The poet William Stafford set himself the task of writing a poem a day. When someone asked him what he would do when his poem-of-the-day wasn't very good, he replied "I simply lower my standards." In order to increase output, the bar here is set at a low level - the point of this is to have some fun with current events and politics. I welcome contributions and comments. Now you can also follow Doggerelo on Twitter (@doggerelo). Because of continuing medical problems, I'm no longer able to post a poem-a-day. I'll continue to post poems, but at a reduced frequency, so please stay tuned.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Mitt Romney: Closet Keynesian?


Mitt Romney, in an interview for TIME magazine, said that trying to balance the budget too quickly through draconian budget cuts could throw the country into recession or depression.  But the proposed budget formulated by Paul Ryan, which Romney supports, has been criticized for doing just that.  Moreover, Republicans have been quite clear in their contention over the years that large budget cuts would actually promote growth by removing “uncertainty”.  Perhaps this is why the Romney campaign has been reluctant to allow Mitt to participate in unscripted interviews:  he might accidently blurt out the truth and undermine Republican policy positions.

Mitt admits it’d be a mistake
For budget cuts too big to make
It’d throw the country into recession
And maybe even into depression.
But this ain’t what the GOP
Has maintained so adamantly:
For over thirty years it’s said
That budget cuts cause growth instead.
But no one on the right complains
That Romney now agrees with Keynes.

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