Burden on Our Kids? They Will Thank Us (Why Bush's critics are mostly wrong)

The Los Angeles Times ^ | December 7, 2003 | David Gelernter

[Restorer]

your example precisely illustrates the inanity of the comparison of comparing GDP and budget deficit -- in your own example you compared INCOME with ability to service debt.

Maybe you need to speak more slowly for me.:)

Does not the GDP of a society correspond (as much as anything can) to the INCOME of a family? And is there not a relationship (although often affected by other factors) between income and ability to service debt?

I think a more relevant comparison is between GDP and debt, not deficit. Most people confuse debt and deficit.

Have you seen the amounts for debt as a percentage of GDP? My understanding is that they are lower than they have frequently been in the past.

[Restorer]

I think I just figured out your point on #14. You think the government's income is what should be compared to the deficit, not GDP.

I'm not sure I agree. The government is not an individual. Its income is merely the amount of our GDP (national income) that our society has jointly agreed to allocate to pay our joint expenses.

[qam1]

Have you seen the amounts for debt as a percentage of GDP? My understanding is that they are lower than they have frequently been in the past.

Yes I have seen the numbers. The Debt as a % of GDP is 61.4% in 2003 which is up from 60.2% in 2002 up from 56.8% in 2001 so it is growing.

It's recent highest was in 1996 at 67.3% so it is down but the way the "Smaller Government" Republicans are spending who knows for how long.

I am just utterly amazed that Republicans/Conservatives including Rush who used to rally against the massive deficit spending of the past Democratic congresses are now defending these inexcusable deficits.