“House Republicans eked out a victory on a $39.5 billion budget-cutting package on Wednesday, with a handful of skittish Republicans switching their votes at the last minute in opposition to reductions in spending on health and education programs. . . . The measure represents the first major effort by lawmakers since 1997 to cut the growth of so-called entitlement programs, including student loans, crop subsidies and Medicaid, in which spending is determined by eligibility criteria.” (New York Times, Thursday)
Logic 101: They can't be both reductions in spending and cuts in the growth of spending.
FEE Timely Classic
“The Return of Activist Government?” by Joseph Stromberg