Reducing Spending Now: The Key to Growth, Not Austerity

Posted by freedomforall 3 months, 1 week ago to Economics
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Excerpt:
"Imagine a future where the average American earns $15,000 more each year because Congress reduced federal spending and national debt. Too often, spending cuts are painted as a necessary evil—painful austerity measures that slow the economy. This narrative couldn’t be further from the truth. Economic research shows that stabilizing government debt by cutting spending can unleash economic growth.
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Economic research reinforces the idea that spending cuts can enhance growth. A 2020 study by researchers at the Hoover Institution found that stabilizing and reducing the debt by restraining the growth in federal spending could boost short-run annual GDP growth by 10 percent and long-run growth by 7 percent. More specifically, Cogan, Hail, and Taylor find that an economic plan that curbs entitlement spending without raising taxes can deliver a powerful one-two punch for growth. A credible commitment to reducing future debt and taxes results in higher long-term disposable income for individuals, motivating more consumer spending today. This surge in consumption more than offsets the initial reduction in entitlement benefits, demonstrating that fiscal discipline can create a win-win for the economy."


All Comments

  • Posted by mccannon01 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Indeed! LMAO! Hey, I've known a few drunken sailors in my day - a fun lot! (I was never in the Navy, but had relatives and friends who were.)
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Spending like a drunken sailor is an insult to the sailor. It should be spending like drunken senators.
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  • Posted by mccannon01 3 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Haven't heard of Dave Ramsey, but did variants of the "baby step" activities starting about 45 years ago - it works! Side bar: It was mainly my wife's idea at the time that got us on that road - yep we're still dancin'!
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  • Posted by mccannon01 3 months ago
    A lesson from my personal life: Reducing frivolous spending about 45 years ago resulted in massive growth, surpluses, and a retirement of relative economic freedom (I use the term "relative" because government at all levels is sucking what it can out of me because it hasn't picked up on what I learned 45 years ago).
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  • Posted by $ Abaco 3 months ago
    It's very, very rare that government spending is good - in my mind.
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