That would seem to be what the White House Budget Office would need right now according to this analysis of Katrina-related economic impact from the Grey Lady. Estimates range that Katrina may cost the nation around 400,000 jobs, and around 1% of all economic activity, while the colossal mess in the Gulf Coast is cleaned up and remedied.
The part I won’t abide is the suggestion that Katrina and the appearance of crassness and cruelty caused by simultaneous enactments of massive windfall tax breaks to the super-rich at the time the social safety net is being shredded for the most vulnerable Americans will cause the Bushmen and their allied Congressional enablers (both parties, btw) one moment of pause while they continue tax cuts for the super-rich and shredding the social safety net.
Indeed, one major issue is whether Congress may belay the effectiveness of bankruptcy repeal, scheduled to kick in on October 17th, for Katrina’s victims. Answer, as I see it: not a chance.
Short answer (answer to everything): we’ll continue to cut taxes to the super-rich until they’re not paying any taxes at all, while we continue to shred those irritating programs like Medicare/Medicaid and poverty relief (and the Army Corps of Engineers and its damned flood control projects) until… the budget is balanced. And the Chinese will be delighted to keep loaning us money until they feel like stopping. Or something.
Prosperity with a purpose. Compassionate conservative. Canned goods, bottled water, ammunition.
One Party.