Will tough decisions about the budget get made?
So “agnostic definition” is something the Google searchers wants to know today. My guess is that it doesn’t have all that much to do with religion, which is typically how the word is applied. It has a few others uses, however. Courtesy of the New York Times‘ “Word of the Day,” here’s a snapshot:
agnostic •ag-’näs-tik, əg-• noun and adjective
noun: someone who is doubtful or noncommittal about something
noun: a person who claims that they cannot have true knowledge about the existence of God (but does not deny that God might exist)
adjective: of or pertaining to an agnostic or agnosticism
adjective: uncertain of all claims to knowledge
The Obama budget: endless cash loan or lesson in vocabulary?
The Swamp recently ran an article with the headline “Obama ‘agnostic’ about deficit solutions.” Getting the tremendous federal deficit under control could easily lead to higher taxes for the middle class, but Obama has vowed not to do this. Instead of committing to one particular idea or strategy, he’s staying “agnostic” and waiting for an idea.
No taxes, no cuts?
Obama told the press we can’t simply “cut our way out of this problem.” A combination of tax spurts and cuts on Social Security and Medicare may be the road Obama travels, but he gave Bloomberg no definite indication. Again, he’s remaining “agnostic,” as politicians are wont to do when the cameras are running.
Do anything but commit
I understand political gamesmanship. I also understand that repairing something as large as our national debt is a tremendously complex task. The budget Obama proposed cuts it to $ 1.267 trillion, improving on the $ 1.56 projection, but he’s looking at $ 727 billion by 2013! Remaining agnostic won’t get you very far, as tough decisions will have to be made right away to meet a 2013 deadline. The recession has made things harder, and people are harder up for cash loans than in a while. Decide, and stick to it.
