Indeed, if non-discretionary spending transfers to the regions, interest payments and so on is excluded, subsidies make up 51% of what is left, without even counting farm subsidies.

ECONOMIST: Never mind the risk premium, feel the stability

Charitable giving could well take a hit if only because other common deductions such as state and local taxes, mortgage interest or even medical costs are far less discretionary.

FORBES: The Fiscal Cliff Deal: Charity Takes a Hit

During the next decade, the Fed returned to Keynesian discretionary monetary policy, trying to steer the real economy to long term growth by manipulating interest rates, loosening when the economy seemed to turn down, tightening when this seemed to go too far and inflation started to rise.

FORBES: The Monetary Foundations Of Economic Prosperity

On the left would be those who favor a system of discretionary activism in which brilliant technocrats, such as Ben Bernanke at the Fed, use their judgment in setting interest rates.

WSJ: Seth Lipsky: The Gold Standard Goes Mainstream