Budgets of Mass Destruction By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Published: February 1, 2004 It should be clear to all by now that what we have in the Bush team is a faith-based administration. It launched a faith-based war in Iraq, on the basis of faith-based intelligence, with a faith-based plan for Iraqi reconstruction, supported by faith-based tax cuts to generate faith-based revenues. This group believes that what matters in politics and economics are conviction and will — not facts, social science or history. Personally, I don't believe the Bush team will pay a long-term political price for its faith-based intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Too many Americans, including me, believe in their guts that removing Saddam was the right thing to do, even if the W.M.D. intel was wrong. The Bush team's real vulnerability is its B.M.D. — Budgets of Mass Destruction, which have recklessly imperiled the nation's future, with crazy tax-cutting and out-of-control spending. The latest report from the Congressional Budget Office says the deficit is expected to total some $2.4 trillion over the next decade — almost $1 trillion more than the prediction of just five months ago. That is a failure of intelligence and common sense that threatens to make us all insecure — and people also feel that in their guts. As Peter Peterson, the former Nixon commerce secretary and a longtime courageous advocate of fiscal responsibility, puts it in "Running on Empty," his forthcoming book: "In the 1980 election, Ronald Reagan galvanized the American electorate with that famous riff: `I want to ask every American: Are you better off now than you were four years ago?' Perhaps some future-oriented presidential candidate should rephrase this line as follows: `I want to ask every American, young people especially: Is your future better off now than it was four years ago — now that you are saddled with these large new liabilities and the higher taxes that must eventually accompany them?' " While in his book Mr. Peterson equally indicts Democrats and Republicans as co-conspirators in the fiscal follies of our times, the Democrats should still follow his lead and make this their campaign mantra: "Is your future better off now than it was four years ago?" That's what's on people's minds. It should be coupled with the bumper sticker: "Read My Lips: No New Services. Bush Gave All the Money Away." And it should be backed up with a responsible Democratic alternative on both taxes and spending. That is the only way to expose what the shameful coalition of Karl Rove-led cynics, who care only about winning the next election; voodoo economists preaching supply-side economics; and libertarian nuts who think that by cutting tax revenues you'll shrink the government — when all you do is balloon the deficit — is doing to our future. And please don't tell me the tax cuts are working. Of course they're working! If you put this much stimulus into our economy — three tax cuts, loose monetary policy and out-of-control spending — it will produce a boom. Eat 10 chocolate bars at once and you'll also get a rush. But at what long-term cost? "Quite simply," argues Mr. Peterson, "those bell-bottomed young boomers of the 1960's have fully matured. The oldest of them, born in 1946, are only six years away from the median age of retirement on Social Security (63). As a result, our large pension and health care benefit programs will soon experience rapidly accelerating benefit outlays. . . . Thus, at a time when the federal government should be building up surpluses to prepare for the aging of the baby boom generation, it is engaged in another reckless experiment with large and permanent tax cuts. America cannot grow its way out of the kinds of long-term deficits we now face. . . . The odds are growing that today's ballooning trade and fiscal deficits, the so-called twin deficits, will someday trigger an explosion that causes the economy to sink — not rise." The same Bush folks who assured us Saddam had W.M.D. now assure us these budgets of mass destruction don't matter. Sure. "During the Vietnam War," notes Mr. Peterson, "conservatives relentlessly pilloried Lyndon Johnson for his fiscal irresponsibility. But he only wanted guns and butter. Today, so-called conservatives are out-pandering L.B.J. They must have it all: guns, butter and tax cuts." This is so irresponsible and it will end in tears. Remember, says Mr. Peterson, long-term tax cuts without long-term spending cuts are not tax cuts. They are "tax deferrals" — with the burden to be borne by your future or your kid's future. If this isn't the election issue, I don't know what is.
Do you recommend decreasing the amount of money spent on securing our nation? Do you recommend taking money out of small business owners' hands by raising taxes as we try to create jobs? What social programs would you like to end? ...or is this more empty complaining by the liberals? Ahh...the party of pessimism strikes again!
The funny thing about the budget problems is that the day of reckoning is a bit off in the future so whoever's president then will have to pay for this shiftiness. Also kinda funny that the conservatives are essentially using government projects to make work. It's only bad when the other guys do it.
I'm not a big fan of Friedman, but I think he hits the nail on the head when he talks about a growing sense of unease about the deficit, the economy, and the future. And I think this unease is spreading across the political spectrum, with only a small segment of die-hard Bush supporters in denial.
Yeah ! to balance the budget, we'd have to cut stuff like police patrols and CDC funding (who cares about disease outbreaks -- no terrorist would ever do anything like that.)The cost of safety is worth back breaking, banana republic style deficits. Oh, wait........
Well I am really pissed. Dubya has made it much harder for me to get a job out of college and now I have to pay extra taxes so that you a-holes who voted for him could buy some extra shares of stock in Rick's Cabaret. I hope it was worth it, though I doubt guys like T_J will ever have kids, he cares not for what the future generations will be saddled with.
We trim the fat off the disgustingly obese military budget, and we could all live like kings the rest of our lives. Or (gasp!) pay our god-damn bills. These deficits will not go away, and we WILL have to balance our checkbook one day. Of course, since the selfish bastards want another nickel in their pockets and another rocket up some Muslim's ass, our kids are gonna be stuck with the tab. That's fiscal responsibility.
Yeah, I voted for Bush and I'm LIVIN' LARGE, BABY!!! WHOO HOOO!!! ...in my rented 1 bedroom garage apartment. Call me crazy, but I don't blame ANY President for the fact that I don't exactly make a 6 figure income. I blame (gasp) myself. I could be doing a lot better right now if I had studied in college instead of just partying. But you know what? That was MY choice. And I can make the choice to better my situation (which I have) any time I want and I don't need the President's help or the government's help to do it.
I think you missed the point of what oski was saying. The consequences of the fiscal r****dation now will be felt in the long term, in the form of higher taxes, interest rates, massive service cuts to unfathomable levels, and so on and so forth. You're welcome to take personal responsibility for that, but I don't think you need to. It's one thing to ask for a handout, it's another to just ask the government not to royally f-ck **** up....which is what pretty much what most reputable economists, from Greenspan to Krugman, agree is happening under this president.
I'm glad someone had the balls to share some truth. Good post! That my friend is the difference between libs and conservatives, p*****s from real men. Real men (conservatives) take responsibility for their own actions rather than blame the President (or whatever other scapegoat), who has little or nothing to do with their daily life. It's not the President's fault that you are too lazy to make work two jobs to get through college (like I did, including such embarassing jobs for a 10-year USMC vet as working at a budget shoe store and night audit at a hotel while in the reserves). I took a great chance, with a wife (whose well-paying job really helped us) and kids to support, to abandon my military career to become a sportswriter. But that's America. Risk it all and add some hard work and you get success. I'm now at the pinnacle of the profession (as our paper's first ever Falcons beat writer as we expand our sports department). I have a nice house, a few vehicles that run, a garage full of tools, a jacuzzi, a nice saltwater boat and they are all rewards (with the exception of my pickup, my dad gave it to me almost 20 years ago!) for my hard work and dedication. It's not the President's fault that you want to make more money, but are too scared of risking your comfortable situation in your mommie and daddy's house working at the 7-11 at age 30. I have been working since I was 14 years old and as my father always told me, "A little hard work never hurt anyone." It's not the President's fault you are awash in credit card debts so you could buy cigarettes, beer, lottery tickets and the newest Muddle of Pudd CD. It's not the President's fault that you are a lazy slob who lacks ambition and refuses to achieve their maximum potential. As I told my men, "excuses are like assholes, we have them and they all ****ing stink." Hard work is a part of life. Get off your lazy duff, quit making excuses for yourself by finding someone or something to blame and make your life extraordinary. I challenge you to go out and just do it, baby! As for this deficit, we just need to not simply cut spending, but slash it. Ditch all this nonsense like the Dept. of Education, combine all of the federal law enforcement tasks into the FBI, derail the TVA and AMTRACK (privatize them), eliminate all this b.s. "discretionary" spending that kills us (like research for pig farts, restoring historic gravel pits, a new firehouse for Mudville, dredging a non-commerically used river right in front of a representative's house, etc.) and that godawful prescription drug entitlement that will cost more than the Bushies said it would (I get a big Gee-I-told-you-so there). Junk the EPA, Postal Service, TSA, OSHA and other agencies that could be handled more efficiently at the state level. End the practice of baseline budgeting where an agency always gets an increase every single year and has to spend every dime of outlays (thus leading to a spending spree near the end of the fiscal year in every damned govt. agency. And then you need to cut from the military a bunch of these bases that we don't need, which function only as a jobs program rather than an important part of our defense. Cease defending Western Europe and bring our boys home. Let the little pinky in the air socialists worry about their own defense. Get rid of some wasteful programs like the Comanche helicopter (why do you need that with Apaches and Kiowa Warrior helos?) and the Osprey flying disaster which has sucked up billions in money and yet has still not gotten into service yet. Generals, the Marines need a new transport helicopter, not a flying Dutchman piece of **** that after 10 years and several billion dollars, still does not work! And as for entitlements, cease WIC, Mediscare, Medicaid and all of the handouts immediately. Return that money in the form of tax cuts to the people whom it was stolen from for redistribution. I have news for the liberals, someone who makes 200 grand a year in NYC is not rich! Give them back their money. Just have the govt. handle national defense, some law enforcement and interstates (as part of a way to get our forces around, a national defense related expediture to answer a question in another thread). Replace the income tax with a national sales tax and eliminate the IRS. Let the states handle the rest and watch the economy boom, unfettered by the tentacles of the federal govt. I know that everyone will hate that and say how heartless I am and how wrong that is and how all I want to do is starve old people, start wars and generally be selfish. But the horror that is the Imperial Federal Govt. that consumes far more of our national wealth than it should is a lesson that the Federal govt. can not be responsible for the needs of everyone in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
I'm glad you're successful. You're obviously very happy, and I wish you nothing but the very best. You're living the American dream. Rock on. But (back to topic), if conservatives are "real men" and take "responsibility" for their actions, how do you explain the largest budget deficit in world history? Why are Republicans passing the responsibility to future generations? Shouldn't they be "real men" and take "responsibility" for their own fiscal duties?
You're exactly correct and frankly, I agree. They should have the balls to cut spending and get rid of the deficit rather than doing what is politically expedient for members of Congress, bringing home the bacon to the home district in the way of my tax dollars to build a fountain in Puddwanker, Kansas. I wish the Republicans were real men, but frankly, in my eyes, they are not. All politicans no matter what party are after power and getting re-elected, be they liberal or conservative. I imagine they say in the back of their minds who cares if we have a deficit? By the time the bills both real and political come due, we will be lobbyists making six-figure salaries so we can convince the lawmakers that replaced us to help the interests we represent contine to give the prison treatment to the American taxpayer. So why should we care?
Remember on the Simpsons, Homer's slogan when he was running for mayor? "Why can't someone else do it?" That is the attitude of America. We b**** and complain about everything going on around us, expecting things to get better on their own, or, better yet, for someone else to step in and help us out of our own filth hole. This "largest deficit in world history" is a product of that philosophy. For years we'd been complacent and content with where we were, not taking a real interest in things going on outside the US because, well, someone else will clean up the mess. 9/11 woke us up and now we're reacting to it. Now we're putting billions of dollars into "protecting ourselves" when all we had to do was keep friendly relations with our allies. We're paying for our laziness, not only by looking bad in the world's eyes, but also by being f*cked financially. We deserve what we get. If only everyone in America took bamaslammer's stance...
No, the real difference between liberals and conservatives is that conservatives (who aren't rich) are too dumb to realize they are getting screwed by politicians who have them quaking in their boots with scary stories about non-existent WMDs, gay marraige, affirmative action, and welfare cheats. My liberal friends and I are able to simultaneously take responsibility for our own actions, give a sh-t about those less fortunate than ourselves, realize that the government does have an effect on our lives, and chew gum- ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
Seems to me that this present administration money managers went to the same School of Economics as our good friend, Drayton M (I can't spell his last name). Defer everything for later and let someone else clean up the mess. Bush must go come November!
Screwed? It's liberal politicians that raise my taxes and create more dependency on govt. that screw me. The whole point of being liberal is the inability to take any responsibility of any sort, be it sexual, be it jobs (we need a living wage! ), be it whatever. I'm tired of being told that just because I don't want more than half my paycheck gobbled up by you bastards to redistribute to someone who didn't work their ass off to collect their little check, that I'm heartless. I'm tired of you guys being charitable with other people's money. Word to the wise, it's not charity. And govt. has too much of an effect, from the ridiculous amounts of regulation faced by business owners and now even private property owners to the labyrinthine tax code designed to reward contributors and screw the average working guy like me. I'm tired of hearing how SUVS and "urban sprawl" are destroying the land and how liberal politicos dream of a socialist utopia with 70 percent of every paycheck flowing to their greedy little hands to spend on various vote-buying entitlements that only get bigger and hook more folks. You liberals are some of the most wrong-headed folks ever born, an abberation of nature and with a few exceptions, a inkblot on a nearly perfect nation.
You are such a goof(ball) and just another BIG government spend SPEND spend conservative. I long for the days of Clinton a true fiscal conservative with spending policies based on reality and creating a smaller government --- a true American who could make tough choices for the better of the country.
Are you illiterate? Did you bother to read my above post and anything I've ever written on the subject or did you have a liberal knee-jerk when I merely posted? Before you spit your inane, blathering venom, read some of what I wrote. You might learn something that you apparently did not learn in school. When have I championed increasing Federal spending except for the defense budget? Name the occasion. Well, I'll do your work for you, you lazy bum. I NEVER HAVE ADVOCATED INCREASING ANY NON-DEFENSE spending. Knock, knock, McFly, anybody home? Clinton WAS NOT a fiscal conservative. He was forced to spend less by a REPUBLICAN Congress. Hillarycare was not fiscally conservative. Americorps is not fiscally conservative. Midnight basketball is not fiscally conservative. Bill Clinton is not a true American, if anything, he is largely responsible for the security threats faced during the Bush admin thanks to his cuts in defense and intel, helping the Chicoms acquire our technology through security incompetence and exporting sensitive technology (thanks to a quid pro quo for campaign donations) and other foreign policy goofs. He was more worried about weathering various scandals than actually taking care of Job # 1, which is to see to the security of our nation. Remove your head from your posterior, make a post based on the facts, not on your liberal programming and please, think five minutes before you write every word.
