SOURCE ALERT: USC Experts On The Fiscal Cliff
November 30, 2012
Ayse Imrohoroglu is a finance
expert at the USC Marshall School and co-author of "The Fiscal Cliff:
How America Can Avoid a Fall and Stay on Top." She is available to
print and web journalists at aimrohor@marshall.usc.edu. Or,
contact Amy Blumenthal at amyblume@marshall.usc.edu or
213-740-5552.
Edward Kleinbard is a tax law expert at the USC Gould School of Law.
Kleinbard: "What we actually need is to ramp up from where we are to a more sustainable fiscal policy, not to leap dramatically off a cliff. A firm Congressional commitment to a three-year ramp to that sustainable policy should enable the economy to heal while reassuring markets that the long-term fiscal health of the country will be restored.
"We also need to define what that new fiscal policy will be. Members of Congress from both parties ooze sympathy for the business case for tax cuts, but genuinely resist administering the bitter medicine of tax hikes; the same of course applies to new spending programs."
Contact at 917-287-4897 or ekleinbard@law.usc.edu.
Hashem Pesaran is an economic expert at the USC Dornsife College.
Pesaran: "The US economy is at a crossroad and the world is watching. It is critical that the sense of urgency is exploited to the full to reach a compromise to the impending fiscal cliff, enabling the US economy to focus on innovations, investment and production, rather than political opportunism and in-fighting."
Contact at 213-740-8335 or pesaran@usc.edu.
Robert O. Kirkland is a military history expert at the USC Dornsife College. He can comment on the potential impact of the fiscal cliff on the defense budget.
Kirkland: "The Pentagon cuts are not dissimilar to drawdowns such as after Korea or Vietnam. But what concerns planners are rising internal costs like health care, personnel, and maintenance on increasingly complex equipment, which are taking a much larger share of the budget than in previous years. This fact will directly impact our ability to fight and wage future wars."
Contact at 909-957-8373 or robert.kirkland@rotc.usc.edu.
Contact: Andrew Good at 213-740-8606 or gooda@usc.edu.
Edward Kleinbard is a tax law expert at the USC Gould School of Law.
Kleinbard: "What we actually need is to ramp up from where we are to a more sustainable fiscal policy, not to leap dramatically off a cliff. A firm Congressional commitment to a three-year ramp to that sustainable policy should enable the economy to heal while reassuring markets that the long-term fiscal health of the country will be restored.
"We also need to define what that new fiscal policy will be. Members of Congress from both parties ooze sympathy for the business case for tax cuts, but genuinely resist administering the bitter medicine of tax hikes; the same of course applies to new spending programs."
Contact at 917-287-4897 or ekleinbard@law.usc.edu.
Hashem Pesaran is an economic expert at the USC Dornsife College.
Pesaran: "The US economy is at a crossroad and the world is watching. It is critical that the sense of urgency is exploited to the full to reach a compromise to the impending fiscal cliff, enabling the US economy to focus on innovations, investment and production, rather than political opportunism and in-fighting."
Contact at 213-740-8335 or pesaran@usc.edu.
Robert O. Kirkland is a military history expert at the USC Dornsife College. He can comment on the potential impact of the fiscal cliff on the defense budget.
Kirkland: "The Pentagon cuts are not dissimilar to drawdowns such as after Korea or Vietnam. But what concerns planners are rising internal costs like health care, personnel, and maintenance on increasingly complex equipment, which are taking a much larger share of the budget than in previous years. This fact will directly impact our ability to fight and wage future wars."
Contact at 909-957-8373 or robert.kirkland@rotc.usc.edu.
Contact: Andrew Good at 213-740-8606 or gooda@usc.edu.
USC Information