SPIRALING BUDGET SHOWS NO CONTOL AS DEFICIT EXPLODES

Balancing the budget continues to be a Foggy Bottom topic, but no one seems to be getting serious about it, particularly the Clinton administration. In a recent edition of the Kiplinger Washington Letter, a chart outlining the growth of the federal government in key programs provided a stark look at the cost of being governed over the past 25 years.

In 1970, total spending by the federal government was $204.2 billion -- that's right, billion -- dollars. In the Clinton administration's proposed budget for fiscal year 1996, which is currently under consideration in Congress, the federal budget would continue to grow to a whopping $1.65 trillion -- yes, trillion.

The Kiplinger statistics show a continuing pattern of more and more spending at the federal level, although some programs are targeted for less funding. Meanwhile, the net interest on the nation's debt, which was a scant $14.4 billion in 1970, is projected to be $257 billion in fiscal 1996. Remember, that is just the interest on the debt for that year. It also is more than total government spending in 1970 by more than $50 billion. The national debt is currently at $5 trillion. In 1975 the national debt was $381 billion. In the intervening quarter-century, the nation has been in the hole every single year.

Among the areas targeted for less spending is defense, which takes a $10 billion cut under the Clinton plan. This is the largest of the proposed spending cuts.

Social Security spending is expected to increase. That is no surprise, given the aging population and the fact that Baby Boomers are close to becoming recipients of old-age pensions. But Social Security, which is the biggest single government program pegged at $354.5 billion in fiscal 1996, also generates its own revenue. In fact, Social Security is expected to have a $70 billion surplus this year. This amount will be counted as lowering the deficit. Without the surplus, the Kiplinger newsletter says, "the budget would require much larger cuts elsewhere."

What the government spends -- and overspends -- its dollars on has changed in 25 years, the Kiplinger letter shows. There has been a sharp increase in social spending on such things as Medicare, Medicaid, supplemental security income, housing subsidies, food stamps, nutrition and low-income tax credits.

Republicans, who control both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years, plan to have a budget proposal of their own for fiscal 1996 by the end of May. Taxpayers can hope that the GOP will take a look at the past 25 years and try to find ways to reverse the spiral into financial oblivion.