I would be curious to hear PW's thoughts on the "Abundance" agenda made famous by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson currently making the rounds (at least on the left). Curious how it compares and contrasts with a centrist approach. Seems like there is substantial overlap, but certainly some fundamental differences.
One challenge with the BBB is that it’s so B that few people have the time—or patience—to wade through a 1,000-page document to parse out what’s good and what’s not. So where exactly are the spending problems? No one seems eager to touch entitlement programs, even though Medicaid appears to be on the table. But why not? It accounts for a huge share (60%) of the budget.
From my own experience (and likely yours) in healthcare, we’ve created a culture of entitlement—we’ve become spoiled brats who expect the government or our insurer to cover whatever we want, immediately (18% of GDP). But some well-run countries, like Denmark, offer great examples of how to do socialized medicine more efficiently and responsibly (10% of GDP). We can learn from them.
Meanwhile, defense spending is only about 3.4% of GDP, and the very nature of warfare is being reshaped by drones, asymmetric threats, and a renewed focus on “America First” strategies.
I agree with the centrist view that we have a spending problem. But I’d love to see a clearer breakdown of where the overspending actually is, because the political reality is that it’s tough to make cuts and still get reelected.
I would be curious to hear PW's thoughts on the "Abundance" agenda made famous by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson currently making the rounds (at least on the left). Curious how it compares and contrasts with a centrist approach. Seems like there is substantial overlap, but certainly some fundamental differences.
Illinois Governor Pritzker and Connecticut Senator Murphy also seem to be in centrist camp.
A few thoughts…
One challenge with the BBB is that it’s so B that few people have the time—or patience—to wade through a 1,000-page document to parse out what’s good and what’s not. So where exactly are the spending problems? No one seems eager to touch entitlement programs, even though Medicaid appears to be on the table. But why not? It accounts for a huge share (60%) of the budget.
From my own experience (and likely yours) in healthcare, we’ve created a culture of entitlement—we’ve become spoiled brats who expect the government or our insurer to cover whatever we want, immediately (18% of GDP). But some well-run countries, like Denmark, offer great examples of how to do socialized medicine more efficiently and responsibly (10% of GDP). We can learn from them.
Meanwhile, defense spending is only about 3.4% of GDP, and the very nature of warfare is being reshaped by drones, asymmetric threats, and a renewed focus on “America First” strategies.
I agree with the centrist view that we have a spending problem. But I’d love to see a clearer breakdown of where the overspending actually is, because the political reality is that it’s tough to make cuts and still get reelected.