Some taxing questions.

• Author: Navin, Sandy
• Position: Interview with Fred Goldberg of the Bipartisan Commission on Entitlements and Tax Reform - Interview

'Fess up: You'd love to put your own two cents in on how to fix the federal budget deficit. Read about the presidential commission that's trying to do just that by recommending reforms in federal entitlement programs and the tax system.

In 1993, President Clinton formed the Bipartisan Commission on Entitlements and Tax Reform at the behest of Sen. Robert Kerrey (D-Neb). The commission, whose vice-chair is Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.), hopes to make the case for reform and come forward with specific proposals and recommendations by December 15, says Executive Director Fred Goldberg. Goldberg, currently an attorney in private practice in Washington, D.C., is a former Internal Revenue Service commissioner and assistant secretary for tax policy at the Treasury Department. In an interview with Sandy Navin, vice president and director of taxes at General Mills and chairman of FEI's Committee on Taxation, Goldberg explains the commission's genesis, what it has accomplished to date and its plans for the next several months.

SANDY NAVIN: Please describe how you became involved with the Bipartisan Commission on Entitlements and Tax Reform.

FRED GOLDBERG: My personal involvement started in a buffet line at a hotel in New York City, when the commission's chief of staff, Mark Weinberger, approached me and said, "Hi, Fred. How are you doing? Jack [Danforth] would like to see you." Mark dragged me in to see Senator Danforth, who described the commission, twisted my arm and shipped me off to see Senator Kerrey. They promptly blew through all of my feeble excuses and convinced me to accept a position as the commission's unpaid, part-time executive director. And so, having started my government life as a GS-11 [pay grade] 24 years ago at the Office of Economic Opportunity, rising to the pinnacle as Internal Revenue Service commissioner and commencing my descent through the assistant secretary's position, I now find myself an unpaid, part-time staffer.

Actually, the short and truthful answer is that the commission is addressing issues I care about: the government's current fiscal posture -- massive deficits and entitlement commitments the government cannot hope to honor; the steady and dramatic decline in private savings; and an income-tax system that is unwieldy, intrusive and counter-productive. Put it how you will -- we are mortgaging our children's future; we are destroying the American dream; federal fiscal policies are bankrupting the nation. I was persuaded that Senators Kerrey and Danforth were committed to telling the American people the truth and confronting the hard issues, and that they were committed to action, not just another government report gathering dust on government bookshelves. Based on my experience to date, I am convinced that the other commission members, and the administration, share these commitments.

NAVIN: How do you view your role as executive director?

GOLDBERG: It's a management job. The commission's goals are to provide a clear statement of the issues, make the case for why the public should care about those issues and should insist on prompt action by Congress and the administration, and reach consensus on politically viable reform proposals.

As staff, our job is to manage an endless mountain of information with these standards in mind: Present the issues fairly and with no preconceived agenda; permit the commission members to debate the issues and develop whatever recommendations they think are appropriate; and assure that all aspects of the staff's activities and the commission's proceedings are open and above-board. At the end of the day, the commission will succeed only if the public is part of the process -- if it "owns" the effort and the outcome.

While it's unclear where the commission will come out in December, I am certain that the staff will do its part because of the leadership provided by Senators Kerrey and Danforth and the skills and commitment of individual staff members. I can't say enough about the quality of the entire staff. They are spectacular. In particular, working with Mark [Mark Weinberger, the chief of staff] and Jim [Jim Fields, the issues and policy coordinator] is like playing ball with Ted Williams and...