Dr. Sara Imhof of The Concord Coalition visited Boys’ State this afternoon, delivering a presentation on the deficit crisis. According to Dr. Imhof and the organization’s website,
The Concord Coalition is a non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to educating the public about the causes and consequences of federal budget deficits, the long-term challenges facing America’s unsustainable entitlement programs, and how to build a sound foundation for economic growth.
Her presentation did just the above by, for example, looking at the deficit, not in terms of dollars, but in terms of percentage of the United States’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP). She also put the deficit into historical perspective, how it has grown in the last few decades and how it is projected to grow in the next few. Interestingly, she pointed-out that it was actually during the Second World War that the U.S. deficit reached its highest ever proportion of the GDP: 109%, though we rapidly repaid this debt after the war. After the numerous political opinions and possible solutions offered by both delegates and guests this week, Dr. Imhof’s presentation provided valuable perspective.
