The federal budget deficits of the early 1980s are often blamed on irresponsible economic forecasts of the Reagan administration. In reality, those forecasts were only slightly more optimistic than others, which also failed to predict the severe, deficit-driving recession.
Ronald Reagan and the Rise of Large Deficits
What Really Happened in 1981
By Timothy J. Muris
This
article
appeared in
the Winter 1999/00 issue of The Independent Review.
American HistoryEconomic History and DevelopmentEconomic PolicyEconomyFiscal Policy/DebtGovernment and PoliticsGovernment Waste/PorkLaw and LibertyTaxes