I heard the author of this book interviewed on NPR this morning. She actually made complete sense and used facts (facts!) when discussing the federal budget and deficit. Finally, an economist that speaks English! One of my favorite moments of the interview came when she stated that federal funding for public broadcasting is so infinitesimal it’s considered a rounding error in the budget. So, not only is saying that you would do away with Big Bird stupid, it actually makes no difference to the budget.