Baseline budgeting is the problem. Fix that and we can start to have honest budgets in this country. Calling a cut in the rate of change in spending as an actual cut in spending is ludicrous. But these guys in Washington are clowns, so I expect nothing less from them.

Baseline budgeting is the problem. Fix that and we can start to have honest budgets in this country. Calling a cut in the rate of change in spending as an actual cut in spending is ludicrous. But these guys in Washington are clowns, so I expect nothing less from them.

 

While I understand slowing growth could be considered a win, you are right. The other thing I dislike are announcing $100 bazillion dollars in cuts spread over 20 years

While I understand slowing growth could be considered a win, you are right. The other thing I dislike are announcing $100 bazillion dollars in cuts spread over 20 years

I will agree with you here Tex.

While I understand slowing growth could be considered a win, you are right. The other thing I dislike are announcing $100 bazillion dollars in cuts spread over 20 years

 

The worst thing about this -- and it's something nobody talks about -- is that when they make these promises, they're making promises based on tenure they do not even have. Most of them won't be here in 4, or 8 or 10 years to see any of this happen...and the next crop of politicians that take over office undo all of these promises. That, and there is no tie to the accountability factor.

 

If I'm the CEO of Soxtalk, and I promise you I'll increase traffic and profits 10000% in 10 years...but I know I won't be around in 3 years for whatever reason...it matters quite a bit less if that ever actually happens. In 10 years, almost nobody will remember I ever made that promise...but I'll still have gotten paid.

OTOH Congress in 2012 shouldn't and can't tie the hands of Congress in 2022.

OTOH Congress in 2012 shouldn't and can't tie the hands of Congress in 2022.

 

Exactly.

 

So why did it become ok for them to talk about 20 years from now, when they have absolutely zero control over 20 years from now?

Exactly.

 

So why did it become ok for them to talk about 20 years from now, when they have absolutely zero control over 20 years from now?

Because then you can use 30 year projections which assume continuing unsustainable health care cost growth throughout the economy as a reason to cut Social Security and Medicare today, and if you can cut social security and medicare today, then you can use that money to fund upper income tax cuts.

Because then you can use 30 year projections which assume continuing unsustainable health care cost growth throughout the economy as a reason to cut Social Security and Medicare today, and if you can cut social security and medicare today, then you can use that money to fund upper income tax cuts.

 

You can also use it to pretend you're going to balance the budget, too...so long as nothing changes for 14 years after you leave office.

 

What this truly is...is political brilliance. It's a built in excuse for every politician so when nothing comes to fruition that they've promised...they can just say, well...if nobody ever did anything in the 20 years after I left office it would have worked!

 

Blame the people before you while you're in office.

 

Blame the people after you when you're out of office.

 

And the people will let you.

 

Brilliant.

You can also use it to pretend you're going to balance the budget, too...so long as nothing changes for 14 years after you leave office.

 

What this truly is...is political brilliance. It's a built in excuse for every politician so when nothing comes to fruition that they've promised...they can just say, well...if nobody ever did anything in the 20 years after I left office it would have worked!

 

Blame the people before you while you're in office.

 

Blame the people after you when you're out of office.

 

And the people will let you.

 

Brilliant.

Nobody really cares about balancing the budget. Not even the people who make their political lives on calling for one. That's why the 2001 tax cuts happened in the first place...the people who had been calling for a balanced budget as a cudgel against Clinton got a balanced budget...and immediately realized that it was the perfect excuse for an upper income tax cut.

 

It's actually a political failure, honestly...not political brilliance. No politician will gain anything from balancing the budget unless it leads to lower interest rates and higher investment rates, which at the present it will not do. But that same politician will gain tremendously if he's able to present his financial backers with a 4% cut in the top tier tax rates paid for by whatever cuts in spending on poor people he can extract.

Nobody really cares about balancing the budget. Not even the people who make their political lives on calling for one. That's why the 2001 tax cuts happened in the first place...the people who had been calling for a balanced budget as a cudgel against Clinton got a balanced budget...and immediately realized that it was the perfect excuse for an upper income tax cut.

 

It's actually a political failure, honestly...not political brilliance. No politician will gain anything from balancing the budget unless it leads to lower interest rates and higher investment rates, which at the present it will not do. But that same politician will gain tremendously if he's able to present his financial backers with a 4% cut in the top tier tax rates paid for by whatever cuts in spending on poor people he can extract.

 

I'm sure some politicians would want exactly this...

 

But it is brilliance...it gives them a job where failure can never truly be tied to them...there will always be an argument in their favor...because none of what they promise can ever truly be tied back to them since it would have taken so long, without interference, to happen exactly as they promised.

 

The only place it's a failure is to that of the people. But the people have shown they don't care...they keep voting for the same broken promises over and over again.

 

Also, it's not a secret that this country and it's politicians (99% of them) have been bought and paid for by the corporations, either. Arguably, you can apply logic this to the entire world and it's politicians. The problem is, most people simply don't care...they just claim they do.

Tax expenditures and tax cuts can be classified exactly the same way as spending w.r.t. budgeting and balance sheets. Whether I cut you a check directly to subsidize your mortgage or I give you credits to reduce your tax bill, the end result is identical.

 

 

This right here is a pretty f***ed up way of looking at things. And it's why nothing can ever get done in Washington. It's a lie, but it's the gimmick that everyone uses when baselining everything, which is why nothing ever comes out like they think it will.