"Deficit Reduction" really means Democracy Reduction, reducing the ability of the demos to spend money for the public good.
By the same token, the infamous "Starve the Beast" strategy of Grover Norquest really means "Starve Democracy."
As Noam Chomsky pointed out in article I linked yesterday, in political discussions the word "jobs" really mean "PROFITS". The policies usually discussed around increasing jobs usually have to do with increasing profits, not jobs.
Whether you agree with "ignore the deficit" James Galbraith or not, many leading economists (Paul Krugman, Brad DeLong, Dean Baker, Mark Thoma, and many others) do not believe the US deficit is too high right now, rather they believe it is too low right now. The long term deficit is almost entirely in healthcare spending, which is already addressed considerably by the healthcare reform package passed last year, but would be better addressed by a Single Payer healthcare system.
Also I strongly agree with Galbraith on the important issues that should be discussed, like unemployment and global warming, instead of deficit reduction. Those issues are far, far more important for the future.
By the same token, the infamous "Starve the Beast" strategy of Grover Norquest really means "Starve Democracy."
As Noam Chomsky pointed out in article I linked yesterday, in political discussions the word "jobs" really mean "PROFITS". The policies usually discussed around increasing jobs usually have to do with increasing profits, not jobs.
Whether you agree with "ignore the deficit" James Galbraith or not, many leading economists (Paul Krugman, Brad DeLong, Dean Baker, Mark Thoma, and many others) do not believe the US deficit is too high right now, rather they believe it is too low right now. The long term deficit is almost entirely in healthcare spending, which is already addressed considerably by the healthcare reform package passed last year, but would be better addressed by a Single Payer healthcare system.
Also I strongly agree with Galbraith on the important issues that should be discussed, like unemployment and global warming, instead of deficit reduction. Those issues are far, far more important for the future.
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