11/8
［社説］国のコロナ対策があまりにもずさんだ
2021/11/8
会計検査院の報告で、国のずさんなコロナ対策が浮き彫りになった
会計検査院が国の2020年度決算の検査報告をまとめた。税金の使い方などに問題があると指摘したのは210件で、総額は2108億円にのぼった。
際立つのは新型コロナウイルス対策のずさんさだ。予算の使い残しや不適切な執行が相次ぐのは、とても看過できない。これでは国民の理解を得られまい。
The report issued by the Board of Audit of Japan makes it clear how sloppy the government has spent the budget for the coronavirus countermeasures. The Audit has found over 210 matters dubious and the budget has amounted to about 210 billion yen. The emphasis should be given to the budget for the coronavirus countermeasures.
It is obvious for the government to spend the budget sloppily when it comes to the budget for countermeasures of coronavirus. We can’t overlook how improper they deal with them and nobody stands with the government.
検査院は19～20年度に計上した65兆円余りのコロナ対策費を調べた。実際に執行できたのはこのうちの65%で、23兆円近くの使い残しが生じていた。本当に必要な事業の精査を怠り、いたずらに規模を膨らませた証拠だろう。
個々の事業でもお粗末な対応が目立つ。接触確認アプリ「COCOA（ココア）」の不具合を巡り、システムのテストやコスト管理が妥当ではなかったとして、厚生労働省が改善を求められた。
国が調達し、一般家庭や介護施設などに配布した布製マスクについては、今年3月末の時点で8200万枚以上の在庫が発生した。これらを倉庫で保管するため、昨年8月から今年3月までに合計6億円を費やしたという。
コロナ禍の打撃を受けた中小企業などを支える「持続化給付金」、雇用を守る企業を後押しする「雇用調整助成金」では、不正受給が判明した。旅行や飲食の需要を喚起する「Go To キャンペーン」事業でも、改善すべき点が見つかっている。
コロナ対策の緊急性や行政窓口の混乱といった事情を割り引いても、積算や審査の甘さは否めないのではないか。岸田文雄首相はこの報告を真摯に受け止め、行政の信頼回復に努めるべきだ。
政府はコロナの封じ込めと景気回復を目指し、数十兆円の経済対策を近くつくる。不要不急の政策メニューで見かけの規模ばかりを大きくするのは許されない。医療・検査体制の充実、困窮する人や企業への支援を優先し、迅速かつ確実に実行する必要がある。
いったん予算を計上したコロナ対策でも、執行のメドが立たないものや効果の乏しいものは白紙に戻せばいい。Go To事業もその有力な候補ではないのか。
検査院は東京五輪・パラリンピックの収支、デジタル化やグリーン化といった成長戦略の使途もしっかりとチェックすべきだ。コロナ禍で制約を受けている検査方法を工夫し、行政の無駄遣いを見逃さぬよう努力してほしい。
Summary:
The report issued by the Board of Audit of Japan makes it clear how sloppy the government has spent the budget for the coronavirus countermeasures. The Audit has found over 210 matters dubious and the budget has amounted to about 210 billion yen. The emphasis should be given to the budget for the coronavirus countermeasures.
It is obvious for the government to spend the budget sloppily when it comes to the budget for countermeasures of coronavirus. We can’t overlook how improper they deal with them and nobody stands with the government.
In addition, we ask the Audit to check the balance of Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and the growth strategy budget of DX and SDGs and you name it.
Feeble imitation of China cannot help US in major infrastructure building: Global Times editorial
By Global Times
Published: Nov 08
US infrastructure Illustration: Xia Qing/GT
US House lawmakers passed late Friday night the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. US President Joe Biden called the vote a "monumental" step forward. He said the legislation would put the US "on a path to win the economic competition for the 21st century."
Nonetheless, the bill will by no means solve all the US' problems and give the country enough vitality to compete with China in the sphere of large-scale infrastructure projects. Most of US major infrastructure construction was driven by the private sector. Now the Biden administration is trying to take that over with an American-style "planned economy." This is a move trying to reengineer the dynamics of the US economy, using its weak spots to back one of the country's most daunting tasks. Thus, the chances that the plan will be effectively implemented are slim by any means.
Indeed, after the funding budget was shrunk greatly, 13 House Republicans voted for Biden's infrastructure bill. However, the bill was eventually passed with a narrow margin, as six Democrats joined the bulk of the Republicans in voting against the measure. This reflects that the bill is not highly comprehensively supported in the US. Meanwhile, Biden's other $1.75 trillion bill focusing on social services and climate change programs is yet to pass.
Some US infrastructure is outdated in comparison with China's. In fact, the two cannot really be compared. Most of China's infrastructure was built relatively recently, so it is normal that such projects are more advanced. China has a large population, which determines a higher use rate of infrastructure. So a boost in infrastructure can bring a relatively high return. For example, China's national conditions make the country a fertile ground for the rapid development of high-speed rail, and expressways are needed in most parts of China. The cost of such infrastructure is high, but it is justified by the needs of large local populations.
The US' sense of urgency comes largely from the comparison with China. Some US political elites arrogantly believe that the US should lead the world in all aspects for fear that China surpasses them in any way. They are lost in their pride and arrogance. It is the general trend in the globalized world that different regions tend to enjoy similar levels of development. Most of the US' problems, including its Cold War-like impulse to contain China, stem from the narrow-mindedness that the US cannot accept that others are good.
The US will never be able to build such a high-density railway network as China's and its total level of expressways will certainly fall behind China's. In the long run, the total carrying capacity, activity and economic value of its information network will hardly match that of China. Infrastructure in China is promoted under the guidance of government. This is adequate for China's actual conditions and a maximization of using China's resources. But if the US imitates China, the likely outcome is a disordered and feeble plan that does not fit the US' conditions and market needs. The expensive infrastructure programs in the US cannot bring about the return of new tax sources, and this will push the country into a false prosperity papered over by quantitative easing and excessive money-printing.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US government has repeatedly proposed large-scale stimulus. The country with dollar hegemony has used its "endless money" to issue various kinds of subsidy. This has created a scenario where people can live on subsidy without going to work. As this becomes an attractive paradigm, the US has suffered from a port logjam, increasing shortages of truck drivers and a chaotic domestic supply chain. The US has advantages in technology and capital, but it has lost the most basic spirit of seeking truth from facts in politics, and its social ethic of hard work is constantly being disintegrated.
It is tantamount to a fairy tale to revitalize US competitiveness relying merely on a stimulus bill. The US has its advantages, but if it wants to be as competitive as China in some spheres, it should turn American people into people who are as diligent as Chinese and turn American officials into being as responsible and hard-working as their Chinese peers. China's blossoming infrastructure is the work of a whole society, and it is not something that American politicians can easily achieve by making unrealistic plans.