opinion  samuelson


The Washington Post: Robert J. Samuelson

What's missing from the Great Budget Debate: seriousness
In the Great Budget Debate, Democrats and Republicans are closer than you might think. Neither is proposing a balanced budget anytime soon; both peddle soothing myths to convince supporters that they're upholding either "liberal" or "conservative" values. Meanwhile, the public seems largely clueless about the enormity of the problem. The Congressional Budget Office reckons that, in 2021, even after a full economic recovery, the remaining deficit will equal almost 5 percent of gross domestic product. In today's dollars, that's $750 billion. It's the hole that needs filling.   ( April 17, 2011)

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