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  3. The economic debate in the U.S. regarding the fiscal stimulus package centered on "bang for the buck," that is, on whether tax c

The economic debate in the U.S. regarding the fiscal stimulus package centered on "bang for the buck," that is, on whether tax c

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问题     The economic debate in the U.S. regarding the fiscal stimulus package centered on "bang for the buck," that is, on whether tax cuts or spending increases would produce more jobs. This limited perspective is very misleading, however: the choice of spending versus taxes should turn first and foremost on the purposes of government, or what economists call     "the allocation of resources." It’s silly to debate whether investing in a $l00-million bridge creates more jobs than a $100-million tax cut if we need the bridge! The American Society of Civil Engineers has long documented the crumbling state of U.S. infrastructure and the pressing need for $2.2 trillion in investments for our well-being and competitiveness.
    Government spending and taxation affect the distribution of income demographically and temporally. America ranks 22nd out of 23 high-income countries in public social outlays as a percentage of national income for health, pensions, income support and other social services. Our political discourse tends to focus on the middle class and neglect the poor, whereas our tax and spending policies often benefit the wealthy. As a result, the U.S. has the largest poverty rate, income inequality and per-capita prison population of any high-income nation, as well as the worst health conditions.
    The timing of tax cuts and spending increases also affects the well-being of today’s generation versus future ones. The U.S. has a chronic fiscal deficit because federal taxation is enough to cover only five types of federal programs: retirement and disability, medical care, veterans’ programs, defense and homeland security, and interest on the public debt. All other federal outlays are in effect funded by borrowing. The chronic deficit problem, now at least 5 percent of GNP(Gross National Product), will tend to get much worse as the population ages and health care costs rise, until we finally choose to tax ourselves adequately to pay for the government we need and want.
    Temporary deficits can boost the economy in a recession, although temporary income tax cuts and rebates tend to be saved rather than spent. Prolonged deficit spending, however, would impose future burdens. The most obvious will be the need to service the public debts owed to China and other holders of treasury bills—the U.S. is on a path to multiply its already massive international debts. Less obviously, the huge budget deficits will crowd out some private investment spending and exports as the economy recovers. Higher taxes needed to cover the service on that debt will not only squeeze consumption but may also distort the economy through disincentives on saving, work or other activities.
The chronic fiscal deficit of the U.S. is due to
选项 A、increasing federal programs.
B、expenses for the aged and the disabled.
C、increased health care costs.
D、insufficient federal taxation.
答案D
解析 题目询问美国长期财政赤字的原因。根据chronic fiscal deficit定位到第三段第二句。because后面表明，美国的联邦税收只能覆盖五种联邦项目，言外之意是联邦税收不足，即D项。联邦项目是否在增加，在文中没有做出说明，排除A项。B项和C项都是五大联邦项目覆盖的对象，无法得知是否是美国长期赤字的原因，故排除。
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