The purpose for Laura Meckler to write “The Deficit Fight: Federal Land Up for Budget Grabs” is bring attention to the government selling properties. Laura Meckler also wrote the article for the reason that she want to inform the public on the sale of these properties and how it could help the federal budget. The article “The Deficit Fight: Federal Land Up for Budget Grabs” by Laura Meckler is about the government selling “under-utilized buildings” (Meckler, 2011). She discusses how the sale of the properties would help the federal budget as these properties take “$1.66 billion annually to operate” (Meckler, 2011). The main focus of the article is the sale of a “387-acre tract of land in the heart of ritzy West Los Angeles” (Meckler, 2011) owned by the Veterans Administration. The problem with the sale of the Las Angeles property is that people that it to stray open space and to serve veterans. When the people who originally own the property gave it in 1888, they deeded it so that it could only be used for the care of veterans returning from the Civil War. Many presidents have tried to sale these properties form Presidents Regan to Presidents Obama. All of the attempts have end with the properties not getting sold for the reason that citizens do not like the ideal of “their land” being sold (Meckler, 2011). The unintended economic consequence that the article caused, is that it helped the properties form not being sold which would have help the federal budget. If these properties were sold it long help the federal budget for the reason that is cost the government “$1.66 billion annually to operate” (Meckler, 2011). If the government would have sold these “under-utilized buildings” (Meckler, 2011) it would help the budget si... ... middle of paper ... ... Street Journal: http://p2048-www.liberty.edu.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/1037495849?accountid=12085 Gordon, J. S. (2009, February 18). A Short History of the National Debt. Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal: http://p2048-www.liberty.edu.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/399112262?accountid=12085 Laffer, A. B. (2010, July 8). Unemployment Benefits Aren't Stimulus. Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal: http://p2048-www.liberty.edu.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/601927939?accountid=12085 Meckler, L. (2011, July 16). The Deficit Fight: Federal Land Up for Budget Grabs. Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal : http://search.proquest.com/docview/877828605?accountid=12085
Money Well Spent by Michael Grabell is a book about Michael Grabell posing one crucial question about The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was the largest economic recovery plan in history. The $825 billion package known as “the stimulus” was five times more expensive than the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Moreover, the recovery plan cost well over a trillion dollars. In addition, one question Michael Grabell posed to himself: was the taxpayers’ money well spent? Therefore, to get his answers he followed the progression of the stimulus projects across the country, scrutinizing how reality and spin often collided.
Many argue that Reagan “enacted irresponsible tax giveaways for the rich…[starving] the federal government of revenue [which] led to unprecedented deficits.” There is no doubt that “today’s budget deficits [can] impoverish our descendants.”1
In order for the government to expand, it needed money. In an attempt to secure additional revenue, the government stopped granting land to the settlement for disbursement amongst their church members and began selling it instead. Anyone, regardless of church affiliation or status, could now obtain their own land by purchasing it directly from the government. The price of the land was determined by its distance from town, the condition of the soil, and whether it had been cleared or improved upon.
The US has been in and out of debt countless times throughout history, going as far back as the Civil War. However, debt did not become a truly relevant problem until much later, in the 1980s (Budget Deficits). Up to that point, large budget deficits were generally only allowed during wartime, but this pattern ended after the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s New Deal meant that the government spent much more than it previously did, even after the economy improved (Budget De...
The national debt is usually a frightening topic citizens of any country, however, in the United States, twenty trillion dollars of national debt is one of the major fears of the economy. Along with this fear comes every politician claiming to be the person to lower this astronomical debt to ease concerns in the modern American economy. In Hamilton’s Blessing, John Steele Gordon tries to alleviate these concerns by showing a plethora of benefits and good the debt has been able to do throughout the history of the United States. The central premise of the book and the main guideline for John Steele Gordon’s thinking is that the debt was used to save the Union in the 1860’s, the American economy in the 1930’s, and the wellbeing of mankind during
Friedman, Milton and Jacobson Schwartz, Anna. A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960. Princeton, 1963
Wilson, James Q., and John J. DiIulio, Jr. American Government. Ninth ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Print.
U.S Federal Deficit and Debts:Understanding the history and context. (2011, November 1). Utah Foundation. Retrieved January 25, 2014, from http://www.utahfoundation.org/img/pdfs/rr7
All but four countries in the world has external debt (“Country Comparison: Debt External”). Having a debt is almost as common as having a mortgage. Since its establishment, The United States has always been in debt (“Historical Debt Outstanding – Annual”). The US national debt has had five sharp increases previously in its history. The reasons include civil car and the two World W...
When states try to find ways to restrain from non-essential areas, unfunded federal mandates are at the top of the list. These mandates often force state and local governments to spend much more than necessary on everything from medical care to welfare to road building. A complex web of federal programs bind together the tree treasuries of the local, state, and federal government. As much as 25 percent of state budgets now comes from the federal government, and up to 60 percent of some state budgets is spent on joint federal-state programs.
Foner, Eric, and John A. Garraty. "Homestead Act." The Reader's Companion to American History. Dec. 1 1991: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.
Quigley, J. M. (2002, April 3). A decent home: Housing policy in perspective, (pp. 53-99). Berkley, CA. University of California, Berkley Program on Housing and Urban Policy. Retrieved June 20, 2011 from http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8f57x42q
Peterson, Paul. "From The Price of Federalism." The Enduring Debate. David T. Canon, John J. Coleman, and Kennneth R. Mayer. 6th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. 100-08.
Light, Paul C., and Christine L. Nemacheck. "Chapter 7 Congress." Government by the People, Brief 2012 Election Edition, Books a La Carte New Mypoliscilab With Etext Access Card Package. By David B. Magleby. 2012 Election Edition ed. N.p.: Pearson College Div, 2013. N. pag. Print.