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PAGE 10
PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, FEBRUARY 10, 1984
of GNP, and rose steadily to 24.7% for fiscal 1984 and predicts
23.8% for fiscal 1985--still above the Carter years•••.
Some of us are beginning to wonder how many more everyman budgets
we can stand.
In a stinging editorial commentary in the same issue of the JOURNAL, former
Treasury Secretary William E. Simon excoriates the people's elected offi
cials in Congress for the financial crisis the country is heading into. He
likens the actions of Congress to the string of what he calls "Grade Z"
movies in which the destroyed Frankenstein monster always seems to be
revived to terrorize again in the next film sequel:
What brings all this to mind was the return of Congress to the
scene of its relentless destruction of tomorrow's prosperity, a
destruction interrupted only by occasional recesses in which the
perpetrators return home either to lie about their exploits or to
blame the coming calamities on someone else.
The damage wrought by this hydraheaded aggregation of pusillanim
ity, irresponsibility, venality and ignorance staggers the imagi
nation. Congress has utterly defeated the president's efforts to
� the brakes on federal spending, defeated them so conclusively
that no less a person than David Stockman, director of the Office
of Management and Budget, now admits that anyone hoping for any
additional budget cuts is a "dreamer."
Less than two years ago, Congress promised the president that it
would produce or allow budget cuts three times the size of
proposed tax increases. So the president put his name to a five
year, $228-billion tax bill. That was supposed to reduce the
fiscal 1983 deficit to $115 billion.
Well, what happened?
Federal revenues dipped in the face of the higher taxes, Congress
welshed on its part of the deal and the fiscal 1983 deficit
turned out to be $195 billion. And now we are being told to
expect deficits of that magnitude indefinitely into the future,
as if the American economy can sustain such a spending spree
without collapse or evolution.•..
Listen to what some of the more candid members of Congress say
about their own performances. Take Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D.,
Ill.): "We have put special interests on notice that we can be
pushed around. We have confessed to an already doubting nation
that we � ruled .QY political fear, rather than economic
courage." He ought to know. He's chairman of the House Ways and
Means Committee.
Or listen to Rep. James Jones (D., Okla.): "The leadership,
starting with the president, avoided all the tough problems and
basically took the political safe approach."
Rep. Jones is
chairman of the House Budget Committee.
Lest anyone think I am citing only Democrats, here's an offering
from Sen. Rudy Boschwitz (R., Minn.).
Why won't Congress get
serious about the deficit?
a constituent asks him on the
campaign trail. Sen. Boschwitz draws a deep breath. "Lack of
political courage," he candidly replies••.•