Quote:
Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
So the proposition Clinton raised taxes while cutting spending comes from the fact that he cut spending on everything but SS and Medicare at the same time he raised taxes. But, when the cost of SS and Medicare are factored in, because the increase in their costs outpaced his cuts in other areas, the net effect was increased taxes and increased spending.
If that's right, well then the issues here are whether SS and Medicare are programs the increasing cost of which Clinton could have avoided. If he could have averted the increased cost of those programs, but instead allowed them to increase, I don't think anyone can say he "raised spending and taxes," but I think you could say "spending and taxes were both increased in 1993 under Clinton." If he couldn't do anything to avoid the increased costs of Medicare and SS, I think the best way to describe what he did was to say "In 1993, Clinton decreased spending in aggregate in all non-SS and Medicare programs while raising taxes."
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http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget...8/pdf/hist.pdf
Page 59
Discretionary Speeding:
1991: 663.0
1992: 643.2
1993: 632.7
1994: 621.6
1995: 609.2
So Bush's 91 budget decreased discretionary spending
Bush's 92 Budget decreased discretionary spending
Budget 93 enacted while Bush 1 was president decreased spending
And the 93 budget act decreased discretionary spending in 94. The biggest drop in discretionary spending was from 1991-1992 when Bush 1. was President.
Neither Bush 1 nor Clinton (with a Dem Congress) tried to touch non-decretory spending.
So the only thing different about the 93 budget act, from previous years, was that it increased taxes.
Ty and friends are trying to make the 93 budget act sound as if it was some incredible act of fiscal courage. When in reality, the only thing it did different from previous years was raise taxes more than the increase in spending.
They are also trying to infer that it is unfair to include non-discretionary spending in the budget because you can't touch that part of the budget. This is also not true. In fact Gingrich and the Republican Congress tried to curb the growth of non-discretionary spending (which shows Congress can do something about it) but Clinton vetoed the bills and then chastised the Republicans for trying to "cut" Medicare and other entitlements while they were really just trying to curb the growth.
