Since taking control of Congress, Democrats have proposed spending $205 billion more than Bush has requested for the next five years. How will liberals pay for all that additional government spending? Tax increases, of course. Democrats want to raise taxes by an astonishing $400 billion -- the largest amount in history.
What’s most shameful is the failure of liberals in Congress to take seriously the threat posed by the big three entitlements -- Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. They will grow uncontrollably once Baby Boomers start collecting benefits, yet lawmakers appear content to pass the problem off for another day.
Bush tried to reform Social Security in 2005, only to be thwarted at every turn by Democrats. Now, in an effort to kick the ball down the court, groups on the right and left are working their way across America to educate citizens -- and especially reporters -- about the country’s long-term financial condition. The Fiscal Wake-Up Tour is intended to do just what the name implies -- wake up Americans to the realities of the country’s growing fiscal imbalance.
As entitlement spending continues to grow, Americans will be left with a choice between higher taxes proposed by liberals or free-market solutions offered by conservatives. As the declining deficit and economic growth have shown, Bush’s policies have proven effective. Of course, don’t expect to read about it in the
New York Times,
Washington Post or
Los Angeles Times.
Correction: The New York Times ran a 96-word Associated Press report on the deficit on Page A22 on Friday.