To Fight Poverty, Conservatives Will Have to Spend

Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) -- There’s a simple way to tell whetherthe Republican Party’s newfound commitment to fighting povertyis more than rhetoric: Follow the money.

Follow the trail in the party’s recent budgets and what youfind, hidden between appendix tables, are deep cuts to programsfor the poor. That’s the inevitable consequence of Republicancommitments to favored constituencies. The party promised itsanti-tax wing no tax increases and lower tax rates. It promisedolder voters that Medicare and Social Security would not changefor those over age 55. It promised defense hawks thatsequestration cuts to military spending would be reversed. Andit promised its Tea Party allies that it would cut trillionsfrom government spending and balance the federal budget.