"An Insurance Company With An Army" Paul Krugman - New York Times Blog April 27, 2011
"A general reminder whenever budget issues are discussed: the U.S. government is — this isn’t original* — best thought of as a giant insurance company with an army. When you talk about federal spending, you’re overwhelmingly talking about Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and defense. And the bulk of the insurance — all of Social Security and Medicare, about 2/3 of Medicaid — is for the elderly and disabled.
This is important both for assessing projections about future spending — yes, spending is projected to rise, but how could it not given the aging of the population? — and for assessing claims about the need to shrink the government.
Put it this way: Whenever someone talks about making government smaller, he should be asked which of these big four he proposes cutting, and how. If he responds with generalities, he’s faking it."
* "Who First Said the US is 'An Insurance Company with an Army'?" Thursday, January 17, 2013.
"Underbelly Buce does some digging: The Holland Principle: Who first said that the US government is "an insurance company with an army." Paul Krugman often gets the credit, but he says it is not original with him: "this isn't original" he wrote, invoking the principle on April 27, 2011. Ezra Klein also gets credit; he presented it alongside a lovely pie chart on Feb. 14, 2011, but I find a (second-hand) reference back in 2007 crediting Krugman, so Krugman at least trumps Klein. A polisci textbook (Jan. 1, 2010) credits it to "a Bush administration staff member."
And here's a ref dated April 5, 2004 crediting it to "OSTP's Mike Holland" as from Science in for 4/11/2003. I haven't taken the time to track it all the way to JSTOR. OSTP=Office of Science and Technology Policy? "Mike Holland" would appear to be this guy, whose Linkedin profile shows that he was at OSTP at the relevant point in time.
Recognizing that no quote is original, and that we can probably count on finding an earlier avatar on a clay pot in Sumer, I'd say that for a moment we ought to call it "The Holland Principle." Yo Mike, okay with you?"
Originally posted by Grampy Bobby [b]* "Who First Said the US is 'An Insurance Company with an Army'?" Thursday, January 17, 2013.
"Underbelly Buce does some digging: The Holland Principle: Who first said that the US government is "an insurance company with an army." Paul Krugman often gets the credit, but he says it is not original with him: "this isn't original" he wrote, inv ...[text shortened]... pepad.com/economistsview/2013/01/who-first-said-the-us-is-an-insurance-company-with-an-army.html[/b]
Trying to convince liberals that their ways are flawed Gramps?
You have to understand, liberals have the answers to all our problems. That's why they run the government, media, schools, court rooms, and our lives.
Originally posted by Grampy Bobby [b]"An Insurance Company With An Army" Paul Krugman - New York Times Blog April 27, 2011
"A general reminder whenever budget issues are discussed: the U.S. government is — this isn’t original* — best thought of as a giant insurance company with an army. When you talk about federal spending, you’re overwhelmingly talking about Social Security, ...[text shortened]... ytimes.com/2011/04/27/an-insurance-company-with-an-army/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
Comments?[/b]
It's Paul Krugman. Krugman loves government. He loves government so much he wishes government were one man, so he could get down on his knees wearing a french maid costume and fellate it. Remember, he won the Nobel Prize, just like Obama.
Originally posted by sasquatch672 It's Paul Krugman. Krugman loves government. He loves government so much he wishes government were one man, so he could get down on his knees wearing a french maid costume and fellate it. Remember, he won the Nobel Prize, just like Obama.
Originally posted by Grampy Bobby What's your take on Ezra Klein?
Ezra Klein is so down in the weeds of amoral Democrat tactics that he's forfeited his soul. He doesn't even think about the relative value of a policy. All he thinks about is how to beat the evil Republicans. It's a game for him. I was very pleased to see him depart the Washington Post when they declined to fund his megalomaniacal self-love project.
Originally posted by sasquatch672 Ezra Klein is so down in the weeds of amoral Democrat tactics that he's forfeited his soul. He doesn't even think about the relative value of a policy. All he thinks about is how to beat the evil Republicans. It's a game for him. I was very pleased to see him depart the Washington Post when they declined to fund his megalomaniacal self-love project.
Isn't it interesting that he gets credit in part for "An Insurance Company With An Army"? Why even say it?
Originally posted by KazetNagorra Krugman has a fair point, people calling for "smaller government" rarely come up with concrete proposals.
Politicians who wish to be elected seldom do by proposing taking away rather than giving. There is always a point where giving exceeds the revenue, and responsible adults must recognize that before this host of spending programs existed, everyone didn't die. Oh yes they did, and they still do.
"An Insurance Company With An Army"
13 Apr '14 19:181 edit
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