tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post6429778193153542877..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: ACA Makes Deficit Reduction Harder...By Lowering DeficitJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-62636016905700276722010-07-17T19:36:49.376-05:002010-07-17T19:36:49.376-05:00Matt,
No, Iraq is already cooked in -- leaving ba...Matt,<br /><br />No, Iraq is already cooked in -- leaving basically on the current schedule won't save anything against the long-term deficit forecasts. Sorry.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-82124944475199216012010-07-17T15:56:57.101-05:002010-07-17T15:56:57.101-05:00I hope that the other low-haning fruit for deficit...I hope that the other low-haning fruit for deficit reduction is savings from Iraq. I'm fearful that it's not a low-hanging as I would like, but that'd make a big dent in the deficit.Matt Jarvisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-91946710222515064782010-07-17T01:38:21.095-05:002010-07-17T01:38:21.095-05:00Yes, there's new spending. But on the whole, ...Yes, there's new spending. But on the whole, the ACA lowers the deficit. <br /><br />This gets to the whole thing about conservatives and the deficit; they can't seem to grasp the fact that deficits are an entirely different thing than the spending levels. Yes, the ACA increases spending, but as long as it also cuts other spending plus raises taxes, and the combination lowers the deficit...well, then, it lowers the deficit. <br /><br />It's a bad thing if your goal is to minimize government spending -- and if that's your goal, that's fine. It's just not the same goal as reducing the deficit.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-74253778158452841102010-07-17T01:14:56.920-05:002010-07-17T01:14:56.920-05:00You seem to elide Krauthammer's central point,...You seem to elide Krauthammer's central point, which is that the deficit impact of the ACA cuts is given over to the "new entitlement," by which I assume he means insurance subsidies. What of that?Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10559337725063627254noreply@blogger.com