 17%. Currently taxes, as a percentage of our Gross Domestic Product, are in the 21% to 22% area. On a historical basis, we are experiencing significantly higher taxes-about 1/3 higher-and that will and should be addressed.
* * * Elsewhere, but in a related matter, and something you certainly won't hear or read about in most of the nation's media: Remember those 10,600 previously uncounted ballots down in Miami-Dade County, the ones that Al Gore was looking to pick up 600 votes in a recount that would have given him the election? Well, guess what? According to the Palm Beach Post, if all the dimpled and hanging chads on those contested ballots had been included in the total votes, President Bush would have gained 251 votes, and Al Gore would have gained 245 votes. The newspaper said its review also showed that the vast majority of ballots rejected were correctly rejected because there was no clear punch for any presidential candidate. You can be sure that had Al Gore picked up 100s of votes in the recount, it would have been the lead story on every major radio and television station, plus all the nation's newspapers. But because, at least in this case, it didn't turn out that way, it isn't being widely reported.
(Tom Butenhoff is a First Vice President with J. E. Liss and Company, Inc.
in Milwaukee. The views are his, and not necessarily those of Liss
Financial Services or the Job Connection/Hiring
Network.)