'Pub talking point-Re: the deficit

[Peachhead22]

I just channel surfed past Fox News, and stopped on it for a few seconds. They had a guest on that was taking about the record deficit. I'll try to paraphrase:

Guest: The deficit is huge and it's going to cause high interest rates in the future.

Anchor: Yeah, but the deficit is less than it was projected to be.

Guest: Yeah, but it's still 2-times what it was a year or two ago.

Anchor: Yeah, but it's less than it was projected to be...

Argh! So they give us really bad intentionally inflated estimates right off the bat, we freak out, then when it turns out to be slightly less bad (but still horrible), that's their version of "good" news?

It won't surprise me if this is the tactic with the Iraq funding request. Initially ask for $87 billion, then if it gets wittled down to $85 billion it's "Look, we saved $2 billion."

[denverbill]

1. That's been their MO since January 2001.

They ask for the moon, when they only want 1/2 the moon. Bush campaigned on a $500 billion tax cut. When he started pushing the cut, he demanded it be increased to $750 billion. The Democrats 'compromised' and gave him $500 billion. He pulls the same damned thing every year and the Dems fall for it.

All year long they were projecting $380 billion deficit. Suddenly, for no reason, in July, the White House issues the fake numbers of $450 billion.

[central scrutinizer]

2. low expectations

If you set the bar really low, anything could be construed as being good. We may say, but the president has a room temperature IQ, they will say, no, it is actually closer to 75 and room temperature is 72.

[teryang]

3. They don't say how much of the deficit is "reduced"

....by FICA revenues. The "lock box" is a thing of the past. Without FICA the deficit would be much higher. Taking from Social Security to give the rich tax cuts and buy weapons of war.