In all the tables of statistics in Washington, crowded with numbers so immense that no one could really grasp them, one figure was simple enough to be seen, smelled and tasted: each day the U.S. was spending $15 million more than it was taking in.
Unlike the ordinary citizen, the Government could not adjust its budget by moving to a cheaper neighborhood or finding a better job. But there were some alternatives :
It could cut spending, and get the unbalanced budget back into balance. This was tempting, but a cut in the really fleshy parts of the U.S. budget—the multibillion-dollar...