The Spectacle Blog  Official Washington’s Crackhead Accounting
By on 8.1.11 | 6:48PM  As I write this it is difficult to hear
myself think over the sound of congressional Republicans high-
fiving each other over the debt ceiling deal.  There is no
evidence that this bizarre deal of questionable
constitutionality (e.g. the "Super Congress") will actually lead
to any real cuts. Nor is there any evidence that it will prevent
the U.S. government from losing its long held triple-A credit
rating.  There is a promise of spending cuts, but overall
federal spending will continue on its upward trajectory because
Official Washington operates in the make-believe world of
"baseline budgeting." According to this crackhead accounting,
both a cut and an increase may count as cuts.  Confused? You're
supposed to be.  As Americans for Prosperity reminds us   By
"Washington cuts" as opposed to "real cuts," AFP is referring to
this strange beast known as baseline budgeting.  Baseline
budgeting allows politicians to pretend to red