The George W. Diet
Lose unsightly pounds by eating like a pig.

In this argument Michael Kinsley trashes the arugments made by conservatives that deficits are good, that they somehow lead to fiscal responsibility. Honestly, I think that that thinking is the new intellectual bullshit, the new Laffer Curve, the new supply side economics. Deficits don't encourage fiscal responsibility, they do the exact opposite, by allowing politicians to offer everything for nothing. Deficits allow politicians to promise the voter tax cuts and new spending, its a way of avoiding hard decisions and setting priorities. What's even more irritating is that some Republicans are claiming that big deficits will discourage future spending increases. It is completely absurd! There is no gaurentee that will happen, in fact recklessness now will probably lead to more recklessness later. This strategy is like playing with fire, deficits can be a drag on the economy by crowding private investments and to use that as a political weapon is mind blowingly negligent. I really hope Bush gets tossed out of White House before he can cause even more harm.