With many presidential hopefuls promising loads of goodies to supporters, if they are elected or reelected, it seems appropriate to ask where all those wonderful goodies will come from. Having a larger and more dynamic overall economy in the form of more gross domestic product to go around would surely help.

Otherwise, the distribution of goodies will have to be funded in one of three ways. First, with politically unlikely spending cuts to something else. Second, with more debt, which must eventually be paid off with more taxes. That brings us to option three, engaging in Grinch-like behavior by hiking taxes now to wrench goodies from one group to give to another.