We are at a tipping point. The point at which the weight shifts and everything crashes down one way or the other. In fact, the rancor in Washington DC over the 2011 AND 2012 budgets is because both Democrats and Republicans realize we are at this point.
On the right, the Tea Party movement came about because an awful lot of people who are usually too busy to be involved realize that our country’s debt is completely unsustainable. They believe drastic action is necessary to avert economic disaster.
On the left, people who depend on government, from employees to recipients of government handouts to foreign heads of state with hat in hand are adamant that spending must go up, ever upward. The Democrats are counting on the weight of the dependent class to tip things in their favor.
Never mind the 2011 budget, since the fiscal year is half over, and if Congress doesn’t make a deal, there could be shutdowns every other month. The Republican-led House Budget Committee’s 2012 budget for the next 10 years is being roundly condemned for cutting $6 trillion compared with previous budgets. It should be pointed out that spending still goes UP in this budget, just not as much as the previous budgets.
There is also a Tea Party Caucus proposal that cuts more than $9 trillion and balances the budget by 2020. Neither this proposal nor the official committee product are expected to survive the Senate vote. This raises several questions:
- If we can cut $9 trillion, almost a trillion a year, how much are we spending, for Pete’s sake?
- If the official budget proposal only cuts $6 trillion, how long will IT take to balance the budget and will I live to see it?
- If cutting $9 trillion takes 9 years to get us even, how long will the Democrats’ plan take?
