Friday, December 14, 2012
The Budget Baseline Con - WSJ.com
Elected officials have (deliberately ?) created so many rules, policies, procedures, and twists that very few have the time or resources to figure them all out.
dd in wording, terminology, acronyms, and who knows what else; and, it gets even worse...
dd in wording, terminology, acronyms, and who knows what else; and, it gets even worse...
The Wall Street Journal wants us to know about this. Unfortunately, very few will even see this:
"Since 1974, Capitol Hill's 'baseline' has automatically increased spending every year according to Congressional Budget Office projections, which means before anyone has submitted a budget or cast a single vote. Tax and spending changes are then measured off that inflated baseline, not in absolute terms.
The most absurd current example is Mr. Obama's claim that his '$4 trillion' plan reduces the deficit by about $800 billion over 10 years by ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But those 'savings,' as he calls them, are measured against a White House budget office spending baseline that is fictional."
