Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The Latest from Bruce Bartlett: "The worst possible way to cut spending"

Bartlett's columns are always a good read.

A preview of his newest work, from Tuesday's New York Times...


The Worst Possible Way to Cut Spending


One big problem in the sequestration debate is that both sides have been talking past each other, with unstated assumptions underlying their statements and positions. There is also a great deal of posturing going on that disguises more agreement than the public knows.
Contrary to popular belief, Democrats don’t disagree that many programs could be cut substantially without harming government’s core mission. The problem is twofold. First, they disagree with Republicans on which programs are wasteful. Second, Republicans tend to believe that any program they disagree with, philosophically, is, per se, money wasted.The guiding Republican premise is that there is a vast amount of fat and waste in the federal government. Just as when individuals are overweight, a diet will improve their health.

Source: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/the-worst-possible-way-to-cut-spending/


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