how do we get the deficit to zero?
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How Do We GetThe Deficit To Zero?
Or, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.”
Paul M. JonesMid-South Tea Party General Meeting
Thursday, May 20, 2010
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Who Cares?• Portugal, Italy, Ireland,
Greece, Spain (PIIGS)
• Deficit spending for decades
• Under Euro, cannot inflate
• Can’t borrow any more
• IMF bailout, austerity measures
• Strikes, riots in response
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Greek Riots
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2010 Federal Budget
• Revenues: $2,165,000,000,000
• Spending: $3,721,000,000,000
• Deficit: $1,556,000,000,000
• (source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb, table S-4; graphic from Heritage)
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Big Numbers• Count to a million:
11.57 days
• Count to a billion:31.68 years
• Count to a trillion:31,688 years
• Count the deficit:49,306 years
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Human-Scale Numbers• Revenues per household:
$18,276
• Spending: per household:$31,406
• Deficit per household:$13,130
• (source: http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/washington-will-spend-31406-per-household-this-year/1086283, via Heritage)
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Fiscal Responsibility
• Raise taxes by 72% per household,keep spending in place
• Cut spending by 44% per household,keep taxes in place
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What To Cut?• Earmarks
• Foreign aid
• Farm subsidies
• Bailouts
• IRS
• ???
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It’s Not EnoughPer HouseholdSocial Security/MedicareDefenseAntipovertyUnemploymentInterest on the debtVeteransʼ benefitsFederal employee retirement benefitsEducationHighways/transitHealth research/regulationMortgage creditEverything elseTotal spendingTotal revenuesDeficit
-$9,949.00-$6,071.00-$5,466.00-$1,640.00-$1,585.00-$1,052.00-$1,018.00-$914.00-$613.00-$550.00-$470.00
-$2,078.00-$31,406.00$18,276.00-$13,130.00
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It’s Not EnoughPer HouseholdSocial Security/MedicareDefenseAntipovertyUnemploymentInterest on the debtVeteransʼ benefitsFederal employee retirement benefitsEducationHighways/transitHealth research/regulationMortgage creditEverything elseTotal spendingTotal revenuesDeficit
-$9,949.00-$6,071.00-$5,466.00-$1,640.00-$1,585.00-$1,052.00-$1,018.00-$914.00-$613.00-$550.00-$470.00
-$2,078.00-$31,406.00$18,276.00-$13,130.00
-$21,486
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Draconian Example•Keep all taxes
• Cut everything except ...
• Social Security/Medicare
• Defense
• Antipoverty
• Debt Interest
• $4795 deficit
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The (Hard) Solution
• Not enough to demand low taxes
• Not enough to cut spending “in general”
• Need to cut spending in the most popular (i.e., most expensive) programs
• By large amounts (44% on average)
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Volunteers?
• Who will volunteer to take the hit?
• Social Security? Medicare? Food stamps?
• Reduced defense? Veterans? Retirees?
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Social Issues• Sexy, emotional, compelling:
• Immigration enforcement
• Abortion
• Gay marriage
• Drug war
• “Others are doing wrong.”
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Fiscal Issues
• Deficits spending is not sexy ...
• ... but with deficits, we follow PIIGS.
• After a debt crisis, social issues will pale.
• We are doing wrong.
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What We Can Do
• Send back the free lunch
• Politicians do what they get rewarded for
• Tell politicians to cut spending 44% ...
• ... especially our favorite programs ...
• ... and re-elect them when they do!
• Cutting “billions”? Not serious.
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The Things We LovePer HouseholdSocial Security/MedicareDefenseAntipovertyUnemploymentInterest on the debtVeteransʼ benefitsFederal employee retirement benefitsEducationHighways/transitHealth research/regulationMortgage creditEverything elseTotal spendingTotal revenuesDeficit
-$9,949.00-$6,071.00-$5,466.00-$1,640.00-$1,585.00-$1,052.00-$1,018.00-$914.00-$613.00-$550.00-$470.00
-$2,078.00-$31,406.00$18,276.00-$13,130.00
-$21,486
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Truth ...
• Not fair; violates expectations
• 44% sooner, or 100% later
• Inflation, confiscation, collapse
• Constitution ignored now? Wait until US bankruptcy. (Argentina 2001)
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... or Consequences
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Conclusion
• Cutting spending is a true sacrifice
• Lives, fortunes, sacred honor
• A 44% reduction in spending now ...
• ... or Greece later
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• Paul M. Jones
• http://paul-m-jones.com
• @pmjones