Fatten the Beast

Here's a letter to the New York Times:

Paul Krugman asserts that "taxes have lagged behind spending partly thanks to a deliberate political strategy, that of 'starve the beast': conservatives have deliberately deprived the government of revenue in an attempt to force the spending cuts they now insist are necessary" ("We're Not Greece," May 14).  Prof. Krugman's interpretation of the facts is worse than bizarre.

During the alleged ascendancy of laissez-faireism – roughly, the last 30 years –...