The Myth of “Discretionary”Spending

Here is a good piece by Ezra Klein from last month on the attitude disconnect between defense spending and everything else. The “fighter jet” reference is to the F-22:

Cutting defense spending is frequently framed as, well, a defense issue. And in some ways, it is. But it’s also an economic issue. Resources are scarce. The country has a lot of priorities. A fighter jet shouldn’t simply be evaluated on whether it is a good investment for the United States military, but whether it is a good investment for the United States. There aren’t “defense dollars” and then “non-defense dollars.” There are only dollars, and we need to figure out how best to use them.

These are important points to keep in mind when asking how we are going to pay for health care reform.