Question

source: boris rasin, \axe or scalpel\ political cartoon, flickr creative commons which of the following statements is most consistent with the cartoons message? choose 1 answer: a as discretionary spending grows, members of both the republican party and democratic party seek to cut entitlement costs b as entitlement costs grow, discretionary spending has to increase in order to reduce the budget deficit c as entitlement costs grow, discretionary spending has to decrease unless tax revenues increase or congress permits the budget deficit to increase

Explanation:

1. Analyze the cartoon: The donkey (Democratic Party) and elephant (Republican Party) are dealing with "Entitlements" and "Discretionary Spending". Entitlement programs (like Social Security, Medicare) are mandatory spending, while discretionary spending is optional (e.g., defense, education).
2. Evaluate Option A: The cartoon shows them cutting discretionary spending (with scalpel/axe), not entitlement costs. So A is wrong.
3. Evaluate Option B: If entitlement costs (mandatory) grow, discretionary spending (optional) would likely be cut, not increased, to reduce deficit. B is wrong.
4. Evaluate Option C: Entitlement costs (mandatory, growing) put pressure on the budget. To balance, unless taxes increase or deficit is allowed to rise, discretionary spending (optional) must decrease. This matches the idea that as entitlements (mandatory) grow, discretionary (optional) has to shrink.
5. Evaluate Option D: The cartoon doesn't suggest discretionary spending growth leads to entitlement cost growth. D is wrong.

Answer:

C. As entitlement costs grow, discretionary spending has to decrease unless tax revenues increase or Congress permits the budget deficit to increase