Little-Acorn
Well-Known Member
We've heard a lot of talk about spending cuts, how we cut 5% here, 10% there, etc. Yet somehow spending always seems to go up. What's wrong with this picture?
Problem is, politicians' (on both sides) definition of a "cut" goes something like:
"We had planned to increase spending by 14% next year. But we have to save money, so we'll increase it only 11% next year instead. There you go: A 3% cut in spending!"
This is unsustainable, of course. The resulting debt has been skyrocketing.
When will we say, "This year we spent $300 billion on such-and-such major program. But next year we will only spend $270 billion on that program. And the year after, we will spend $250 billion on it, and for the ensuing ten years we will spend exactly $230 billion per year, never a penny more." And then we actually stick to it.
THAT'S a cut. And it's what we need. Or we will wind up like Greece.
When will we do it?
Problem is, politicians' (on both sides) definition of a "cut" goes something like:
"We had planned to increase spending by 14% next year. But we have to save money, so we'll increase it only 11% next year instead. There you go: A 3% cut in spending!"
This is unsustainable, of course. The resulting debt has been skyrocketing.
When will we say, "This year we spent $300 billion on such-and-such major program. But next year we will only spend $270 billion on that program. And the year after, we will spend $250 billion on it, and for the ensuing ten years we will spend exactly $230 billion per year, never a penny more." And then we actually stick to it.
THAT'S a cut. And it's what we need. Or we will wind up like Greece.
When will we do it?
