Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Not that 70s show

Powerline's "Hindrocket" --

The era of federal budget deficits dates, I believe, from the Supreme Court's Nixon-era holding that the practice of "impoundment" by the executive branch--simply declining to spend money appropriated by Congress--is unconstitutional.

Go to the White House's Economic Report of the President tables, and download B-79 (Excel). The minus numbers are deficits e.g. in 1934. And other than FDR, who had a Depression and total war to deal with, they get bad under Republican presidents.

But when your level of argument is to quote a White House press release and then declare "I'm convinced," those numbers are really just a pesky detail.

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