starving the beast
Shrink government deliberately
Starving the beast is a political strategy of cutting taxes to reduce government revenue, with the goal of forcing cuts to government programs.
The "beast" is government itself, and starving it means denying it funds: Republicans have pursued a starve-the-beast approach for decades.
The phrase implies that government will grow unchecked unless fiscally constrained.
- tax cutsDecreased government assessments
- trickle downSpread gradually to lower levels
- libertarianismMinimal-government political philosophy
- government programsState-sponsored services for citizens
- government spendingState allocation of funds
slash and burn · austerity measures · taxation · social safety nets · neoliberalism · welfare systems · poverty rates · income inequality · public debt · privatization · fiscal discipline · healthcare access · deficit reduction · budget deficits · supply-side economics · small government · revenue streams · infrastructure funding
starving the beasttax and spend
deficit spending · progressive taxation · prime the pump · quantitative easing · public investment
starving the beastbig government
Expansive, powerful state apparatus
statism · democratic socialism · social democracy · collectivism · interventionism
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