I think it was Ron Paul who said “Spending is the tax.”

Good point about surplus and high taxation. 

Spending is the key metric because taxation is what governments spend not what it collects. 

I wish people would stop talking about balancing the budget.   We can “balance” the budget with high taxes but that trade off is unacceptable 

Bell_curve

I don't think so. If they spent just as much but were running a surplus because taxes were so high, that would be worse.

I agree though, that most of the time it's a distraction and spending is more important.

econ

U.S. Treasury Cash Surge 

GhostofTruth

I don't think so. If they spent just as much but were running a surplus because taxes were so high, that would be worse.

I agree though, that most of the time it's a distraction and spending is more important.