Can't stop, won't stop: Paul Krugman's neverending call for new spending

The unemployment rate is firmly below 6 percent. Growth is humming along at a decent clip. Based on the logic of Krugman’s arguments — which have always conceded that the deficit and debt, and our ability to fund entitlements, are genuine problems, just ones that couldn’t be addressed during the current crisis — one might conclude that now is the time to back off on the deficit spending, to try and bring the budget into balance, in part to assure that we’ll be well placed to spend liberally when the next recession hits.

Advertisement

But to judge from Krugman’s most recent column, nothing has changed, even with the economy taking off and debt hovering at levels not seen since the end of World War II. Conservatives are still sops for the ultra-rich and centrists are still foolishly focused on long-term fiscal concerns instead of the far more pressing problems of the present, which naturally demand yet more deficit spending.

Which brings me to my questions for Krugman: If deficit spending is required when we’re deep in a painful recession, and it’s also required when the economy is growing and creating jobs, when is deficit spending not required? When can it stop? What are the specific economic targets we need to meet before we can begin to readjust our budgeting, making it more sustainable in the long term?

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement