Reagan's fiscal policy would have been unconstitutional under amendment proposed by Senate GOP

[ProSense]

Reagan's fiscal policy would have been unconstitutional under amendment proposed by Senate GOP

by Jed Lewison

Ezra Klein with an amazing illustration of just how extreme the Senate GOP's proposed balanced budget amendment really is:

This isn’t just a Balanced Budget Amendment. It also includes a provision saying that tax increases would require a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress — so, it includes a provision making it harder to balance the budget — and another saying that total spending couldn’t exceed 18 percent of GDP. No allowances are made for recessions, though allowances are made for wars. Not a single year of the Bush administration would qualify as constitutional under this amendment. Nor would a single year of the Reagan administration. The Clinton administration would’ve had exactly two years in which it wasn’t in violation.

Read that again: Every single Senate Republican has endorsed a constitutional amendment that would’ve made Ronald Reagan’s fiscal policy unconstitutional. That’s how far to the right the modern GOP has swung.

It's crazy enough to bar spending more than 18% of GDP—basically, the only way to hit that target would be to radically cut Social Security and Medicare every single time there is a recession, and there's no way that would make any economic sense whatsoever. But requiring a two-thirds majority for tax increases? That's pure madness, especially given that there's already a filibuster in the Senate. The only thing it would do would be to make this country even more ungovernable than it already is. Although I suppose that might be the point.

[ProSense]

1. No comment? n/t

[Sherman A1]

2. Oh, those zany members of the GOP!

They are simply a madcap group I tell ya!

[bulloney]

3. A lot of Reagan's policies would have been condemned by today's GOP.

But, in this Alice-in-Wonderland world of fascist talk radio, and a general population that been dumbed down to scary proportions because of it, Reagan holds iconic status among Republicans.

Go figure.