Don’t ignore perils of public sector cuts

There’s a menacing edge to this push for austerity that should concern people. Too many present it as the silver bullet to the monster that is our economic crisis. State and federal budget shortfalls, persistent high unemployment, stagnant wages — just cut public sector spending to the bone and everything will be just fine.

There are two big problems with this. First, businesses need clients. Contrary to what The Wall Street Journal might tell you, public employees are people, too. Shocking, I know. Over the last few decades we basically engineered the American economy to be consumer based, so when people lose their jobs and stop spending in large numbers — as happens when we dismantle large portions of our work force with nothing to fill the void — we all suffer. Whether this was wise is not the point. This is how it is now, and we ignore it at our peril.

Second, it deflects from the real issue. It’s an appeal to emotion: You’re suffering, and so should they. Except public employees didn’t decide your job should be phased out or shipped overseas. The Fed didn’t keep your wages down while pressuring you to work harder and with less help. But it makes a convenient scapegoat for the people who did, people who also seem to be doing just fine. Funny how nobody asks them to sacrifice.

Don’t take my word for it. Go ahead, cut everything you can, sacrifice the Fed on the altar of market capitalism. Just don’t be too terribly surprised if your job stays gone, or your boss keeps turning the screws because sales are still sluggish.

John Boske Jr.

Bartlett