Politics Talk

halloween special: the scariest document in politics is the budget

Happy Halloween. Forget ghosts. Nothing scares people like a government budget document: 300 pages, tables everywhere, words like "appropriations". But you can read one, I promise.

My approach: 1) Find the summary or highlights section first. 2) Look at the biggest spending lines, not the small ones that make headlines. 3) Compare to last year, not to the promise. 4) Look for what was quietly cut.

Teachers in my family do this every year to see what happens to school funding. Good luck, and may your tables be kind.