Apr 21
Arnold Kling proposes realistic, workable, solutions to our nations over extended promises. Summed up… cut back, intelligently, on the promises. Read the whole thing.
Professor Kling served time in the belly of he beast – at Freddie Mac and the Federal Reserve, but seems relatively untainted by the experience.
Alas, his simple, workable, correct ideas will go nowhere because they don’t fit our political classes goals of more power, life time employment and corruption.
Their intransigence will force violence, eventually. Their narcissistic goals will ensure we persevere with this doomed system that will collapse and cause upheaval that kills millions.
Put another way, they aren’t interested Professor Kling.
April 21st, 2010 at 5:45 pm
All the people who write the USG budget already know all the dreary arithmetic. What they don’t know is how to sell the changes to the losers. You want all the things you want and all the others likewise. No one will sit still for cutting the favored programs nor raising the needed taxes. Political rigidity prevents any movement until an actual crisis strikes. Your language of “Their intransigence will force violence.” delivers the message that “they” have to give up something while you get to keep all your things. That’s a recipe for continued paralysis until everyone accepts compromise, something apparently outside your range of options. You might recall the Clinton compromise of 1993 which got zero Republican votes and helped get the Rs into Congressional majority in 1994. They remember that rejecting compromise worked for them so well that they will not abandon it now. And after all, their spokesman said “Reagan proved that deficits don’t matter.”
April 21st, 2010 at 6:18 pm
You are wrong. Taxes are already absurdly high. I’ve told you, just yesterday, that raising taxes won’t get there.
It’s easy – cut spending that is only to buy votes. Recently Cato has shown how to cut teh budget in 1/2. It can be done.
I’m surprised you didn’t get a Bush blame in your note.
I blame ALL Presidents of the last 40 years. How about that?