Eds and Meds Versus Law and Order

Education and research have been drivers of the Philadelphia economy and other economies around the country for years.  This type of business has been mostly recession proof, with funding by the government. Lots of times when there’s unemployment, people choose to go back to school to get advanced degrees, so in a sense, education is counter cyclical to the economy.

What is going on now is that funding for research has been cut back.  At the same time, funding for ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) in the current budget has increased to $76.5 billion, nearly ten times the current agency budget. There’s a surge in ICE hiring, with the government paying big sign- on bonuses.

I do give Donald Trump credit for stopping the flow of illegal immigrants across the border. That has already been done without the bigger budget.

This reminds me of Milton Friedmans college economic textbook. A country has a limited amount of resources, so it needs to decide what it wants to produce, “guns or butter”, he said. It seems that here the emphasis is on producing something that won’t benefit us much, an abundance of law and order enforcers, as opposed to research which can cure cancer, provide clean energy, or other breakthroughs that we can’t even imagine.

It’s short-sighted in my opinion. The results won’t show up today or tomorrow, but  years from now when other countries overtake us that DO support research and education.

_________________________________

TABASFUNDING provides funds in the form of loans from $50,000 to $750,000 to entrepreneurs who want to expand or acquire businesses. We will look at other business situations which require capital, effort, management, and patience. It will take a while to find out who the winners are in the current environment. If you think you have one, and need funding, please contact me directly at 610-896-2400 or Lee@TABASFUNDING.com.

_______________________________

LEE TABAS is available as a Director, Trustee, and Consultant. With 30+ years of business, entrepreneurship and banking experience, Lee can be helpful with ideas, policies and second opinions. Available for short-term or permanent assignments. Please call 610-896-2400 or email Lee@TABASFUNDING.com for further information.