No legacy is so rich as honesty - William Shakespeare

The Explosion

by Hal_10000

The Democrats are budgeting and—surprise!—they are spending enough to make Republicans look responsible.  Almost.

The White House disclosed the other day that the fiscal 2009 budget deficit clocked in at $1.4 trillion, amid the usual promises to do something about it. Yet even as budget director Peter Orszag was speaking, House Democrats were moving on a dozen spending bills for fiscal 2010 that total 12.1% in more domestic discretionary increases.

Yes, 12.1%.

Remember, inflation is running close to zero, or 0.8%. The good news, if we can call it that, is that Senate Democrats only want to increase nondefense appropriations by 8% for 2010. Because these funding increases become part of the permanent baseline for future appropriations, the 2010 House budget bills would permanently raise annual outlays for discretionary programs by about $75 billion a year from now until, well, forever.

...

All of this largesse is also on top of the stimulus funding that agencies received in 2009. The budget for the Environmental Protection Agency rose 126%, the Department of Education budget 209% and energy programs 146%.

House Republicans on the Budget Committee added up the 2009 appropriations, the stimulus funding and 2010 budgets and found that federal agencies will, on average, receive a 57% increase in appropriated funds from 2008-2010.

Remember those deficit projections Obama was making?  Those were based on the idea that spending would remain tied to the rate of inflation—and that the “stimulus” would be allowed to expire.  But we’re now seeing that not only is the stimulus going to stay with us forever (as I and every other conservative/libertarian pundit said at the time) we’re going to get an endless series of stimuli that will boost spending and boost spending and boost spending until ... well, it’s not really clear what until.  Until the Chinese stop loaning us money, I guess.

Update: Oddly enough, Congress has found one budget item they’re not sure about—defense.

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