Political Quotes

“since the victory of the Socialist candidate for the President of France, opponents of fiscal responsibility have found renewed vigor for their pro-spending ideology--more stimulus, as we might call it here in this country. There is interest in this country also in more fiscal stimulus. The new French President talked about choosing growth over austerity. Many liberal pundits and politicians on this side of the Atlantic have now begun to echo this call. When you put it that way, it barely sounds like a choice at all. The term ``austerity'' sounds so severe, but almost everybody agrees that economic growth is good. Just what is this austerity all about? In Europe, ``austerity'' is often used to describe an attempt to reduce budget deficits by reining in unsustainable spending. In this country, we more often talk about fiscal responsibility. For Europeans who have grown accustomed to generous social benefits, even modest reforms to government programs are apparently cause to take to the streets and demonstrate. But for the millions of Americans who still believe in limited government and who do not feel entitled to programs or benefits paid for by the earnings of others, there is nothing austere about government spending within its means. So then what about the other aspect of it--growth? The implication of the supposed choice between growth and austerity is that we must accept irresponsible levels of spending in order to have that economic growth.…”