Big Issues Missing from the Presidential Campaign

Abstract

When it comes to the nation's pressing social problems, there is a depressing gap between both parties' aspirations and the federal resources now available. The nation has moved from an era of $200 billion deficits to equally outsized surpluses, but bipartisan ambitions have paradoxically shrunk. The author reviews problems where money would indisputably make a difference—such as the 44 million Americans with no health insurance, growing inequality in wages and wealth, and the myriad challenges facing urban education—and suggests promising directions for reform that are not being discussed in the presidential campaign. He also analyzes other issues not being debated, such as the size of the defense budget and the burden of payroll taxes, and urges the press to play a role in raising these issues when candidates will not.