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The Numbers Tell the Story. (Well, Not Quite.)By Rick Horowitz Click. " -- has allowed us a rare behind-the-scenes look at a part of the government largely unknown to the general public: the White House Office of Soothing Numerology. It's good of you to have us here." "My pleasure, Ted. We're really proud of the work we do." "I'm sure you are, though it's certainly fair to say you haven't exactly sought the limelight. It took several weeks of negotiations before our cameras were even allowed in for this visit." "You know how bureaucracies are, Ted -- some things just take longer to happen than you'd expect. We all have to make adjustments." "Which I guess accounts for the T-shirt you're wearing in this picture here." "'Life is Uncertain -- Eat Dessert First.' It's one of my favorites, Ted. Here at OSN, we figure there's plenty of time for bad news -- why not start with the good?" "Which actually leads to my first question: Your handiwork is all over the president's latest budget, isn't it?" "Pretty impressive for a staff of six, don't you think?" "You did all this work with just six people?!" "Well, actually, it's more like 42. But we get a much better reaction when we say six." "I see. Well, as I'm sure you know, many budget analysts have noticed an awful lot of backloading in this document -- some pretty massive expenditures coming down the pike on Social Security, Medicare and elsewhere, but reflected nowhere in this budget." "As you say, Ted, those are numbers for the future -- we've really been focusing on the here and now. This president is committed to cutting the deficit in half by the year 2009, and this budget gets us moving on that path. I think the American people are very comfortable with our approach." "That may be true, sir. But it's also true, isn't it, that the picture is a lot less rosy after that point? For one thing, the commitments the president has already made on the spending side really explode right about then." "Well..." "And those tax cuts the president wants to make permanent -- if he gets them through Congress, they'll put a big dent on the revenue side, too. All of which means the deficit will actually start climbing quite dramatically right after 2009." "Those are the out years, Ted." "Meaning...?" "We're out of here. It's not our headache." "How lucky for -- " "If I can finish. You see, Ted, we like to think of the budget as a snapshot. And the picture we're taking right now shows all the arrows pointing in a good direction. That's what the American people need to know." "And if right behind those sunny skies in your 'snapshot,' there's a tornado coming?" "Ted, we have a motto around here -- 'Never duck a problem tomorrow if you can duck it today.' I think that really sums up the president's approach, too." "But -- " "We're hoping to get it translated into Latin." "For your seal? Right under that man there? Can we get a shot of -- at least I think it's a man." "It's a stylized bureaucrat, Ted. Kicking a stylized can down the road." "I see." "That's what smart budgeting is all about." "Leaving the hard stuff for someone else?" "Precisely." Click. Posted 2/15/05. Don't
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Rick Horowitz
