Not Inevitable

In the July 4th issue of National Review (page 18), Kevin D. Williamson has a piece that’s informative and also pretty funny (perhaps he hopes to be the next Mark Steyn?), describing how Canada overindulged in deficit spending for decades, but then sobered up in response to fiscal crisis in the ’90s, and has kept deficit spending under control ever since.  Compared to America, Canada is certainly still a country of big-government liberalism (which is made possible partly by the fact that America isn’t), but the reform in the ’90s cut spending $6 for every $1 in tax increases.  Williamson says (ironically-and-not-ironically-at-the-same-time), “If all it takes is a left-wing government and a fiscal crisis, maybe there’s hope for us still.” 

Meanwhile Jim Geraghty on National Review Online offers hope that Republicans will be able to beat Democrats’ demagoguing entitlement reform in the 2012 elections.  He also links to the following ad from Citizens Against Government Waste, which I provide with no further comment: