The real Federal Budget - 2005

[Lemur]

I was reading an article a few days ago (I think it was from Heritage or Cato) that showed that periods of intense tax cutting almost always cause increased spending. For whatever counter-intuitive reason, politicians achieve more cuts after tax hikes.

I guess when the taxes go down, everybody feels like the gov'ment is handing out free money, so they want more, more, more! But when the taxes bite, they realize what they're paying for, so the will to cut becomes stronger. Well, that's a theory, at least. The data certainly puts a stake in the heart of the "starve the beast" argument. Just think of the cuts we'd achieve if the Feds had to balance the budget every year! We'd be rid of both the Department of Education and the Medicare Prescription Drug Act before November.

[KafirChobee]

Actually, Lemur, "IF" the DoD budget was halved - we would have a near balanced budget. At present DoD is the lode stone pulling us down. Of course it is also a political basketball that totes that he who spends more there is somehow doing a better job defending the nation (which is totally bogus).

It is true, the idea that "tax cuts" give people the warm fuzzys - that, their representatives are giving back what is rightly theirs and it is saving the economy to boot. This latest one though is purely for the rich and wealthy. Want to increase spending, or savings - stop giving to the rich and give to the poor, and resecure the middle-class standards. It is their burden (m-c) the rich are receiving and reaping tax benefits from them (m-c), and only the rich are benefitting while social, educational, environmental programs (and laws) are being slashed on the premise of reducing costs - to pay for this new style welfare-for-the-wealthy.

This new reverse Robinhood tax system the Decider has beeen pushing for +5 years now that has bankrupted our nation and even the system of government in its blatant, arrogant, and obvious self serving style. Never before has a President done so much for so few, or for his own (and family's) personal gain; and, done so openly with the compliance of congress and 50.01% of the people.

Of course with Bush's rating now at 29%, Cheney at 17%, and congress (as a whole) at 27% - things may change [btw, a poll asking whom they would prefer as President, Clinton or Bush - 68% chose Slick Willy, 27% chose Dubya - rest were undecided]. Then again, it some times seems that a slight majority of americans enjoy being "mushrooms" (kept in the dark and fed crap) - after all, the real issues (GOP that is) for this falls election are: flag burning, gay adoption (can never get enough homophobic issues to rally the extremists), abortion (again, and again ....to eternity) and drilling for oil in environmentally fragile areas (to secure our future addiction). The budget will not be an issue, but the latest tax cut might - if the GOP'ers are dumb enough to claim a semblance of fairness or hail it as their duty (like the one moron said, "I was born a Republican, and I was born to cut taxes." - also, to spend like a drunken sailor and double the size of government bureaucracies). Fiscal responsability seems to have been lost in the distant past of 1999. Mores the pity.

[Xiahou]

We'd be rid of both the Department of Education and the Medicare Prescription Drug Act before November.

That makes me all misty eyed. .... nah, it'll never happen.

I dont think that starving the beast will help anymore than feeding it. But if they are going to let me keep more of my own money instead of wasting it in Washington, Im all for it.