Deficits Are Scary, But Spending Cuts Are Even Scarier

RCM ^ | 07/01/2014 | Ron Haskins

[Olog-hai]

Sure, the “spending cuts” during the government “partial shutdown” were so scary. Right?

[Iron Munro]

Insanity prevails.

Buy beans, rice, TP, guns and bullets.

[Buckeye McFrog]

was a broad understanding that the two major causes of the long-term debt are the growth of federal health care programs

so in response we went and passed the biggest friggin' one ever conceived??

[Georgia Girl 2]

Of course we can’t contemplate cutting food stamps and welfare especially to the 11 million illegals which could be used to offset Medicare. Nevermind.

[oldbrowser]

If we were to cut the budget and reduce the size of government, the unemployment rate would skyrocket and the economy would collapse.

Unneeded government employees and programs are just another form of unemployment insurance benefits funded by the national debt.

[kabar]

The author is right. Unless we tackle entitlement reform--especially Medicare--then we are headed for the toliet. Reductions in so-called discretionary spending will not solve the primary drivers of our debts and deficit, i.e., the entitlement programs. 40% of Medicare expenditures come from the General Fund.

[mulligan]

And idiots like this writer are even more scary. Wonder where he went to school.

[mrsmith]

“...The First Focus report, for example, finds that federal spending on children declined from $310 billion to $290 billion “

$300 billion that consumers can spend on products advertised by the media instead of on their children.
The media makes a fortune from it’s “for the children” lie.

[kabar]

Arguably the most egregious cuts are taking place in programs for children. Two recent reports from the Urban Institute and America's Promise both show declines in spending on children in recent years. The First Focus report, for example, finds that federal spending on children declined from $310 billion to $290 billion or by around 14 percent between 2010 and 2014.

Many Americans would question whether these cuts in defense, health care research, and children's programs are wise - especially in view of the fact that expenditures on entitlement programs for the elderly continue to grow unabated.

[mrsmith]

Framing the debate that way is like saying “Don’t start lifting small weights- benchpress 400 pounds or don’t bother weightlifting at all!”
Like the “comprehensive immigration reform or nothing!” meme it will block any action at all. (And that is the author’s purpose).
All entitlement spending is equally harmful.

[OneWingedShark]

CWII Spark Ping

And here’s another: the federal government is essentially selling you [and your children, and theirs, etc] into slavery — after all, the debt is secured against your future tax payments which are non-voluntary on your part.

[Olog-hai]

So how does that make spending cuts “scarier” than continuing to spend?

[Jack Hydrazine]

There is no law that I know of on the Fed’s books that say it is illegal for the them to enslave its citizenry.

[OneWingedShark]

There is no law that I know of on the Fed’s books that say it is illegal for the them to enslave its citizenry.

Arguably:

AMENDMENT XIII
Section 1.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

[kabar]

You are missing the point of the article. He compares out of control Medicare spending to a lion and discretionary spending to a mouse. He sums it up by saying,

And fear of the lion by federal elected officials - the only ones who can tackle the long-term debt - is keeping pace with spending on entitlements for the elderly. This is a terrible way to run a country.

So-called mandatory spending is consuming two thirds of the budget and most of it is on automatic pilot. We will double the number of Americans over 65 within 20 years as 10,000 baby boomers retire every day.

Defense, medical research, and spending on the young are being cut to fund benefits for the elderly. We are facing the oft-repeated dilemma of the welfare state, i.e., guns versus butter and butter wins every time because it has more constituents. We just have to look at Europe and see our future. Unless we reform the entitlement programs--especially Medicare--we will bankrupt ourselves. It is the biggest driver of our debt.

[mrsmith]

The point of the article is to frame the debate to negate YOUR valid point.

The choice is not between groups of recipients but between debt and growth.

[Organic Panic]

Maybe a budget is a good place to start.

[kabar]

The spending cuts are being made in the wrong places, e.g., defense.

[kabar]

The point of the article is to frame the debate to negate YOUR valid point. The choice is not between groups of recipients but between debt and growth.

But the choice is between recipients and growth. Entitlement spending will consume the entire federal budget unless they are reformed. We are consuming our feed corn to keep up with entitlement spending.