Massive GOP spending cuts begin to take effect

[Wonkish1]

I didn't say the debt has increased only because of a decrease in tax revenue (though that is a part of it), I said that because fiscal conservatives can never just cut government spending as a % of GDP by a large margin (say cut it to 25% or 20%), they go after cutting government revenue instead with the hopes of cutting spending later down the road (a point I said I think we are near or already at).

It's obvious that both revenue decreases and spending increases have led to the increase of the national debt and the margins by which spending increased and revenue stayed constant or decreased speak for themselves.

And the "conclusion" that government spending was only increasing because of inflation and population growth is not one I made, only one you inferred. It's obvious the government is doing more now than it did in the past. In terms of proportions, I'm more comfortable with revenue and spending at higher %s than fiscal conservatives obviously but there are areas where I would like to see changes (less blatant give-aways in the tax code, less prison/military spending, more healthcare/education/infrastructure spending, higher taxes on the rich and big businesses with adopting a financial transaction tax, taxing unearned/unearned income the same, and having higher progressive tax brackets, etc).
Edit: typos

Okay then, my apologies for getting the wrong idea inferred from your remarks.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Austerity will hurt demand, which will drive down revenues further, which will mean the deficit will increase again and the calls for austerity from the usual suspects will come again.

Rinse, repeat. Starve the beast.

[Wonkish1]

Austerity will hurt demand, which will drive down revenues further, which will mean the deficit will increase again and the calls for austerity from the usual suspects will come again.

Rinse, repeat. Starve the beast.

First of all, you do know that tax increases are considered austerity, right?

So what do you suggest for countries that can't realistically issue sovereign debt and are forced to cut?

So you honestly think it would be a never ending cycle all the way down to the stone age for a country? Or do you think that at some point the economy stops falling by the same amount as the amount of cuts?

Not saying I agree with your point at all, or anything above. Just operating under your assumption here and playing the devil's advocate to see if you actually think you've thought your position out.

[CARLHAYDEN]

Wonk.

Some people just don't want to understand.

If we had a national TABOR where increases in spending were limited to the per capita inflation adjusted amount, then spending would grow at a lesser rate than has been the case under Obama.

So, the increases in spending under Obama are not largely explained by either population increases or inflation.

[Torie]

The "cuts" are mostly in the out years, just on a piece of paper, and subject to change by a subsequent Congress by majority vote (no filibuster). On the other hand, any proposed tax change are forever as it were. And therein lies part of the problem and one of the reasons for gridlock. The only real "cuts" will be statutory ones changing the entitlement formulas, which are one of the reasons the Dems are stonewalling on that.

[Simfan34]

The "cuts" are mostly in the out years, just on a piece of paper, and subject to change by a subsequent Congress by majority vote (no filibuster). On the other hand, any proposed tax change are forever as it were. And therein lies part of the problem and one of the reasons for gridlock. The only real "cuts" will be statutory ones changing the entitlement formulas, which are one of the reasons the Dems are stonewalling on that.

Which is where this talk of "fake cuts" comes from, I suppose.

[TJ in Oregon]

Which is where this talk of "fake cuts" comes from, I suppose.

Exactly, the government just needs to authorize now a bunch of planned cuts in five years and since the current US government cannot bind a future government to do anything, they'll just eliminate the cuts in a few years before they take effect.