Show political realism ACCORDING ACCORDING to time political realists long have harbored the idea that expenditures public cannot be reduced for reasons both political and social the U S economic system is going to support a larger and larger debt the U S budget is not likely to be balanced by the new deal or by a successor administration for a long time to come corollary of this is that the U S debt will never be paid of fand that until some drastic event L i such as wild inflation changes public opinion the U S will not again attempt to live within its means such an idea may or may not be well founded but it is a certainty that if the so called political realists who harbor it were suddenly faced with the realistic and devastating in conclusion which it implies they would instantly abandon it with the instinct of self preservation they would fight to the last to halt runaway budgets they would strive mightily to educate the public to the fact that excessive spending and the piling up of deficits indefinitely is literally suicidal with the federal debt nearing and with interest charges now amounting to more than the total annual budget of a few years ago the man in public life who advocates progressive economy is indeed the realist not the politician who spends because he thinks the country is going broke anyway |