Balancing the Budget is a Progressive Priority

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

   PDF

2. Progressives Need a Balanced Budget

   • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

   Pages 1-8

3. Why the Deficit Is a Problem

   • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

   Pages 9-15

4. Health Reform: The Problems

   • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

   Pages 17-29

5. Health Reform: The Policy

   • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

   Pages 31-41

6. Health Reform: The Politics

   • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

   Pages 43-49

7. Health Reform: The Barriers

   • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

   Pages 51-58

8. Health Reform: Next Steps

   • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

   Pages 59-75

9. Social Security

   • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

   Pages 77-84

10. Guns vs. Medicare

    • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

    Pages 85-87

11. How Much Should Government Spend?

    • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

    Pages 89-94

12. Tax Reform

    • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

    Pages 95-102

13. What Will It Take for Us to Act?

    • Donald H. Taylor Jr.

    Pages 103-108

​​ ​ Progressives need a balanced federal budget more than Conservatives, because they believe that government has an important role to play in modern life. Lack of a long term plan to move toward a sustainable budget crowds out short term Progressive priorities: infrastructure spending, green technology, education and needed governmental interventions in the short term to support and improve our weak economy. The federal budget is unsustainable. For all the bluster of the debt ceiling debate, the plan passed so far does not address the changes most obviously needed if we are to ever have a balanced budget again: an increase in taxes and the next steps on health reform to address the biggest driver of our long term budget deficit, health care costs. Slowing the rate at which health care costs are growing is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition to developing a long range balanced budget. You should ask any politician saying they think a balanced budget is a priority one question: what is your health reform plan? Without one, they have no hope of achieving their goal.   This book offers progressives solutions to health care reform and a balanced budget, and will be of interest to academics, students and educated readers interested in politics, public policy and government finance.

• 2012 Election
• Health Care
• Medicare
• Social Security
• Super Committee

• , Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, Durham, USA

  Donald H. Taylor, Jr.

Donald H. Taylor is an Associate Professor of Public Policy, Center for Health Policy at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and is an Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine and Nursing, Duke Medical Center.

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