At a time when much of the nation is focused only on a potential war with Iraq, it's good to see other Americans keeping atop important domestic issues.
Four MSU professors lent their names to a full-page New York Times advertisement last week questioning the long-term outlook of President Bush's proposed $1.3-trillion tax cuts.
The ad was sponsored by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan Washington economic think tank.
The names of the four MSU professors appeared alongside hundreds of national economists, including 10 Nobel laureates, who all say Bush's plan isn't the best way to fix the economy.
The four MSU professors, along with the rest of the economists who lent their names for the ad, should be commended for doing their duty in a democracy.
More people should engage in public debates to challenge and check the powers of elected officials.
Public forums, such as advertising space in The New York Times and the opinion pages of newspapers across the country, are the embodiment of the principles established in the ideals of freedom, liberty and justice - the founding pillars of the United States of America.
Without people willing to question their elected leaders - including their president - the government of this nation wouldn't work to its design.
While both sides question the effectiveness of the advertisement, the conviction of the professionals who sponsored the challenge to Bush's proposed tax cuts is a validation for average Americans who feel uneasy about the president's plan.
Although every American isn't an economic expert, it isn't hard for many to see attractive tax cuts are not always the best way to better the economy.
Take Michigan's financial situation as example.
The Legislature has so far declined to pause the scheduled reduction in the state income tax despite an estimated $1.7-billion budget shortfall next year. A government's choice to cut taxes during a time when it cannot balance its books doesn't seem to be the best option.
We thank the MSU professors and their national colleagues who used their expertise to validate the average, uneconomically savvy American's concerns about gigantic federal tax cuts.
We thank them for doing their duty to participate in their government.
The promise of tax cuts is often a wise way to win votes for a coming election, but it is not always the most prudent method of caring for the economy - these people were right to speak out.
You don't have to take our word for it.
Ask the experts.
