President Obama referred to the Ryan budget plan as
Social Darwinism, claiming that
Ryan's "draconian cuts" would "impose a
radical vision on our country" and that it was "antithetical to our
entire history." It is "so far to the right," he said, "that it makes
the Contract with America look like the New Deal."
So what does
that make Bill Clinton?
Under Ryan's plan,
the federal government would be 46% bigger in real terms than it was in
2000, which was President Clinton's last year in office.
Even if you take out entitlement spending — which has been increasing
at a fast pace due largely to rising health costs and the aging of the
population — and focus on discretionary outlays, the government would
spend 30% more under Ryan's plan than Clinton's last budget.
If you further adjust for inflation and population growth, Ryan's budget still spends more than Clinton's.
