December 10, 2007

Paygo: Carnival Huckster Of Fiscal Discipline

The Democrats have insisted that the "paygo" rules enforce fiscal discipline, except when they don't. They gave up on paygo when they voted for the AMT patch that will save middle-class taxpayers from a $50 billion Congressional mistake. The Wall Street Journal explains that paygo never really represented fiscal responsibility, but instead presented Democrats with a fig leaf for taxation.

Why so? It turns out that paygo doesn't apply to an overwhelming majority of the federal budget: domestic spending and entitlements. At Heading Right, I point out that the rules only restrict the most Constitutionally legitimate parts of the federal budget while allowing the greatest amount of leeway for the priorities of the Democratic Party. Until paygo applies to the entire federal budget, it's nothing more than a three-card Monty i terms of fiscal discipline. No wonder the Democrats gave it up so easily.

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» Another Broken Promise…Paygo Was Just A Joke BTW from Right Voices
Democrats admit it was all a big confidence game. “Democrats are committed to ending years of irresponsible budget policies that have produced historic deficits. Instead of compiling trillions of dollars of debt onto our children and grandchildr... [Read More]

» Pay Go Now No Go from Adam's Blog
Podcast Show Notes  Democrats abandonned pay go requirements to patch the AMT but the Wall Street Journal won’t let it go without first exposing it as a colossal scam. (Hat Tip: Captain’s Quarters.) Meanwhile, Senate Republicans plan capit... [Read More]

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