Author: Bill White
Publisher: PublicAffairs
ISBN: 1610393449
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 577
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Book Description
What would Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, Truman, and Eisenhower have done about today's federal debt crisis? America's Fiscal Constitution tells the remarkable story of fiscal heroes who imposed clear limits on the use of federal debt, limits that for two centuries were part of an unwritten constitution. Those national leaders borrowed only for extraordinary purposes and relied on well-defined budget practices to balance federal spending and revenues. That traditional fiscal constitution collapsed in 2001. Afterward -- for the first time in history -- federal elected officials cut taxes during war, funded permanent new programs entirely with debt, grew dependent on foreign creditors, and claimed that the economy could not thrive without routine federal borrowing. For most of the nation's history, conservatives fought to restrain the growth of government by insisting that new programs be paid for with taxation, while progressives sought to preserve opportunities for people on the way up by balancing budgets. Virtually all mainstream politicians recognized that excessive debt could jeopardize private investment and national independence. With original scholarship and the benefit of experience in finance and public service, Bill White dispels common budget myths and distills practical lessons from the nation's five previous spikes in debt. America's Fiscal Constitution offers an objective and hopeful guide for people trying to make sense of the nation's current, most severe, debt crisis and its impact on their lives and our future.
Author: Herbert Stein
Publisher: A E I Press
ISBN: 9780844737379
Category : Fiscal policy
Languages : en
Pages : 526
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Book Description
This study chronicles the revolution in fiscal policy that occurred in the United States between the administrations of Herbert Hoover and John F.Kennedy. Unforeseen by any economist or school of economics, this period saw the doctrine of balancing the budget give way to the principle of managing government expenditures and taxes to ensure stability and growth.
Author: John Merrifield
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 1498553540
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 259
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Book Description
Restoring America’s Fiscal Constitution estimates the potential impact of new fiscal rules on the U.S. economy over the next two decades. The new rules would require a cyclically balanced budget and an expenditure limit. The study shows that over the forecast period, the budget could be balanced and the total debt-to-GDP ratio reduced to the 60 percent tolerance level under this scheme, but this fiscal consolidation can only be achieved using a combination of fiscal reforms that go far beyond what has been proposed by Congress and the President. The first chapter explores the theoretical foundations of a fiscal constitution. The orthodox public finance view of public debt is contrasted with a public choice perspective. This is followed by chapters surveying the new fiscal rules enacted in other countries to address debt issues. Several chapters provide a historical perspective on U.S. debt, including a critical appraisal of our fiscal rules. New laws are proposed to address the debt crisis, and a dynamic simulation model is used to estimate the impact of the proposed laws on the U.S. economy. The final section provides a roadmap for enacting the proposed constitutional and statutory fiscal rules.
Author: John Merrifield
Publisher: Cato Institute
ISBN: 1948647893
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 616
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Book Description
"'A Fiscal Cliff' is precisely the right book for perilous fiscal times. Giants in economics and public policy offer a spirited defense of fiscal rules critically needed to protect our children and grandchildren from a bleak future." -Richard K. Vedder, Distinguished Professor of Economics Emeritus, Ohio University/p> The unsustainable, and still rapidly growing, U.S. federal government debt is a classic case of ‘'in denial.” Indeed, we are no closer to a solution to the debt crisis than we were ten years ago when the Simpson-Bowles Commission issued a report with recommendations to address the nation's debt crisis. The bipartisan Commission fell short of the supermajority vote required to submit their recommendations to Congress. President Trump declared a debt crisis, but didn't act like it. Various commissions and think tanks have made numerous recommendations. In 2019, a Congressional Committee was appointed to recommend budget process reforms, but that Committee could not agree on any recommendations to submit to Congress. While the dominant sentiment is that maybe if we ignore it, it will just go away, the debt crisis will not just vanish. A Fiscal Cliff: New Perspectives on the U.S. Debt Crisis is a timely addition to a critical policy discussion.
Author: Chris Edwards
Publisher: Cato Institute
ISBN: 1933995513
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 263
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Book Description
The federal government is running huge budget deficits, spending too much, and heading toward a financial crisis. Federal spending soared under President George W. Bush, and the costs of programs for the elderly are set to balloon in coming years. Hurricane Katrina has made the federal budget situation even more desperate. In Downsizing the Federal Government Cato Institute budget expert Chris Edwards provides policymakers with solutions to the growing federal budget mess. Edwards identifies more than 100 federal programs that should be terminated, transferred to the states, or privatized in order to balance the budget and save hundreds of billions of dollars. Edwards proposes a balanced reform package of cuts to entitlements, domestic programs, and excess defense spending. He argues that these cuts would not only eliminate the deficit, but also strengthen the economy, enlarge personal freedom, and leave a positive fiscal legacy for the next generation. Downsizing the Federal Government discusses the systematic causes of wasteful spending, and it overflows with examples of federal programs that are obsolete and mismanaged. The book examines the budget process and shows how policymakers act contrary to the interests of average Americans by favoring special interests.
Author: Douglas A. Irwin
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226384756
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 365
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Book Description
Papers of the National Bureau of Economic Research conference held at Dartmouth College on May 8-9, 2009.
Author: W. Elliot Brownlee
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521545204
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 308
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Book Description
This brief survey is a comprehensive historical overview of the US federal tax system.
Author: Chip Maxwell
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
ISBN: 9781475183221
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 250
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Book Description
A reader-friendly explanation of the need to restore limited government and other American founding values.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Finance, Public
Languages : en
Pages : 192
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Book Description
Author: Ajay K. Mehrotra
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107043921
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 447
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Book Description
Making the Modern American Fiscal State chronicles the rise of the US system of direct and progressive taxation.
