San Antonio College Library

No subject arouses - and perplexes - Americans more than debt and taxes. They are agreed about only one thing: they would like to rid themselves of both. It is a fantasy of course, as Benjamin Franklin knew when he observed in 1789 that "in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." The only certainty Franklin neglected to mention was the lasting controversy that these confounding issues would always provoke. Today, two hundred years after...

This classic study chronicles the revolution in fiscal policy that occurred in the United States between the administrations of Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy. Unforeseen by any economist or school of economists, this period witnessed the doctrine of balancing the budget give way to the principle of managing government expenditures and taxes to ensure stability and growth. With his characteristic wit and authority, the author vividly relates how...

"Policy experts address how to bring federal spending and revenue in line over the next decade and into balance over the longer term, focusing on reforms in the tax system, Social Security, and Medicare"--Provided by publisher.

Shortly after be realized his long-held dream by masterminding the first Republican takeover of the House and Senate in forty years, House Speaker Newt Gingrich committed his followers to a daring and perilous goal: by scaling back or dismantling some of the nation's most cherished social welfare programs, they would balance the budget. Eliminating the deficit, once just one facet of the Republicans' plan to change America, soon became an all-consuming...

Introduction: This book explores the long history of American taxation during times of war. As political scientist David Mayhew recently observed, since it's founding in 1789, the United States has conducted hot wars for some 38 years, occupied the South militarily for a decade, waged the Cold War for several decades, and staged countless smaller actions against Indian tribes or foreign powers. The cost of these activities has been immense, with important...

At the outset of this 21st century, policymakers confront a number of profound developments, in their societies and in the natural world, whose significance is certain to increase over the next several decades. Some can be seen as dangers, some as opportunities, and some as both. One of the most important of theses developments is demographic in nature. The proportion of the elderly in the populations of many industrial countries and some emerging...

Shows how we can return to our founding principles of fiscal responsibility and stewardship for future generations, offering bold ideas to control spending, save Social Security, dramatically alter Medicare, and simplify the tax code--while taking into account the Obama Administration's current efforts, which receive never-before-published assessments both complimentary and critical.

The United States is bankrupt, flat broke. Thanks to accounting that would make Enron blush, America's insolvency goes far beyond what our leaders are disclosing. The United States is a fiscal basket case, in worse shape than the notoriously bailed-out countries of Greece, Ireland, and others. How did this happen? In The Clash of Generations, experts Laurence Kotlikoff and Scott Burns document our six-decade, off-balance-sheet, unsustainable financing...