The pusher-addict duality is a brutal but accurate framing for how government spending spirals. Friedman's point about judging by results hits different when you see $9 billion in Medicaid fraud and realize the systemic incentives actually reward looking the other way. The part about interest costs doubling by 2035 is the real kicker though, because servicing debt becomes the primary expenditure and crowds out everything else. I've been tracking CBO projections for a while, and the compounding effect on discretionary spending is gona be nasty.
Excellent piece, and I love the pusher, addict,and batter spouse metaphors. Anyone who’s able to write a piece with quote from Steppenwolf, Friedman, and Hamilton has my attention. Thanks, Mark
The pusher-addict duality is a brutal but accurate framing for how government spending spirals. Friedman's point about judging by results hits different when you see $9 billion in Medicaid fraud and realize the systemic incentives actually reward looking the other way. The part about interest costs doubling by 2035 is the real kicker though, because servicing debt becomes the primary expenditure and crowds out everything else. I've been tracking CBO projections for a while, and the compounding effect on discretionary spending is gona be nasty.
Thanks so much!
Excellent piece, and I love the pusher, addict,and batter spouse metaphors. Anyone who’s able to write a piece with quote from Steppenwolf, Friedman, and Hamilton has my attention. Thanks, Mark