Big Spending Bernie

Radical, un-chic.
(AP photo)

Gulp:

In all, he backs at least $18 trillion in new spending over a decade, according to a tally by The Wall Street Journal, a sum that alarms conservatives and gives even many Democrats pause. Mr. Sanders sees the money as going to essential government services at a time of increasing strain on the middle class.

His agenda includes an estimated $15 trillion for a government-run health-care program that covers every American, plus large sums to rebuild roads and bridges, expand Social Security and make tuition free at public colleges.

To pay for it, Mr. Sanders, a Vermont independent running for the Democratic nomination, has so far detailed tax increases that could bring in as much as $6.5 trillion over 10 years, according to his staff.

Let’s put that into perspective.

Washington’s tax revenues are at record levels, in toto and per capita. Even so, the Federal government is still adding more than half a trillion dollars to the debt each year. That number is set to go up, not down, due to ♡bamaCare!!! and other “entitlement” spending — and assuming we don’t suffer a nasty recession (or worse) along the way.

On top of this unsustainable taxing and spending, Sanders would add an additional $1.8 trillion of new spending each and every year, funded (if only in part) by an average of $650 billion in new taxes each year.

Sanders would increase federal spending by just shy of 50%, while increasing taxes by about one fifth.

Sanders, in other words, would take our criminal, half-trillion-a-year deficit habit, and jack it up to about $1.6 trillion a year, every year, forever.

And that’s assuming he could actually collect his new taxes, even though history shows that won’t happen.

I’d also remind you that $1.6 trillion is almost exactly what Obama added to the debt with his failed “stimulus,” which did little other than to add to the debt, add to our taxes, and grease a whole helluva lot of Democrat palms. He and his cronies get the goodies; we and our grandkids get the bill.

That’s Bernie Sanders’ vision of the future: A bill stamping on a human face — forever.