GOP At Odds With Most Economists

           According to the New York Times, economists and policy analysts are questioning whether the GOP's policy ideas are a good idea. According to the Times, "Instead, these critics say, Washington should be focusing on stimulating the economy in the near term to induce people to spend money and create jobs, while settling on a long-term plan for spending cuts and tax increases to take effect only after the economy recovers."  Furthmore, even a Republican economist, Martin Feldstein, who was a policy adviser to Ronald Reagan,  and Henry Paulson, George W. Bush's treasury secretary, are both calling for a balanced approach that includes tax increases.  

           Now the Tea Party needs to come face reality with the rest of us.  Spending cuts alone are not going pay down the debt.  It is too large.  Tax increases must be part of the deal.  Therefore, unless the Tea Party thinks it understands the economy better than people who actually have expertise in the subject, it should listen to these warnings.  And if the Tea Party decides they won't listen, then they will continue to lose the respect of mainstream America, and ultimately go into the history books as the party of willful ignorance.