$800 Billion in Tax Increases Are Equal to 0.4 Percent of GDP

It would have been helpful if the Washington Post gave readers some context in an article that discussed Morgan Stanley Director Erskine Bowles' appearance before the supercommittee. Mr Bowles suggested that the committee agree to $800 billion in additional taxes over the next decade.

This amount is a bit less than 0.4 percent of projected income over this period. It is also less than one fourth of the increase in annual military spending (measured as a share of GDP) in the years since...