海角大神

I鈥檝e recently seen this on prime-time TV. I think it鈥檚 what those who oppose efforts to reduce the deficit refer to as I think it does qualify as 鈥渇rightening鈥� and if not a total exaggeration is at least overly dramatic in its depiction of the Chinese as an evil enemy. What bothers me about the motives of CAGW in putting out this ad is that they鈥檙e trying to scare people into supporting鈥� NOT less borrowing, but really lower spending and lower taxes. As CAGW themselves explain (emphasis added):

The new ad is part of an ongoing communications program in CAGW鈥檚 decades-long fight against wasteful government spending, increased taxes, out-of-control deficit spending, and a crippling national debt that threatens the future and survival of our country.

In other words this is intended to scare people into supporting the false notion that we can reduce the debt by reducing spending鈥揳nd only 鈥渨asteful鈥� and the vaguely-defined 鈥渙ut-of-control deficit鈥� spending at that鈥揳lone. This is delusional.

Yet I think I fear the even more. These ads poke fun of the fiscal hawks and essentially bully people into not believing the 鈥渟cary鈥� facts (yes, facts) that fiscal hawks emphasize, by exaggerating how the facts are presented. Their bottom line: 鈥淚t鈥檚 only scary if you believe it.鈥� This group wants to scare people into opposing any cuts to entitlement spending. They want to reduce the deficit by tax increases alone. But they are going about it by suggesting the whole claim that large deficits are a problem is a false one. This 鈥渇earing of the fear mongering鈥� troubles me a bit more. The first type of 鈥渇ear mongering鈥� is delusional in perpetuating the notion that tax cuts can be consistent with deficit reduction. But this second type of 鈥�fear-the-fear-mongering fear mongering鈥� is more dangerous because it encourages people to ignore the facts and live in denial about not just how to solve the fiscal challenges facing our nation but there being any problem at all.

So you have one side trying to fear monger you into the contradictory positions of supporting deficit reduction but opposing any tax increases, and the other side trying to fear monger you into ignoring the facts about the deficit so that you鈥檒l oppose any cuts to benefits. This isn鈥檛 helpful. I can鈥檛 wait until the election is over and the fear mongering on both sides dies down a bit. For now, if you don鈥檛 already fear this fear mongering, then at least be very wary of it.

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