Assignment

You will write a 2-4 page research paper analyzing a serious dilemma as a public official. As a local mayor, local commissioner, state legislator, or state governor, you are faced with a sizeable structural deficit. However, in order to help create more jobs and foster innovation, you are constantly being lobbied to build a state of the art high tech facility in your area of responsibility. How do you solve this dilemma?

This assignment must be formatted in current Turabian format, including a title page, sectional headings, and a bibliography. It must also utilize 3-5 scholarly sources, which may include course materials (textbooks and presentations) and the Bible.

If you choose to be a mayor, you are facing a structural deficit of $100,000.

You have annual town revenues of $1,200,000.

This year, you have outlays topping $1,300,000. And your annual projections only get worse.

If you choose to be a county commissioner, you are facing a structural deficit of $1,000,000.

You have annual county revenues of $11,000,000.

This year, you have outlays topping $12,000,000. And your annual projections only get worse.

If you choose to be a state legislator or state governor, you are facing a structural deficit of $100,000,000.

You have annual state revenues of $10.2 billion.

This year, you have outlays topping $10.3 billion. And your annual projections only get worse.

In all three situations, you need to bring in new revenue to fix your structural deficit. You also have several public unions that periodically need new negotiations on their collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). You notice that there are several contributors to your structural deficit:

• Your old CBA with your teachers union needs to be adjusted (the retirements in your old CBA has helped contribute to your structural deficit); they're demanding a 1% raise and they helped get you elected in the previous election

• Your economy has also been slowing down and each of your first two years in office as your unemployment rate has ticked up from 1% to 2%.

• There is no local college where the lobbyists are trying to put this high tech facility, and your local population doesn't necessarily have the skillsets to work at the new high tech facility.

You have to do something or you will likely lose your seat in the next election.

Use the following concepts to guide you as you face this dilemma:

• What is causing the structural deficit?
• Should I raise taxes, cut spending elsewhere, or something in-between?
• What will the benefits be of creating a high tech facility if any?
• How will I pay for the high tech facility?