Deficit Hawkery and Charlatanism

I understand the term "Deficit Hawk" to mean one who wants to avoid a budget deficit as a top-line priority. Note that deficits happen when the intake of the government is smaller than the outlays.

That is called math, notwithstanding the fact that Mike Pence and company repeat ad nauseum that we have a "spending problem" and not a "taxing problem." The fact of the matter is that deficit happen when tax collections are smaller than outlays. Full stop.

We have no deficit hawks in charge in Washington, D.C.

I saw Rep. Mark Meadows (R - N.C.), prominent member of the so-called "Freedom Caucus" destroy his own credibility on deficits this morning on ABC News w/ George Stephanopolous. He was asked directly whether he would be willing to cut taxes knowing that it would increase the federal debt by $1.5 trillion over the next decade.

Recall that Rep. Meadows spent the Obama Administration talking about the "road to serfdom" being paved with government debt.

Rep. "Road to Serfdom" Meadows replied to the $1.5T question by saying that "we know that GDP will go up" and pay for the tax cuts. "We know this will happen."

Do we?

I mean, it was 16 years ago that George W. Bush cut taxes significantly. Have we had this elusive 4% growth since then? Have those tax cuts paid for themselves and solved any deficit problems our nation may have? 

Recall that W. inherited a budget surplus from Clinton. Recall that he left Obama with annual $1T deficits as far as the eye could see, and Obama handed Trump deficits about half that size.

So, to Rep. Meadows and all the other "swashbuckling Republican taxcutters" out there who insist that cutting taxes on Corporations and wealthy Manhattanites will somehow benefit Speedway's rank and file, I say show me how well this worked the last time you did it.

The reason they all talk about Reagan, and not W, I believe, is that memories of Reagan have over the course of the past few decades become  more of a glossy caricature, and people actually remember that W's tax cuts did precisely none of the things that were promised.

So, in sum, Rep. Mark Meadows and Speaker Paul Ryan, with the full  support of Tennessee Trey, Susan Brooks, Luke Messer, and Todd Rokita (all self-proclaimed deficit hawks) are about to vote for a tax bill that will increase the deficit, will over time raise middle class taxes, gives 80% of its benefits to the wealthiest 1% of Americans, and won't boost the economy one iota.

The term "charlatan" is a strong one; sometimes it's not strong enough.