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In the run up to the 2008 US presidential election, both major contenders, John McCain and Barack Obama, promised that if they were elected they would push for significant new discretionary fiscal policy in 2009. Obama's proposals as a candidate was for legislation which would be roughly 2/3 new government spending and 1/3 tax cuts or stimulus checks (This is roughly the distribution of the 2009 economic stimulus that Obama signed into law in 2009 shortly after he took office). McCain's proposal was for roughly 3/4 tax cuts or stimulus checks and 1/4 new government spending.

In your initial discussion post, do you think discretionary fiscal policy wold be more effective if its primarily tax cuts/payments to households, increases in government spending, or a equal balance of both? If you were president in 2009 what type of fiscal policy (if any) would you have pushed for?

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Kritika Krishnakumar
Kritika KrishnakumarLv10
28 Sep 2019

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Related questions

1. The primary tool used by supply-side economists to eliminate macroeconomic problems is

A. the discount rate.

B. corporate tax rates.

C. government spending.

D. open market operations.

E. the reserve requirement.

2. When the Federal Reserve System buys government securities on the open market,

A. the money supply will decrease.

B. excess reserves at commercial banks will decrease.

C. excess reserves at commercial banks will increase.

D. interest rates will increase

3. One of the advantages of automatic stabilizers over discretionary fiscal policy is that automatic stabilizers

A. has a greater multiplier effect than discretionary policy.

B. is not subject to the time lag problems of discretionary policy.

C. does not produce a deficit during recessions as a discretionary policy does.

D. makes the actual budget a better reflection of the condition of the economy than the full-employment budget.

4. "I have promised to do everything in my power to reduce the federal deficit. That means reducing federal expenditures and, if necessary, increasing taxes. Under present conditions of full employment and steady prices, we can afford to bear the burden of this debt (i.e., pay off the debt) now instead of passing it on to our children and grandchildren."

If the policies of the Senator quoted above were adopted, what effects would be expected while these policies were being implemented?

A. higher inflation

B. increases imports

C. higher rates of economic growth

D. increased unemployment and idle capacity

5. An inflationary gap can be reduced or completely closed by

A. decreasing taxes while leaving government spending on goods and services unchanged.

B. decreasing government spending on goods and services while leaving taxes unchanged.

C. increasing government spending on goods and services while leaving taxes unchanged.

D. increasing both government spending on goods and services and taxes by the same amount.

6. Compared to fiscal policy, an advantage of monetary policy is its

A. greater flexibility.

B. highly selective impact on segments of the economy.

C. ability to eliminate cost-push inflation.

D. need for approval by Congress.

E. need for approval by the President.

7. An increase in government spending on goods and services which causes a budget deficit to exist

A. is always inflationary.

B. is more inflationary than equal increases in private spending.

C. is usually not inflationary when the economy is operating at its full-employment level of output.

D. will not necessarily cause serious inflation as long as there are unemployed resources in the economy.

8. Some analysts believe the tax cuts enacted during the President H.W. Bush administration represented a supply-side economic policy rather than a Keynesian fiscal policy because

A. the tax cuts were accompanied by decreases in interest rates.

B. the tax cuts were accompanied by increases in government spending.

C. the tax cuts were primarily aimed at upper-income groups and businesses.

D. the tax cuts were primarily aimed at middle income and lower-income groups.

9. When the federal government is stabilizing the economy by increasing taxes, monetary authorities should

A. take actions to decrease interest rates.

B. increase the supply of money.

C. buy government securities in the open market.

D. follow an expansionary money policy.

E. follow a contractionary money policy.

10. Suppose a commercial bank has demand deposits (checking accounts) of $400,000, actual reserves of $170,000, and a reserve requirement of 20%. This single commercial bank can lend a maximum of ______ and the banking system can increase loans by a maximum of ______

A. $90,000 and $450,000.
B. $90,000 and $360,000.
C. $90,000 and $170,000.
D. $170,000 and $450,000.

E. both can lend an unlimited amount.

11. Which of the following would most likely result if the federal government increased its spending without changing tax revenues during a period of full employment?

A. inflation

B. a recession

C. lower interest rates

D. a larger net exports deficit

12. Fiscal policy that emphasizes cutting taxes as a means of improving incentives to work, and invest would be characterized in aggregate demand - aggregate supply framework primarily a shift

A. left in the aggregate demand curve.

B. left in the aggregate supply curve.

C. right in the aggregate supply curve.

D. no shift in either the aggregate demand curve or the aggregate supply curve.

13. Which of the following will result in the greatest increase in aggregate expenditures/demand?

A. A $100 decrease in personal income taxes

B. A $100 increase in personal income taxes

C. A $100 increase in government expenditures

D. A $100 increase in government expenditures which is accompanied by a $100 increase in personal income taxes

E. Both A and C will have the same effect on aggregate expenditures

14. You are given the following information about aggregate demand for an economy: (1)consumption = $600 billion; (2) investment = $50 billion; (3) government purchases = $100 billion; and (4) net export = $20 billion. If the full-employment level of GDP for this economy is $720 billion, then what combination of actions would be most consistent to achieve full employment and stable prices?

A. an increase in government spending and taxes

B. decrease government spending and taxes

C. decrease government spending and increase taxes

D. increase government spending and decrease taxes

15. Advocates of fiscal policy agree that discretionary fiscal policy will stabilize the business cycle most when the federal government

A. continuously incurs budget deficits.

B. continuously runs budget surpluses.

C. balances its budget every year.

D. incurs budget deficits during recessions and budget surpluses during demand-pull inflations.

E. incurs budget surpluses during recessions and budget deficits during demand-pull inflations.

16. Discretionary fiscal policy that increases the government budget deficit has the same effect on equilibrium as

A. an increase in personal saving.

B. an increase in business investment.

C. a decrease in government spending.

D. a decrease in personal consumption expenditures

1) If the economy was experiencing a severe recession, which of the following combinations of monetary and fiscal policy actions would be most appropriate?

a. a decrease in the reserve requirement coupled with an increase in taxes

b. the sale of government securities by the Fed coupled with an increase in the level of government spending.

c. the purchase of government securities by the Fed coupled with a decrease in the level of government spending.

d. the purchase of government securities by the Fed coupled with a tax reduction

e. an increase in the reserve requirement coupled with a tax reduction

f. the purchase of government securities by the Fed coupled with a tax increase

2) Many years ago, the traditional mortgage loan structure specified
A. a down payment of 20%.
B. an initial loan-to-value ratio of 100%.
C. a variable interest rate.
D. all of the above.

3) Unlike the traditional mortgage amortization schedule, "negative-amortization" mortgages permit the
A. mortgage payments to exceed the accrued interest during the early years of the mortgage.
B. principal payments to grow at a constant rate during the early years of the mortgage.
C. value of the house to depreciate during the early years of the mortgage.
D. outstanding balance to increase over a part of the life of the mortgage.

4) The traditional mortgage amortization schedule specifies a monthly payment that is
A. increasing over the life of the mortgage.
B. decreasing over the life of the mortgage.
C. constant over the life of the mortgage.
D. first increasing, then decreasing, over the life of the mortgage.

5) The "interest-only" mortgage typically converts later to a
A. traditional mortgage with a higher payment.
B. traditional mortgage with a lower payment.
C. "negative-amortization" mortgage with a lower payment.
D. "exotic" mortgage with a lower payment.

6) "Exotic" mortgages became popular in part because they allow someone of
A. means to get into a home they would easily have been able to afford.
B. modest means to get into a home they might otherwise not have been able to afford.
C. modest means to build more equity in their home than a traditional mortgage would allow.
D. modest means to build their credit score by proving they could make challenging payments.

7) Other things equal, increasing home prices tend to
A. force homeowners to spend less than they earn.
B. allow homeowners to spend more than they earn.
C. leave homeowners' ability to spend unaffected.
D. increase the likelihood that homeowners will default on their mortgages.

8) If homeowners purchased a $250,000 home with a zero-down, interest-only mortgage, and the value of the home subsequently fell to $200,000, in order to sell the house and move to another city, the homeowners would be required at closing to pay (in addition to the proceeds from the home sale)
A. nothing.
B. $50,000.
C. any transaction costs and real estate fees.
D. $50,000 plus any transaction costs and real estate fees.

9) Home price escalation in the U.S. during 2005 fueled booms in
A. Iraq and Afghanistan
B. stocks of dot com startups in Silicon Valley and U.S. government bonds
C. home building and home equity lines of credit
D. mortgage foreclosures and home demolition

10) The stimulus package proposed by the Bush Administration in early 2008 relied upon

A. a permanent increase in personal income tax rates
B. a temporary surtax added to existing personal income tax rates
C. making permanent the 2003 income tax rate cuts, as well as tax rebates to taxpayers
D. a requirement that any children claimed as dependents have social security numbers

11) The stimulus plan adopted in 2009 by newly-elected President Obama consisted of
A. only tax cuts
B. only spending increases on newly-created federal programs
C. only attempts to shore up Medicaid, welfare and unemployment programs
D. roughly equal tax cuts and spending increases, with additional spending to shore up existing federal programs

12) The main effect on the economy of the financial sector crisis in late 2008 was
A. reduced aggregate demand
B. increased aggregate demand
C. reduced aggregate supply
D. increased aggregate supply

13) If not corrected, the financial sector crisis of late 2008 would have tended to
A. increase both Real GDP and the general price level
B. increase Real GDP and lower the general price level
C. lower Real GDP and increase the general price level
D. lower both Real GDP and the general price level

14) Monetary policy designed to counteract a reduction in aggregate demand might include
A. a reduction in the money stock
B. a reduction in short-term interest rates
C. increased government infrastructure spending
D. an increase in individual income tax rates

Dems, GOP talk up deficit reduction, but don't act

WASHINGTON (AP) — Liberals' loud objections to White House proposals for slowing the growth of huge social programs make it clear that neither political party puts a high priority on reducing the deficit, despite much talk to the contrary.

For years, House Republicans have adamantly refused to raise income taxes, even though U.S. taxes are historically low, and the Bush-era tax cuts were a major cause of the current deficit.

And now, top Democrats are staunchly opposing changes to Medicare and Social Security benefits, despite studies showing the programs' financial paths are unsustainable.

Unless something gives, it's hard to see what will produce the significant compromises needed to tame the federal debt, which is nearing $17 trillion.

"There's not much of an appetite for deficit reduction," said Bob Bixby of the Concord Coalition, which pushes for "responsible fiscal policy."

There might be a few small steps this year, he said, when the government again needs to raise its borrowing limit. But a "grand bargain" involving significant spending cuts and revenue increases seems unlikely, Bixby said.

He added, "It's a little depressing to hear the reactions to the president's budget, from both sides."

There was nothing surprising about Republican denunciations of Obama's proposed tax increases, which he wants to combine with spending cuts to reduce the deficit.

The newer wrinkle was the left's sharp criticism of his proposals to slow the growth in Medicare and Social Security benefits, provided Republicans agree to new revenues. Obama has offered Republicans such a deal before. But this month's budget proposal gave it a new imprimatur.

The group MoveOn.org said Wednesday that supporters "who are outraged at President Obama's proposal to cut Social Security benefits will protest and deliver petitions" this week.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a liberal independent from Vermont, is leading a similar petition drive, opposing "any benefit cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid." The deficit, his letter says, "was primarily caused during the Bush years by two unpaid-for wars, huge tax breaks for the rich and a prescription drug program" for Medicare, funded through borrowing. He suggests that higher taxes on the wealthy are the fairest way to tackle the deficit.

Democrats cite several reasons to raise taxes on high-income households. Obama campaigned for such tax increases in 2008 and 2012 but accomplished them only partially with the "fiscal cliff" resolution of Jan. 1.

Major tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 played big roles in turning a federal budget surplus into soaring deficits, according to research by the Congressional Budget Office and others. And by many measures, the U.S. tax burden in near historic lows.

Households earning roughly the national median income paid, on average, 11.1 percent of their income in total federal taxes in 2009, the most recent year for such data. That's the lowest level in more than 30 years, the CBO says.

Nonetheless, House Republicans have placed their highest priority on refusing to raise income tax rates, effectively ranking it above all other goals.

"The president got his tax hikes on Jan. 1," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is fond of saying. It's a reference to the $620 billion in new revenues, over 10 years, that Republicans were unable to stop because of the "fiscal cliff" law, resolved on New Year's Day.

If it's easy to make a case for higher revenues, the same is true for slowing the growth of Social Security and Medicare benefits. For decades, studies have warned of approaching trouble in these popular but costly programs, as health care costs rise and baby boomers begin to retire.

"Both Medicare and Social Security cannot sustain projected long-run program costs under currently scheduled financing, and legislative modifications are necessary to avoid disruptive consequences for beneficiaries and taxpayers," the Social Security Administration says, summarizing findings by the two programs' trustees.

"The early detection light has been going on for a while, and there has been a failure to act," Social Security trustee Charles P. Blahous recently told a House panel. If lawmakers are to preserve the programs for future retirees, he said, they will have to accept much more "political pain" than officials endured during a 1983 overhaul that included "several extremely controversial measures."

Obama has proposed an often-discussed step, which deals with government accounting in general, not just entitlement programs. If Congress agrees to higher tax revenues, the president said, he would back a slower growth calculation for cost-of-living increases for Social Security benefits, plus higher Medicare premiums for higher-income seniors.

Interest groups have criticized both ideas. AARP calls the slower cost-of-living formula a "harmful change," and urges seniors to oppose it.

American voters can largely blame themselves when Congress is more talk than action on deficit reduction. Americans routinely say they want a smaller federal debt, but not at the cost of programs they hold dear — including Social Security and Medicare.

A CBS News poll in March found that most Americans want to cut spending and raise taxes to reduce the deficit. But 4 in 5 oppose cuts to Social Security or Medicare. And two-thirds are unwilling to have their own taxes raised in the name of deficit reduction.

When Pew Research asked which was more important — reducing the national debt or keeping Social Security and Medicare benefits as they are now — the public sided with safeguarding the benefits programs, 53 percent to 36 percent.

The deficit-spending partisanship continued Wednesday. On a party-line vote, House Ways and Means Committee Republicans passed a bill to protect Social Security recipients and investors in Treasury bonds if the government hits its borrowing limit and can't pay all its bills later this year. Democrats say if the federal government starts reneging on any obligations — even if it pays bondholders — financial markets will lose faith and the economy will tank.

Some Democrats fear a lose-lose situation if they support Obama's proposals. First, they could be attacked from the left for tweaking the programs that many Democrats see as their party's greatest legacy. And second, Republicans might accuse them of "raiding Medicare" in next year's congressional elections. That battle cry proved effective in 2010 after Obama's health care overhaul bill was passed.

Democrats call such tactics shamelessly hypocritical. Republicans, they note, have long called for reining in entitlement spending.

Boehner rebuked a top GOP campaign figure for hinting at a renewal of the "raiding Medicare" attacks. But Reince Priebus, the national Republican Party chairman, seemed eager to revive the question of whether Democratic trims to Medicare's costs amount to an unfair cut in benefits.

9. Read the AP article “Dems, GOP talk up deficit reduction, but don't act (Links to an external site.)” by C. Babington (Apr25’13).

a. What are the two basic ways of shrinking a budget deficit?

b. Which of your answers above are Republicans vehemently against? What are the potential negative economic effects of implementing this basic policy?

c. Which of your answers above are Democrats strongly opposed to? What are the potential negative economic effects of implementing this basic policy?

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