Balancing the budget. Fighting the false rhetoric of deficits.

[gulliver]

A deficit is worse than a tax increase. It seems completely insane to me that the words "tax increase" are made to seem worse than the term "deficit."

Has anyone ever suggested the following: Each and every deficit dollar should be required by law to be accompanied by fixed terms of repayment based on a future tax increase. The tax increase should be spelled out right in the budget with the borrowing, and the tax increase should be progressive.

This would allow legitimate deficit spending without tying the government's hands in the way that a balanced budget requirement does. Deficits could be used in emergencies, but the tax increases that pay off the borrowing would be enacted simultaneously and take effect at a fixed future date. This would be a "sunrise" provision on a tax increase as opposed to a "sunset" provision.

Something has to be done. Bush and his Republicans have raised taxes dramatically on the American people. They have bought popularity and power with funny money. They have raised taxes and lyingly and insultingly called their methods and result "tax cuts." Would someone please explain to me why we let this transparent, criminal theft from the American people hide behind a rhetorical fig leaf like the word "deficit?" There needs to be a mechanism to end this.

[whistle]

1. Well especially the deficits that have been run under Bush's watch

...which have balooned the National Debt by some 78% from where it was when Shrub* took office in January 2001. In addition the treasury under neocon directorship has borrowed against all of the Social Security surplus and has hidden those funds from appearing under the general fiscal budget, so the real National Debt is easily $2.9 trillion greater than than the $9.2 trillion debt that is being reported.