A very distressing Slate Political Gabfest this week, forecasting deficits as far as the eye can see.
The President's 2011 budget forecasts a 1,145 billion (1.145 trillion) dollar budget deficit for 2011. Granted, this is only his proposal. Granted, all forecasts are provisional. But let's just take it as a given, for discussion's sake.
All those of you who want the government to limit spending, listen up. Let's pretend we have a line item veto, and let's zero out discretionary spending. Nothing. Kill it all. NASA-gone. School lunches-it's over. Job training-forget about it.
You know what your deficit is then? 1,145-530=615 billion dollars.
Until we cut Social Security, Medicare, and the Defense Department, we're not going to get the budget under control.
We're never going to cut those programs-it is politically impossible.
So if you're worried about deficits, explain how you're going to tell seniors that their checks are going to be cut in half-because if you're really serious about cutting spending, that's what you have to do.
(And if any seniors are reading this? Please dispense with the "I paid into it" argument. Your money that you paid is gone-it went to your parents. You're now spending my money. Just thought you ought to know that.)
All spending is discretionary. Even Social Security and Medi*. Let's start saving money by means testing them. So they aren't welfare for the rich anymore.
ReplyDeleteWell, first of all, Obama has said they're off the table. Second of all, politically, they are completely off the table-do you want to run for office arguing that we're going to cut them? You won't even get the votes of your own family.
ReplyDeleteIn principle-absolutely. I'm with you 100%. Means test it all. It makes moral sense, practical sense, and financial sense. We're NEVER going to get a handle on the budget without it.
But in practice-never going to happen. As Chris Rock once put it, "You know how they say never say never? Well I'm saying never."
Slate's Jacob Weisberg saying, essentially, the same thing:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slate.com/id/2243797/
I agree with most of what you wrote in this post. It's kind of a strange feeling. I'm not quite as cynical as you though; I have to believe people are smart enough to listen to reason. We need leadership that is more visionary and bold. dmarks is right...the first step is to stop providing tax-payer programs for people who do not need them.
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