The New Normal

[blueapplepaste]

We’re going to be doing a lot of deficit cutting over the next several years. The country’s future greatness will be shaped by whether we cut wisely or stupidly. So we should probably come up with a few sensible principles to guide us as we cut.

The first one, as I tried to argue last week, is: Make Everybody Hurt. The sacrifice should be spread widely and fairly. A second austerity principle is this: Trim from the old to invest in the young. We should adjust pension promises and reduce the amount of money spent on health care during the last months of life so we can preserve programs for those who are growing and learning the most.

He raises some interesting points. Specifically I like his notion of if we're cutting budgets, to make every one hurt (Defense, SS, Medicare all come to mind). I think he also has some good points about how by cutting money to try and save our future, we're hurting it by cutting things like educations spending towards the future generations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/opinion/01brooks.html?_r=1

 

[EdwinWillers]

He raises some interesting points. Specifically I like his notion of if we're cutting budgets, to make every one hurt (Defense, SS, Medicare all come to mind). I think he also has some good points about how by cutting money to try and save our future, we're hurting it by cutting things like educations spending towards the future generations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/01/opinion/01brooks.html?_r=1

I'm fine with "making everyone hurt" [equally] - would that that were a principle when it comes to taxation, as there's nothing remotely fair in our current progressive taxation scheme.

He's flat wrong when it comes to the Republican plan being done without any "serious policy evaluation." He simply doesn't like the policy behind the cuts.

As to education spending, he's flat wrong there too - as if federal spending on education is some sort of "investment in the future." If that were true, we'd have the highest scoring students per capita in the world today rather than be experiencing a marked decline. Prior to the department of education, our schools were some of the best in the world. After, and after hundreds of billions spent "investing" in our future, the outcome is a demonstrable net loss, not a gain.

Besides, the federal government has no business whatsoever being involved in education. None. The U.S. Constitution simply doesn't give the federal government that power.

Which brings us to real "policy evaluation." It ought to be the policy when making cuts to cut first that which the federal government has no constitutional authority. I daresay cutting those unconstitutional departments, agencies, corporations, bureaus, etc. for which no powers are given the federal government in the constitution would drastically reduce our budget and and deficit in no time flat.

After that, we need to excise all the waste in the remaining spending the Constitution does give the federal government power. Defense, being the largest legitimate constitutional power given the federal government could stand PLENTY of wasteful spending cuts and wouldn't affect its ability to protect and defend us one whit.