From: Max B. Sawicky <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>A better view of the other stuff, or the whole
>picture, is obtained by considering the trend in
>domestic spending as a share of GDP, or to be
>precise, total outlays less defense and net interest
>payments. This peaks in 1980, takes a long but
>not enormous dip over the 1980's (e.g., less than
>2% of GDP), and is restored by that great man
>George Bush to pre-Reagan levels. (One must
>understand that to Nixon and Ford we owe the
>greatest growth in this variable.)
I would note that the 1990 budget bill under Bush was, indeed, an important
corrective to the worst cuts under Reagan, but with Ron Dellums retirement, I
thought it was worthwhile to praise Dellums for his crucial role in that bill.
After Bush and the Congressional leadership had agreed on a bill with too many
tax benefits for the wealthy, Ron Dellums led progressive Democrats in opposing
the compromise bill (supported by some renegade Republicans who refused to
approve any tax increase). By leading the defeat of the compromise bill,
Dellums helped force through a much better bill that modestly increased taxes on
the wealthy while restoring some spending.
(I would also note that much of the increase in domestic spending under Bush was
due to cyclical spending increases due to the early 90s recession in combination
with the explosion in medical inflation in those years.)
--Nathan Newman
