[alexamenos]

$3.6 trillion federal budget, $1.8 trillion projected deficit.

In 2000 the federal budget was $1.8 trillion and the projected deficit around $0.

The federal government has managed to double itself in under a decade by borrowing more than 10% of GDP, all without raising interest rates one iota. Witness here the miracle of the modern printing press, an alchemic marvel which allows us to have our cake and eat it too (\sarcasm & \multiple mixed metaphors). The trajectory we're on, domestically and internationally, monetarily and fiscally, is quite astonishing.

The Banana Republicans can take great credit for this explosive growth in government, a doubling which shamed new dealers and great societies for their lack of governmental ambition. They can take credit also for making wild-eyed radicals of anyone who might suggest that the government at the end of the Clinton era was sufficiently large and a return to such a size, effective tomorrow, is entirely plausible.

The Obamunists think deficit spending right here and now is necessary to save the economy....witness now the benefits we reap from the past 8 years of massive deficit spending (war, war, massive government growth and "market" failure after "market" failure), then quadruple these blessings along with quadrupled deficits. (if deficit spending is such a boon I'm not sure why they're so eager to blame Bush for past deficits when they might reasonably take credit instead.) I actually give the obamunists a little credit -- accounting for the wars in the budget, plausibly reducing matters in Iraq....these aren't unsubstantial things, but their gross economic illiteracy combined with the fascist instincts of the modern liberal will trump the good intentions.

anyhoo....liberty is dead in the US, the corpse just hasn't yet started to stink. the banana republicans finished her off and the obamunists are lubing up for a little necromancy. the best hope is that the festering leviathon will crumble under its own weight and that isn't out of the realm of possibility in our lifetimes, maybe in the next decade.