'The GOP Tax'

Paul Krugman:

The GOP Tax: Macroeconomic Advisers has a new report out about the effects of bad fiscal policy since 2010 — that is, since the GOP takeover of the House. ... They say that combined effects of uncertainty in the bond market and cuts in discretionary spending have subtracted 1% from GDP growth. That’s not 1% off GDP — it’s the annualized rate of growth, so that we’re talking about almost 3% of GDP at this point; cumulatively, the losses come to around $700 billion of wasted economic potential. This is in the same ballpark as my own estimates.

And they also estimate that the current unemployment rate is 1.4 points higher than it would have been without those policies (a number consistent with almost 3% lower GDP); so, we’d have unemployment below 6% if not for these people.

Great work all around, guys.

But the master's of the universe -- the wealthy supporters of the GOP and a driving force behind the push for austerity -- are doing great. If they get lower taxes as a result of all this, that's allthat matter, right? Who cares about all the other people who are struggling as a result of cuts to social services, higher unemployment rates, and the like?