There seems to be a common misperception that while things are pretty bad, the country survived the Reagan tax cuts, and the Bush tax cuts aren’t that much worse. All that progressives need to do is continue working against any more tax cuts and advocating for adequate appropriations funding, and we'll get through it. This complacency is misplaced and dangerous. The tax cuts, the fiscal condition of the federal government and the states, and the politics are very different. Conservatives have been working on a long-term agenda of shrinking government by reducing revenue. Movement conservative Grover Norquist wants to cut spending on federal programs in half within the next generation; in his words: "kill the taxes and you kill the government."

When it comes to federal tax and budget policy, it is essential that good forecasts and good estimates exist on the effects of policy options. Unfortunately, the current administration is showing a propensity to conceal and selectively release budget information when it suits their narrow political agenda.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in its annual "Mid-Session Review" recently projected that the U.S. federal budget will see an unprecedented $691 billion deterioration in its budget situation -- moving from record surpluses of $236 billion in 2000 to record deficits of $455 billion in 2003.