republibots on the rampage!

Economies are defined by spending, which is why tax cuts by themselves don't, well, cut it when it comes to jumpstarting a sluggish (and then some) economy. This isn't only a sensible conclusion based on even a basic knowledge of economics; this is the opinion of some pretty big brains. To wit, the latest from the Congressional Research Service. I haven't read the whole report yet, but here's a good bit from the summary:

Fiscal policy temporarily stimulates the economy through an increase in spending which also, if not offset by increases in revenue, increases the budget deficit. There is a consensus that certain proposals, ones that result in more spending, can be implemented quickly, and leave no long-term effect on the budget deficit, would increase the benefits and reduce the costs of fiscal stimulus relative to other proposals. Economists generally agree that spending proposals are somewhat more stimulative than tax cuts since part of a tax cut may be saved by the recipients.

And here's another:

If the goal of stimulus is to maximize the boost to total spending while minimizing the increase in the budget deficit (in order to minimize the deleterious effects of “crowding out”), then maximum bang for the buck would be desirable. The primary way to achieve the most bang for the buck is by choosing policies that result in spending, not saving. Direct government spending on goods and services would therefore lead to the most bang for the buck since none of it would be saved. The largest categories of direct federal spending are national defense, health, infrastructure, public order and safety, and natural resources.

Johnathan Stein, who posted about this at the Mother Jones blog, quite rightly wonders what's going on with Republicans, but I suspect that the answer is more obvious than we think. Reagan switched places with a clone, who grew old and eventually died, while the Real Gipper hid in his underground lair and created an army of Republibots who would infiltrate Washington and spread his ideology according to their narrow programming. So Republibots, of course, don't need to do homework or think; they just need to follow their programming, which is to resist Democrats at any cost and solve any and all problems with one solution: tax cuts. Recession? Tax cuts. Election campaign? Tax cuts. Diaper in need of changing? Tax cuts.