Read. Think. Act.

Catherine Read

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Fairfax County Parks through an Equity Lens

(May 15, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Jennifer Pradas and Chris Ambrose to discuss the fate of two Fairfax County Parks that are in peril of being redeveloped. Pradas and Ambrose are community activists who are working to preserve green space in their neighborhoods. They encourage the Fairfax County Park Authority to look at the protection of these parks through an equity lens. The One Fairfax policy was implemented to ensure that all neighborhoods throughout Fairfax County, no matter the zip code, are treated equally.

Jennifer Pradas is the founder and organizer of Save Blake Lane Park in the Providence District of Fairfax County. As the population in her neighborhood has grown over the years, overcrowding has ensued in the schools.  This has prompted a call for a new elementary school to be built in the area. There is currently a proposal to redevelop Blake Lane Park into a new school, which would take away a community park that serves thousands of people in a high-density area.

With so many residents living in townhouses or condominiums, there would be no open space within walking distance for these residents to frequent.  The redevelopment also includes removing including a dog park and a pollinator garden recently installed by a local girl scout troop. Pradas supports the idea of looking at boundary changes for the current schools in order to shift population in a more equitable manner and preserve the parkland.

Gerry Connolly, former Chair of the Fairfax County Board and current Congressman for the 11th District of Virginia, recently penned a letter in Blue Virginia, encouraging the planning commission to not redevelop Blake Lane Park. During his tenure at Board Chair, he called for setting 10% of County land to be preserved for parkland.  He also asked to have parks within walking distance of all communities.

In Lorton, Chris Ambrose outlines a similar concern about the prospect of developing part of Lorton Park for a community center. In 2016 the Park Authority set a goal of having 5 acres of community parkland for every 1000 residents of the county. Lorton Park currently serves 10,000 residents, far exceeding the proposed ratio. Ambrose notes that further chipping away at this green space does not serve the residents of the Lorton area well.

His suggestions include considering several other parcels of land that are owned by Fairfax County and in close proximity to Lorton Park. One of the properties, across the street from the park, is land that is attached to the pollution control plant and was originally purchased as a buffer zone. There are currently recreational fields on adjacent land to this parcel.  But the county is using the excuse that there are PCB’s on the land that need to be cleaned up, to the tune of $200,000. Ambrose asserts that the PCB’s should be cleaned up regardless of how the land is used, but in the scope of a $20 million project the county should be able to work this into the budget.

Another option for the Lorton Community Center could be a parcel of land nearby that is currently slated for multi-use redevelopment. Again, Ambrose thinks that a community center could enhance a redevelopment project for the area, as the county could sell off the remainder of land that is not used for the community center.

Both the Blake Lane Park and the Lorton Park will be up for discussion at the next Planning Commission meeting, which takes place on May 22nd. Pradas and Ambrose encourage allies to come support their causes. Not every community has the same ability to advocate for itself, that is why the One Fairfax policy is so important. It asks that those who are in a position of power to take into account underserved communities and make equitable decisions about county policies.

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Undefined Fútbol on Your Need to Know

(May 8, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Dawson Ash and Francisco Ascendio, the founders of Undefined Fútbol. Their organization teaches and promotes the sport of Freestyle Soccer, and is the first of its kind on the east coast of America.

Freestyle Soccer takes the fundamentals of ball handling and adds creativity to form a unique sport. Ash and Ascendio have created the only year-round Freestyle Soccer academy in Fairfax.   They use the artistic side of soccer to empower the youth, build character, stimulate creativity, and learn amazing new skills. The sport takes inspiration from extreme sports such as skateboarding and freestyle snowboarding and skiing, and adds elements of gymnastics and dance to round things out.

Although they often attract kids who play traditional team soccer, they also have kids who just like playing around the ball and learning new tricks. There are opportunities for children to advance in the sport, and attend judged competitions, although the point of the academy is to simply expose the children to something new.

Undefined FutbolAnecdotal feedback from parents has been very positive. They find that their children not only are excited to attend the academy sessions, but they are picking up the ball and practicing on their own at home in order to perfect a trick to create a new move. Many children naturally want to try new things and challenge themselves. This sport fosters their love of thinking outside the box and trying new things, which can have a very positive impact.

The program welcomes boys and girls equally. Undefined Futbol runs a summer camp based at the Green Acres Community Center for any children who might be interested in getting involved and learning more about the sport. It is a great way to get kids off the couch, and combine physical fitness with creativity.

In addition to the children’s academy, Undefined Futbol offers opportunities for adults who love to sport to come together. They host large-scale freestyle soccer events on a regular basis. These events bring together enthusiasts from across the country to celebrate the sport, and to be a part of the Undefined Futbol community.

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Network NOVA Third Annual Women’s Summit

(May 6, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with the several key leaders of Network NOVA to discuss their third annual Women’s Summit “Taking Back Power Everywhere” to be held June 28-30 at the McLean Hilton in Tysons Corner.

In the first segment Catherine speaks with Katherine White and Robbin Warner to talk about the history of this summit.  Following the Women’s March, and in the lead-up to the 2017 Virginia statewide elections, a core group of women from Northern Virginia came together with the goal of getting more involved in local politics and supporting Democratic candidates. At the time, there were only 34 Democrats in the House of Delegates.   After floating an idea over happy hour one night, they pulled off the first summit with only 70 days of preparation. Their goal was to learn about and meet all of the candidates who were running for office in November of 2017, as well as to get training from experts in the field on issues from healthcare to the environment to transportation.

Relationships were formed, and the women worked their tails off that year to help elect Democrats to office. Their work contributed to flipping an unprecedented 15 seats in the House of Delegates, helping to balance the power in the lower chamber. This sea change, along with holding the Governor’s mansion and all three statewide seats, helped to force a vote on Medicaid expansion, as well as move the needle on several other issues like education and the environment.

In 2018 the group leveraged their successes to buoy three Virginia women to Congress. Congresswomen Jennifer Wexton (10th), Elaine Luria (2nd) and Abigail Spanberger (7th) were recipients of support from the women of Network NOVA, and won their respective races. All three women will be attending the summit on Sunday to meet with participants and share their experiences and lessons learned.

This year’s election is slightly different, which called for a different approach to the conference. While there are no statewide or congressional seats up for grabs, just about every local elected official in Virginia will be on the ballot. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about local government, and the people who run it. The entire first day of the conference will be devoted to local candidates and their issues. The second day will be focused on State Delegates and Senators, while on the third day the spotlight will be on national issues.

In the second segment of the show Catherine speaks with Krysta Jones of Vote Lead Impact (VLI). VLI promotes and recruits female candidates of color, and teaches leadership competencies. Jones is excited to a part of the summit this year to help advise on programming, and to help diversify the base of people who would be attracted to attend the event.

Robbin Warner Brian SewellBriana Sewell of the VA Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy also joins Catherine to talk about why they are a sponsor of the Women’s Summit.  Her organization works hard to support women throughout their lifecycle, which in turn means that they are supporting Virginia families.  Their issues start with advocating for paid family leave and stretches to ensuring women are supported as caregivers, encompassing everything in between.  She is working with Network NOVA to help them establish an agenda for the summit that speaks to women of all genders, ages and races.

The cost of the event has been kept very low so that there is not a barrier to entry. There will be workshops catering to all types – everything from canvassing, candidate messaging, personal development and executive presence and imaging. The goal is to elevate these candidates and activists to the next level, and change the definition of who an activist can be.

For a full and up to date listing of all 45 breakout sessions, along with every scheduled speaker, visit the Network NOVA website for all of the details. Everything that you need is listed, from the candidates’ forums to Sister Simone of Nuns on the Bus to the Badass Grandmas. The women of Network Nova look forward to welcoming all who are interested in attending. Tickets are $139 for the three-day event, and can be purchased online. They were able to keep the costs low, thanks to the generous sponsorships of organizations like the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy Virginia, Feminist Majority, Win Virginia and many others.

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Genesys Works with Mioshi Moses and David Williams

(May 1, 2019) Catherine Read interviews Mioshi Moses, Executive Director of the National Capital Region and David Williams, CEO of Genesys Works. They empower high school students from challenged backgrounds to achieve college and career success through skills training and meaningful work experience.

Founded in 2002 by Rafael Alvarez in Houston, TX, Genesys Works came to life when he served on the board of a local charter school and was struck by the bleak prospects economically challenged students faced, at a time when companies like his were in need of new sources of talent.  His goal was to think outside the box and create a meaningful program to help students thrive.  Starting with 10 students, he developed an intern-based program that is a unique fusion of training, mentoring and professional experience.

Students who would otherwise not have access to professional experience opportunities are selected to apply to the program.  It is a rigorous application process because they want to be sure that the students are 100% committed to sticking with the program.  The students then spend the summer of their junior year in an intensive 8-week training program, designed to teach them both the technical skills they would need in an office, as well as the soft skills that they need to succeed.

Once senior year rolls around, the students have condensed classes in the morning to cover academics, then go on to work for 5 hours in a professional setting. This is a demanding program that expects the students to be able to stay on top of their academics, while balancing it with their internship.  In order to help each student succeed in their new professional environment, they are assigned a job coach to work with over the course of the year. This is someone who they can call on for advice on how to handle situations and challenges regarding their day-to-day duties.

David Williams Genesys WorksIn order to get this program off the ground, Alvarez had to develop relationships with companies who bought into their mission. Companies who were looking to give back to the community became solid partners, as well as those looking to grow their pipeline of talent. Companies find that by investing in students, they are investing in the future of the community as a whole. Since those first 10 students were placed in 2002, Genesys Works has grown to serve over 4,000 students in five cities (Houston, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Francisco Bay Area, Washington National Capital Region and soon to be launched this summer New York City).

To date, 100 percent of the students who have participated in the program have graduated from high school, and 93 percent of them have gone onto college.   The program’s goal is to move more students out of poverty and into professional careers, creating a more productive and diverse workforce in the process. By giving underserved students the opportunity to succeed in a professional work environment while still in high school, they can open up career possibilities and pathways previously thought unattainable.

Moses runs the local chapter of the group here in the National Capital Region, and is excited about the prospect of exposing students to public sector jobs through opportunities with government agencies at the Federal, State and Local levels. They already have a program established with Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools, and she is looking to grow those opportunities and add more partnerships over time. In order to accomplish this goal, Gensys Works is looking to grow their name recognition and increase philanthropic giving to support their mission and serve more students in need.

Moses shares that they were awarded two significant grants this year. One from the Jack Kent Cook Foundation, for $120,000 over 2 years, and the other from the Clark Foundation, for $1 million over a 3-year period. CEO David Williams, who took his post in January of 2019, is looking to grow the program exponentially during his tenure. Although the program has only been rolled out in larger metropolitan areas to date, Williams believes that this program can succeed anywhere.  They are looking to grow their geographic footprint in order to serve the needs of more students, companies and communities across the country.

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NoVA Outside with Kurt Moser and Nancy Striniste

(April 24, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Kurt Moser and Nancy Striniste of NoVA Outside to talk about their organization, as well as their 8th annual Student Environmental Action Showcase scheduled for April 23, 2019.

NoVA Outside is an alliance of educators, schools, businesses, nature centers, nonprofit “green groups” and government agencies that strive to connect people of all ages to the natural environment.   NoVA Outside is the regional affiliate of the statewide Virginia Association of Environmental Education (VAEE). Moser notes that it is very easy to get involved with their local group. People who are interested can join the VAEE for a $25 membership fee and have access to their newsletter, attend networking events and meet others who are passionate about the environment.

Nancy Striniste is an educator and a landscape architect who specializes in planning outdoor spaces with children in mind. Her designs incorporate natural materials that are intended to connect children to the outdoors and encourage them to explore and use their imagination. Children today have less and less free time to play and explore in nature, and Nancy is committed to designing environments where children can spend unstructured time outside, and connect with nature so that they foster a love of the outdoors. This connection forms a foundation for them to connect to the natural environment, so that they grow up to be environmentally conscious adults.

Nancy recently published a book entitled Nature Play at Home: Creating Outdoor Spaces that Connect Children to the Natural World. Nancy decided to write this book because she noticed that children today do not have the opportunity to roam and play freely in nature, as children have in generations past. The book is meant to be a resource to help bring nature to the spaces where children spend their time. The book has threads of sustainable landscaping and child development, and offers a lot of ideas of transforming all types of spaces from backyards to schoolyards.

The various chapters tackle different things such as challenging bodies by using natural materials, inspiring imaginations through outdoor play and using fragrance and sound to awaken the senses.   There are step-by-step do it yourself projects, hundreds of photographs and illustrations, themed plant lists – all with the goal of inspiring families and communities to create natural play spaces.

Kurt Moser is excited to welcome approximately 500 elementary, middle and high school students to the 8th annual Student Environmental Action Showcase on April 23rd at George Mason University. The event is designed for students to be able to share and showcase their ideas of how to solve environmental challenges. In addition to the student projects that will be on display, industry partners will conduct hands-on exhibits in order to expose students to new ideas and inspire them to continue their creative work.

Over the years the conference has grown and evolved. When they first got started, the event was simply students showcasing their projects. Today, additional partners are brought in, such as a Virginia Tech student group who will demonstrate how computer programming can be used to help solve environmental challenges. Students also have an opportunity to sit down with legislators to talk about how they can be effective advocates for the issues that they care deeply about.

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City Center NOVA – Inclusive Housing

(April 22, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Paula Manion of the City Center NOVA Steering Committee and Larysa Krautz, Chief of Staff for Melwood, an organization that creates thousands of jobs annually for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

There are many challenges for adults with IDD, and the lack of affordable and accessible housing is just one of those obstacles. When people with intellectual disabilities reach the age of 21, they hit a “cliff” in many aspects of life. Education, healthcare and housing become huge barriers, and people often rely heavily on parents and family for these resources. Many of these adults would prefer to live independently, however, there is a severe lack of housing available with the proper supports.

The Main Street housing project in Rockville, MD is aiming to change the approach to housing for adults with IDD. Main Street’s mission is to meet the urgent need for disability housing and programming with affordable, community centered spaces, and opportunities that promote inclusion, independence, and quality of life.

The Main Street project is the first-of-its-kind development in the Washington metropolitan area. It is a community-centered residential development where 25% of the units are being designed and designated for those with IDD. On course to be completed by 2020, Main Street seeks to be a model and a mindset – an affordable and inclusive community that offers social engagement, unparalleled accessibility and dynamic educational, vocational and therapeutic programming. Nonresidents may join as members and participate in community activities along with residents. In this way, the project will have an even broader impact beyond providing critically needed housing.

As a member of the City Center NOVA steering committee, Paula Manion is working hard to develop a similar type of development here in Northern Virginia. They are busy interviewing members of the community to ensure that the new development meets their needs, as well as fundraising and coordinating with local officials from both the county and the state.  A project of this scope can only get off the ground as a public/private partnership.

This new approach to inclusive housing is an alternative to group homes, which are the most common form of housing currently available. Unfortunately, the waiting lists are very long, as there are more people who need housing then there are units available. These waiting lists can take up to 10 years to move through. Creating more options that are inclusive, such as Main Street and City Center NOVA, could be a positive way forward.

Rachna LarysaIn the second half of the show Catherine speaks with Rachna Sizemore Heizner, a consultant who works with businesses to open their eyes as to why inclusion and diversity in the workforce is important. She points out that bringing people with varying abilities into an office setting can strengthen the workforce. When looking at candidates, unfortunately we often talk about disabilities, but Rachna turns the table and encourages employers to look at the strengths and positive attitude that those with IDD can bring to the workplace. She coins the term “strength based inclusion”. Often times these workers are extremely appreciative to have the opportunity, and work very hard to ensure that they do the job at hand well.

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AARP Scam Jam with Martin Bailey and Melissa Smarr

(April 17, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Martin Bailey from AARP and Melissa Smarr from the Silver Shield Task Force of Fairfax County, to discuss their upcoming event called Scam Jam to be held on April 27th from 9am-1pm at the Fairfax County Government Center.

The second annual Scam Jam aims to educate the public on how they can protect themselves against scam artists. There will be speakers and workshops, all designed to inform people about different scams that are currently happening here, and all over the world. Bailey notes that 16.7 million people a year are scammed at a cost of $16.8 billion dollars annually. It is a huge problem, and this program is intended to arm people with knowledge so that they are less likely to fall for a scam.

There will be several speakers who will be highlighting current scams that are happening now in Virginia. The Grandparents scam is one of the more common ones, and has been around a long time. A con artist calls up an elderly person and pretends to be a young relative in trouble, needing bail money. It is designed to put the victim in panic mode and scare them into compliance. There are also a variety of phone scams using IRS, Medicare and Social Security (note: these agencies will never call you, they will always send you correspondence in the mail).

One of the key ways to protect an identity is to safeguard your social security number.  Bailey points out that much of the demographic information on potential victims is “out there” for the world to see, via everything from the online white pages to social media.  But a scammer would need a social security number to open a bank account or credit card.  It is very, very important to never give out that number unless it is a wholly legitimate source.

In addition to the speakers, there will be an opportunity to shred old papers with confidential information and safely dispose of unused medication. If you cannot make it out the event, AARP has a variety of resources online that are free to the public. Two of their most popular pieces are the Con Artist Playbook and the Watchdog Alert Handbook, which are free and available online. There are also blog posts and articles that are constantly being updated, as AARP attempts to keep up with the scammers in an ever-changing environment.

Fairfax County Silver Shield Task Force also has a number of valuable resources on their website, including consumer protection information, how to report a scam, handling door-to-door solicitors and much more.

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Assistance League of Northern Virginia

(April 10, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Kathy Jackson, President, and Cindy Burgess, Strategic Planning Chair, from the Assistance League of Northern Virginia. Their mission is to have their volunteers transform the lives of children through community programs.

Prominent women in the Los Angeles area founded the Assistance League in the 1890’s. It was the first nonpolitical, nonsectarian nonprofit founded in the west that was dedicated to recognizing the potential of volunteers in making a difference in the lives of the less fortunate. By 1935, the National Assistance League was incorporated with the focus of promoting effective volunteerism though leadership and training. Today, there are 120 chapters nationwide, in 26 states, with 22,000 members. Their goal is to establish chapters in all 50 states.

The Assistance League of Northern Virginia was chartered in 2004. Today they serve children at 11 Title One Schools in Fairfax and Prince William Counties, as well as the City of Alexandria. They run two signature programs, Operation School Bell and Operation Hugs, aimed at improving the lives of the children in these communities.

Operation School Bell

Operation School Bell has three components. Volunteers with the Weekend Food for Kids program pack 1600 bags of food each month, which then gets delivered to 6 schools within their network. The groceries go home with children from food insecure households. The Assistance League brings together volunteers from across the community to pack the bags on the 3rd Thursday of every month. An assembly line is setup, and it takes approximately an hour to complete the work. They partner with Dominion Energy, which provides a location for the food packing and whose drivers deliver the food packs to the schools for distribution to the children.

In addition to the weekend food program, the Assistance League also provides new clothing for children in need. The organization works closely with the school counselors in order to identify specific needs, such as coats or shoes. By working to get information about specific children, they can be sure to provide the proper sizes and items for those in need. For some of these children, it might be the only new item of clothing that they receive for the entire year.

ALNV Kathy CindyThe last component of Operation School Bell is the Literacy for Kids program. Volunteers from the Assistance League are paired with children who need extra help to improve their reading and comprehension skills. They visit the children at school on a regular basis, to help improve their reading skills and to form a relationship. At one local school, they put on a program aimed at collecting books so that children can bring a book home and start creating their own library.

Operation Hugs

The other primary program that the Assistance League runs is called Operation Hugs. This is the original program that was established when the organization was founded back in 2004. There are women in the Dumbarton Oaks community who sew heart-shaped pillows that have a pocket for a small toy, that are delivered to a health clinic for underprivileged children in Falls Church. These pillows are designed to give the children some comfort, and help keep them stay calm, when undergoing procedures. They are very proud of this long-running program, and the children love receiving the pillows.

Jackson and Burgess are always looking for more volunteers, both men and women, to help carry out their mission. All are welcome to their spring fundraiser on April 26th at the Country Club of Fairfax, held from 11am-2pm.   They also open their doors to volunteers who want to come pack food or volunteer at the local schools. To learn more, visit their website.

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Children’s Science Center and Dominion Energy Foundation

(March 27, 2019) Catherine Read sits down with Deborah Tomkins Johnson, Regional Director at Dominion Energy and Nene Spivy, Executive Director of the Children’s Science Center. Their discussion touches upon Dominion Energy’s philanthropy and the future of the Children’s Science Center.

In the first segment, Catherine speaks with Tomkins-Johnson about Dominion Energy’s commitment to corporate social responsibility. Dominion is active all across the Commonwealth in organizations and programs that are important to their employees and the community at large.

Dominion Energy focuses its time and resources in four basic categories:

  • Human Needs: grants that increase food security and access to housing and shelter, and basic medical and healthcare.
  • Environmental Stewardship: grants to protect natural resources and help nonprofit organizations make efficient use of energy.
  • Education: grants to develop the capacity of the future workforce, especially in STEM and energy fields.
  • Community Vitality Grants: to foster an appreciation of diversity, revitalize neighborhoods and ensure a vibrant community life through support of cultural endeavors.

Dominion has forged public-private partnerships to help address problems and support initiatives across all sectors. Tompkins-Johnson points out that one of their signature achievements has been the establishment and support of the Junior Achievement Finance Park campuses that are located throughout the state. This is a program geared at teaching financial literacy starting in middle school. Dominion supports the program financially, and also encourages employees to volunteer at Finance Park.

Dominion employees are encouraged to bring organizations and programs that are important to them to the Foundation’s attention. That is how Dominion has learned about, and become involved with, many of the projects that they have taken on to date. The Children’s Science Center is one of these programs that an employee, Tim Sargent, brought to their attention in its infancy. Dominion has been a strong supporter of this initiative since inception.

Nene Spivy Deborah JohnsonIn the second segment, Catherine speaks with Nene Spivy, Executive Director of the Children’s Science Center. The Children’s Science Center was established 14 years ago with the dream of building the first children’s museum in the Washington, DC metro area. After sitting on the board for several years, Spivy was promoted to Executive Director in 2010. During her tenure, she has seen the museum open their doors as a “Lab” site at the Fair Oaks Mall.

In addition to the 2700 square feet of museum “lab” space that welcomes approximately 50,000 visitors on an annual basis, the Children’s Science Center operates as a “Museum Without Walls” by bringing their exhibits and curriculum out into the community.   They serve an additional 20-25,000 people by visiting schools and community events throughout the region. Their mission is to help children define science in a broader fashion, and encourage them to explore and appreciate the world around them.

The Children’s Science Center is entering its next critical phase. Land in the Dulles area has been donated, and they are looking to build a 70,000 square foot state-of-the-art, world-class interactive science center. Spivy is appreciative of the support from both the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, who approved an initial investment of $15 million, and the Virginia General Assembly who just allocated in the most recent budget cycle, $2.3 million for the initial design phase of the project. Visit the website to learn more about the center and how you can support their efforts.

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Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

(March 25, 2019) Catherine Read sits down for an in-depth discussion about the federal budget with Mike Murphy, Chief of Staff for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB).   The CRFB is a non-partisan nonprofit that believes a budget should be a statement of a nation’s values and priorities, as well as a statement about what type of country is passed down to the next generation. The goals of the CRFB include educating the public, public officials, and policy makers about the importance of addressing the debt; and to advocate for fiscally responsible policymaking.

The CRFB has a campaign right now called “Fix the Debt”. It is simple in its messaging, but encompasses many important priorities. Murphy breaks down the components of the budget for Catherine, and why the time to act is now. He acknowledges that when regular people think about the enormity of the federal budget, it can seem out of touch and people have a hard time relating to it.

Spending

Murphy likes to equate the federal budget to something simpler, like a family budget. When a family decides to take on debt to buy a house, they generally make decisions based on what they can affordrelative to what they earn. The federal budget is pretty much the same thing, just on a much larger scale. When doing a family budget, sometimes there are tough decisions that need to be made.  If a family cannot afford something, than they cannot have it. He believes that there are currently no decisions being made on a federal budget level, and America is borrowing at an alarming rate.  When the bill finally comes dues, there will be many issues of how to handle the problems that will ensue.

Today the federal budget is approximately 4.4 trillion dollars. There are two types of spending in the federal budget- mandatory spending and discretionary spending. Mandatory spending includes programs that are set in place by law and Congress does not have much say in making decisions about it. These include Social Security and Medicare benefits, as well as programs like the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid. This accounts for between 60-70% of the overall spending. The remaining 30% is discretionary spending, which is decided by Congress. These include agency budgets, defense and all other spending categories and initiatives.

Over the past 40-50 years, the ratio of the mandatory to discretionary funding has reversed. It used to be that 70% of the budget was discretionary, which gave lawmakers much more flexibility in planning and deciding on budget priorities. Today, only 30% of the budget can be changed. This is currently the Congressional budget period, as lawmakers are to be putting their budgets together in order to make a resolution by April 15th.

Revenue

Mike Murpjy CRFBOn the revenue side, Murphy shares that approximately half of the revenue comes from individual income taxes, about 35% from payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare withholdings), and the remainder comes from other miscellaneous taxes collected by the IRS.

A deficit occurs when the annual spending is greater than the annual revenue. Today, that annual difference amounts to $900 billion a year. In February alone, the federal deficit was $230 billion for that one month. The federal debt is the accumulation of past deficits. Today, the Gross National Debt is $22 trillion dollars, and if we continue to operate under the current system it is expected to grow by $10 trillion over the next 10 years.

Those are some big numbers. How can people wrap their heads around this, and why is it important? Murphy explains that as this debt grows, the government is required to pay interest on the money that is being borrowed, much of which is from foreign countries. Interest payments are the fastest growing expense in the federal budget. By 2032, America will be spending more on interest payments than they do on all federal programs for children.

If the deficit spending is not addressed now, it is a monster that will continue to grow. From an economic standpoint, more public debt that is accrued will slow growth and wages over time, and can lead to higher interest rates for consumers. Additionally, there are national security reasons as to why America should lower its debt. The more the country spends on interest, the less it can spend on other important initiatives.

As the country accumulates more debt, it is limiting its “fiscal space” and might not be able to borrow for a national emergency. Additionally, borrowing from other nations can lead to potential geo-political problems. And lastly, from a moral perspective, the CRFB believes that passing this kind of burden on to the next generation, simply because they are not willing to make hard choices, is simply wrong.

Murphy shares that the unwillingness of Congress and the federal government to take this issue seriously, and get the budget in line, is symptomatic of a dysfunctional system that is not working properly. Congress continuously kicks the can down the road, but has not made any hard decisions about the deficit spending in many years. Recently, Murphy attended a conference of high school kids from around the country. He posed a couple of questions to them about the current political climate, and their answers very much mirrored public opinion polls conducted over recent years.

First he asked how many of the students believed that the polarization in our society is threatening our way of life. Almost every hand in the auditorium of 1000 students went up. The Pew poll that asked the same question showed that 87% of those questioned also felt the same way. The second question he posed was a little more radical. He asked how many of them believed that the current polarization could lead to a civil war? About 50% of the hands went up. When Rasmussen asked the same question, about 30% of the respondents said that they thought it was a possibility.

Murphy believes that this indicates that there is a hunger for a conversation about moving past the current political divide in order to address the root causes of these problems.

Myth Busters

In the final segment, Catherine and Mike talk about myths surrounding the federal budget. It is important to understand the facts and why they are true.

Myth #1: Debt Doesn’t Matter

If you stop and think about your own personal consumer debt, than it is not to hard to understand that you cannot borrow indefinitely without there being some sort of consequence. In the case of a federal budget deficit, the result can be significant inflation.

Myth #2: Tax Cuts Pay for Themselves

Those who are proponents of tax cuts will try and make the case that the tax cuts will spur growth, and the tax revenue collected from the growth in the economy will cause the cuts to pay for themselves.  This has historically shown not to be true.

Myth #3: We Can Solve the Budget Deficit by Only Taxing the 1%

This will never solve the problem. We could levy a 100% tax on the 1% and it would still not solve the problem.

In conclusion, with the federal debt rising every day, the country is on an unsustainable path. Today the federal deficit sits at 78% of the total economy. If an individual was planning their own personal budget, would they have a mortgage that required them to spend 78% of their income?   Historically, when the debt was at a more manageable level it has lived in the 35-40% range. The only other time in our history that it has been this high was during World War II. If the current trends continue, the debt will be 100% of the total economy within the next 10 years.

With an aging population, there will be fewer people working and paying into the system, and more people who need benefits. The Social Security Trust Fund is projected to be insolvent by 2034. Now is the time for lawmakers to sit down and begin the serious work of coming up with a plan of how to address these problems.   These conversations will be deep, and they will need to come to the table with an open mind and an open heart. Trust will be the key to finding a workable solution. Trust in one another, and trust that one side will not abandon their word if a compromise is reached.