How to Address the Structural Budget Gap of $2 Billion in Implementing a Chosen Program - Essay Example

Teacher How to address the structural budget gap of $2+billion in implementing a chosen program Many policy makers complain that there is not always enough money to fund the necessary projects that they intend to implement especially when there is a structural budget gap of more than $2 billion. Most surrender to resignation that government programs will always be underfunded and that it will always have shortcomings in one form or another because there is just not enough money. Most would also hesitate to fill this gap by additional taxes because it is unpopular making it tough to implement their chosen program considering that there is an existing structural budget gap of more than $2billion. I too do not agree of taxing the average American at this point in time but it does not mean that we should just submit to resignation just because government is short of money of some budget gap of $2 billion. Government does not always have enough money to fund all its programs and it is up to us to find ways to make our chosen program to work. I say it is not the lack of money but rather lack of creativity and initiative on the part of policy makers that programs do not get implemented. It is a given that government will be financially hard up to finance any programs today. If you happen to watch the TV and hear the news these past few weeks, you will be well aware of the government shutdown. I think you know that the bottom line of the shutdown was the debacle between Republican and Democrats about Obamacare and how to fund it. This just show how much money is becoming scarcer these days that we are willing to shut down government for our fear to overspend because money are now getting scarcer these days particularly in the government. I will not be taking about Obamacare however. I will talk about ways on how to raise money without raising taxes to fund a government program. In particular, my own program of improving the quality of our environment by reducing our Carbon dioxide emission of which money and resources plays key part in making the program effective. So how do I raise fund for improving the quality of our educational system? Device and burden you with new tax? Ask money from the national government? Adding any new taxes at this point in time would be extremely unpopular and impractical as well. Asking money from the national government is very uncertain knowing that there are just too many agencies and program chasing for additional funding from the national government. In addition, that kind of funding is also not sustainable. Assuming I can get funding next year, I will not still be sure if I can get funding the year after that and the succeeding years. Funding for environment requires a long-term commitment in terms of funding and commitment. To be able to be effective in improving the quality of our environment, it should be a sustained effort and not just a one- time effort that is subject to availability of funds. There is already a law that covered partly this kind of initiative. It is the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act which encourage the production of clean renewable energy fuels, to increase the efficiency of products, buildings and vehicles that would have the ultimate objective of reducing the greenhouse effect (Ross). This law has been in effect since 2008 and obviously, it is not enough considering that global warming and the quality of our environment still continue to deteriorate. I propose two approaches how to raise funds for my environment improvement program without asking money from the national government. By merely exercising the legislative and executive power of the governor, I can provide a sustainable environmental program that does not burden the common taxpayer and national government. I am proposing a public and private partnership. This is a doable approach since environment is a universal concern. All of us breathe the same air and live in the same planet so improving and taking care of it should not be just a concern of the government but by everybody. Public private partnership as what the title implies, it is a partnership between the private sector and government about certain projects. This concept is no longer new as this has already been used by cash-strapped states during the recession to fund expensive projects such building highways through a partnership with the private sector (Povich). This kind of set up with the private sector can be extended to other projects as well such as environment care. This can be done by engaging the private sector to invest in environmentally saving enterprise through the incentive of tax breaks. No, I am not giving away money I am just encouraging businesses to put up expensive environmental facilities such as recycling centers and in return, government will provide them discount with the taxes that they will pay. This will unburden the government the extensive cost acquiring machine, personnel and know-how to run recycling centers. Plus, the government stand to earn from the private venture because taxes are only discounted and not totally free. In this set-up, the project materialized without any funding from the government and instead, it even earned revenues from it. It is an absolute win-win solution. Second is to use the state police power to make companies that are polluters to comply with environmental laws. This can be done by slapping companies that pollute with heavy fines and these fines can be used to fund other environmental concern projects. All this takes to be done is a state resolution of penalizing environmental law breakers. All I have to do is just to apply the law strictly. If all companies will comply, it is worth foregoing the fines from them because it meant that the environment is not being aggravated. This is to illustrate that funding is not an excuse for an important project to take off. True - money, resources and funding are essentials to make any projects to materialize but it is not everything. Initiative, creativity and the will to make the project work is equally if not more important than money because through it, we can find ways on how to raise money. In short, lack of resources is not an excuse not to take care of our environment. If we want it, there is always a way. Works Cited "EPA Proposes Rollback in Renewable Fuel Mandate." CSG Knowledge Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. . "The Pew Charitable Trusts." The Pew Charitable Trusts. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. . "The Pew Charitable Trusts." The Pew Charitable Trusts. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. . United States of America, One Hundred Tenth Congress of the United States of America. "—ENERGY SECURITY THROUGH IMPROVED VEHICLE FUEL ECONOMY ." —ENERGY SECURITY THROUGH IMPROVED VEHICLE FUEL ECONOMY . N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. . Read More