In testimony before the House Budget Committee Feb. 9, 2011, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke blew the whistle on these projections when he endorsed large spending reductions and fessed up that unless Congress cuts spending dramatically there is no way to grow our way out of a looming fiscalcrisisofthe welfare state.
The escalating cost ofthe firefighting effort comes at a time when thestate is tackling a huge fiscalcrisis, with many public sector workers being laid off.
Nor can it reverse the deteriorating statefiscalcrisis caused by weak economies and exacerbated by insanely high pensions and out of control spending policies.