Oh, I’m sorry. Was that rude? Anyone who thinks the problem we have is the deficit is either stupid or has a hidden agenda. In light of their exalted view of Pete Peterson, you can bet on the latter:
Put another way: Medicare and Social Security remain on track to crowd out other spending, slow economic growth and leave the government paying more in interest costs — 5 percent of GDP by 2038, compared with an average of 2 percent over the past 40 years. Just to keep pace, the government would have to tax more and more, or cut more and more, or both. The longer policymakers wait to address these issues, the harder it will be, not least because the interest will keep piling up.
“The unsustainable nature of the federal government’s current tax and spending policies presents lawmakers and the public with difficult choices,” the CBO concludes. Mr. Obama ran for president promising to make such difficult choices. Lawmakers such as House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) have made similar boasts.
Instead they are facing the unthinkable prospect of shutting down the government as they squabble over the inconsequential accomplishment of a 10-week funding extension. It isn’t serious, but it certainly isn’t funny.
The Republicans, once upon a time racist Southern Democrats, who only represent the 1% have been trying to get rid of Social Security for 80 years. That is an impossible task. So thier new tactic is to bankrupt the federal government. Starve it of taxes. Either by getting rid of taxes altogether (“End the IRS”) or by driving unemployment up so high that the lack of tax dollars coming in coupled with subsidies being paid out to the unemployed bankrupts the system. Evil bastards the 1%.