The growing debt bomb
Cato Institute
by Richard W. Rahn
09/22/09
Even if the politicians break their pledges not to increase taxes, they still cannot solve the deficit problem as long as they refuse to cut back on the growth in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid — because any new tax revenue will be quickly absorbed by the growth in spending. The best that any tax increase could do is delay the explosion of the debt bomb by, perhaps, a couple of years while further weakening the economy and job growth. Now suppose you are not an individual bondholder but the Chinese government official responsible for the Chinese economy, and you know your government holds about $1 trillion in U.S. government securities. You have watched Congress and the administration become less and less fiscally responsible — more spending, more taxes, and more debt. Then suddenly the administration puts punitive tariffs on your tire manufacturers while at the same time refuses to approve the trade treaties with Colombia, Panama and South Korea that have been negotiated...
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10563
Informant: Thomas L. Knapp
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=debt
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Richard+W.+Rahn
by Richard W. Rahn
09/22/09
Even if the politicians break their pledges not to increase taxes, they still cannot solve the deficit problem as long as they refuse to cut back on the growth in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid — because any new tax revenue will be quickly absorbed by the growth in spending. The best that any tax increase could do is delay the explosion of the debt bomb by, perhaps, a couple of years while further weakening the economy and job growth. Now suppose you are not an individual bondholder but the Chinese government official responsible for the Chinese economy, and you know your government holds about $1 trillion in U.S. government securities. You have watched Congress and the administration become less and less fiscally responsible — more spending, more taxes, and more debt. Then suddenly the administration puts punitive tariffs on your tire manufacturers while at the same time refuses to approve the trade treaties with Colombia, Panama and South Korea that have been negotiated...
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10563
Informant: Thomas L. Knapp
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=debt
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Richard+W.+Rahn
rudkla - 23. Sep, 13:57
