Making a Good Budget Better

Congress Has a Chance to Deal With Long-Term Deficits

By Alice M. Rivlin
WashPost
Thursday, March 26, 2009

President Obama sent Congress a bold budget reflecting the values of his campaign and the dire economic straits he inherited. This plan would, however, raise deficits to unsustainable levels well after the economy recovers. Now Congress has a chance to make the budget better by reducing the long-term deficits.

Or it could make it worse.

The president's budget reflects the candidate's diagnosis of America's economic ills and offers good remedies. It proposes investments in education, science and infrastructure that will, if spent effectively, enhance the productivity of American workers. Steps toward health-care reform, especially electronic medical records and research on the cost-effectiveness of treatments, will help make the system more efficient.

Most of these targeted cures enjoy wide public support, but that support starts to erode when it comes to paying the bill.

(More here.)