Conservatives Dispute GOP Budget Claims--WashPost

[barbaraann]

Conservatives Dispute GOP Budget Claims
Figures Cited Are for Authorized Spending, Not Actual Outlays, Say Critics
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 26, 2003; Page A06

After three straight years of double-digit increases in federal spending, President Bush and the Republican Congress say they have the situation under control. But a number of conservatives say actual spending this year will be triple the figures cited by the White House.

The two camps have simply chosen different kinds of budget numbers to bolster their positions. Bush enumerates the amount of spending that Congress authorizes each year. His critics cite the actual amount the government is spending. In effect, the president and his allies are counting the money put into the spending pipeline, while the others count the amount flowing out the other side, some of which may have been slowly trickling through for years.
...
J.T. Young, a spokesman for the White House budget office, likened the debate to a holiday shopping trip. If a shopper spends a total of $500 one day using four credit cards, should he tell his wife he spent $500 when he comes home, or should he tell her about each bill as he writes the checks to the credit card companies?"
...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30791-2003Dec25.html

Do you suppose--just suppose--that our President could be (gasp) misleading us?