Evaluating the Ethics of Deicit Spending Using Haidt’s Six Ethical Principles

Deficit spending refers to government spending that exceeds federal income and taxes over a period of time. The government can increase borrowing to obtain money from taxes or from foreign governments. The money that is borrowed is then put back into the economy through government spending. While deficit spending will increase government debt, it is believed to stimulate the economy to end a recession. Deficit spending has several advantages and disadvantages to government borrowing.

A fiscal deficit is when a government's total expenditures exceed the tax revenues that it generates. A budget deficit can be cut by either reducing public expenditure or raising taxes. In this essay, I am going to analyse the benefits and costs of increasing tax rates to reduce fiscal deficits instead of cutting government expenditure.

Overspending is a pertinent problem facing the lawmakers in Congress. In 2012 discretionary spending reached $1.3 trillion and mandatory spending $2 trillion, while only bringing in $2.5 trillion in revenue. Since the turn of the century back in 2000, non-mandatory spending by the government has topped out a whopping $16.1 trillion just in the past 13 years (Boccia, Frasser & Goff 2013). This persistent overspending on programs and services that are not necessary to the functionality of the country is what is causing the deficit to rise year after year. To remedy this issue the government must either increase the revenue it brings in through taxes and trade or reduce the amount of money it spend or perhaps even both. In 2012 thirty-one cents of every dollar that Washington spent was borrowed (Boccia, Frasser & Goff 2013). Most of which went to large programs such as Social Security and Medicare and if these large, growing programs, or just the budget in general, do not undergo financial reform it could spell disaster for the economy and fiscal state of the nation.

Deficit spending is often applied in a political context. However, it can be applied in

The federal budget deficit is a much discussed and little understood subject in American politics. The current recession has dramatically decreased tax revenues, driving the United States federal government to increase spending in an attempt to stabilize the economy. As a result the current federal deficit is at over $1.3 trillion dollars. This is approximately $47,754 per U.S. citizen or $137,552 per U. S. taxpayer (U.S. Debt Clock: Real Time, 2012).

“To budget is to fight over money and the things money buys” (Document A). The federal budget is adjusted every year and has to follow certain criteria set forward by the Preamble to the Constitution. The Preamble sets five goals that the budget must fulfill, these goals are: to establish justice, to insure domestic tranquility, to provide for the common defence, to promote the general welfare, and to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our prosperity. Furthermore, it is difficult to decide what clusters of the federal budget to allocate money to in order to meet the five goals of the Preamble which are “The Big Five”, “The Middle Five”, and “The Little Guys.” In each of the three budget clusters,

“Ten Trillion and Counting,” presented by Frontline provides quite a picture of America’s national debt as it surpasses the trillion dollar mark. They ponder the financial well being of current and future retirees while also exposing on how America got into this mess, and what the Obama administration plans to do during his term. America is able to close the gap year to year in its national budget by selling bonds and T-bills. Foreigner countries who continually purchase these obligations are beginning to grow. Much like the Bush administration, the Obama administration has started borrowing big with plans to cut the budget years down the road. It is clear for anyone to see that this borrowing and the future promises of cutting cannot go

Since the early 1950's Americans have had trouble controlling overspending. The United States government has engaged in deficit spending. This occurs when spending exceeds the amount of income

As we discussed and read about this week in our class, the topic of the US Budget and how, why and what should we do about it has become a topic with many views and opinions. The United States of America currently holds over 16 Trillion dollars in debt based on our governments spending practices for the last ten years. Two wars, numerous fiscal collapses and cliffs, a bubble popped housing market, looming medical care costs from a socialized healthcare law and a recession have caused the government to acquire enormous amounts of debt. This debt with caused by what seems to be from irresponsible spending on both the Legislative and the Executive Branches have done nothing to lessen this deficit. One idea that has been discussed not only in

This paper will be defining the works of deficit spending, including how it is used correctly and others used incorrectly. Other area will be relating to the advantages and disadvantages of deficit spending from a bigger picture instead of smaller things to look for. Another part of discussion within this essay will be the crowding-out effect; including the layout of the definition and also understanding in simplest terms for the report. Last area will include the discussion of short and long term effects of deficit spending. Various businesses can be affected by deficit spending for better or worse.

When a government’s spending exceeds its revenues causing or deepening a deficit it is called deficit spending. Deficit spending is only one of numerous tools used to help manage the economy. Deficit spending is presumed to stimulate consumer demand by helping the consumer to obtain more money to spend, in turn, the demand of product will rise. There are advantages and disadvantages to deficit spending that we will discuss further below.

This paper will attempt to answer the question: Is the federal deficit and government deficits in general a good or a bad thing? While it may be easy to lose sight of how the government chooses to handle its money, it is also important for citizens to be conscious of how their money is being spent, and whether or not the current course that the government is plotted on is either sustainable or the best allocation of resources.

Within philosophy, ethics is the division that focuses on morality, which defines behavior as right and wrong. Ethical principles represent standard guidelines for behavior, while also justifying a person’s given course of action. Society defines what moral values and behaviors are held and legislated (DeNisco & Barker, 2016). Further, ethical principles include the concepts of autonomy, freedom, beneficence, fidelity. Autonomy entails a person’s desire to direct themselves, while freedom is the person’s right to do as they please. However, this right is contingent on members of a society agreeing, whether explicitly or not, to abide by behaviors that do not deceive or force others–behaviors that lead to peaceful interpersonal relationships. Beneficence is the person’s motivation to do good, and fidelity is the individual’s

In 1995, US Congressional lawmakers introduced an amendment to the United States Constitution that would restrict federal spending to the sum of its collected revenues in any given fiscal year. The “Balanced Budget Amendment” would’ve taken full effect in 2002, guaranteeing a balanced federal budget unless a budgetary deficit was approved by two thirds of the Senate . The proposed amendment passed the House of Representatives but came up one vote short in the senate. More than two decades later, the US budget remains an incendiary topic; Total federal debt exceeds $15 Trillion dollars and the Federal Budget Deficit

Furthermore, recent ethical obligations as expressed by Aristotle, “ to do this to the right person, to the right extent, at the right time, with the right motive, and the right way, that is not for everyone nor is it easy; wherefore goodness is both rare and laudable and noble.” In today’s society this statement can still be true, as much it was in Aristotle time. America’s leaders are always into the semi-governance of other countries such as Libya, Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Even though our leader’s sole responsibility is not to govern other countries, but America.