---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From the Left comes the proposition that…"
description: "\"From the Left comes the proposition that, given the slow economy, we should defer attending to the problem of mounting obligations - and the truly delu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/steven-rattner-23846_attending_from-the-left-comes-the-proposition-that_2857808.jpg"
---

#  From the Left comes the proposition that, given the slow…

![“From the Left comes the proposition that, given the slow economy, we should defer attending to the problem of mounting obligations - and the truly delusional idea that growing federal debt doesn't matter because we owe most of it to ourselves.” quote by Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/steven-rattner-23846_attending_from-the-left-comes-the-proposition-that_2857808.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/steven-rattner-23846_attending_from-the-left-comes-the-proposition-that_2857808.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/steven-rattner-23846_attending_from-the-left-comes-the-proposition-that_2857808.jpg)

> “From the Left comes the proposition that, given the slow economy, we should defer attending to the problem of mounting obligations - and the truly delusional idea that growing federal debt doesn't matter because we owe most of it to ourselves.”

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Economic slowdown leads to postponing debt issues, but ignoring growing federal debt is unrealistic because it affects everyone.

**In simple terms:** We can't ignore debt just because the economy is slow.

Key Takeaway

Address debt proactively despite economic challenges.

Themes

economy debt policy politics

Mood

cautious urgent

Type

political analytical

When to use this quote

- budget planning
- legislative debates
- public awareness campaigns
- financial education

Key Concepts

fiscal responsibility public finance

Questions to Reflect On

- What are the long‑term risks of deferring debt solutions?
- How can policymakers balance growth and fiscal health?

A Different Perspective

Political disagreements can stall debt reforms.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Attending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attending/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debt/) [Debt Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debt-doesn-1405409/) [Defer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defer/) [Delusional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusional/) [Delusional Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusional-idea-1887864/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Economy Defer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy-defer-3839581/) [Federal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/federal/) [Federal Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/federal-debt-273994/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Mounting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mounting/) [Obligations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligations/) [Ourselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ourselves/) [Owe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/owe/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Proposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proposition/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Slow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow/) [Slow Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow-economy-3839582/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) [Truly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truly/)

## Related quotes

> [“free will (noun): A delusional idea that humans are in control of their own destiny and not subject to the benevolent rule of The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/free-will-noun-a-delusional-idea-that-humans-are-in-control-of-their/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [The man who avoids debt doesn't have to worry about avoiding his creditors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/the-man-who-avoids-debt-doesn-t-have-to-worry-about-avoiding-his/)

[Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/)

> [Crippling student loan debt doesn't just affect those who took out loans to get an education. It harms all of us because we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-kasparian/crippling-student-loan-debt-doesn-t-just-affect-those-who-took-out/)

[Ana Kasparian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-kasparian/)

> [Take any person, put them in the wrong environment, and they can get off to some pretty bad things. Warren Buffett has said that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-spier/take-any-person-put-them-in-the-wrong-environment-and-they-can-get/)

[Guy Spier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-spier/)

> [Avoid debt that doesn’t pay you. Make it a rule that you never use debt that won’t make you money. I borrowed money for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-cardone/avoid-debt-that-doesn-t-pay-you-make-it-a-rule-that-you-never-use/)

[Grant Cardone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-cardone/)

> [When I realize that it is not God who is in my debt but I who am in His great debt, then doesn't all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/when-i-realize-that-it-is-not-god-who-is-in-my-debt-but-i-who-am-in/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [The bailout of Fannie Mae is completely off the books. It's going to cost us hundreds of billions of dollars. Yet nobody is placing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-lance/the-bailout-of-fannie-mae-is-completely-off-the-books-it-s-going-to/)

[Leonard Lance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-lance/)

> [Since there is no orderly way to liquidate the federal debt, we must brace for a payment crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-f-sennholz/since-there-is-no-orderly-way-to-liquidate-the-federal-debt-we-must/)

[Hans F. Sennholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-f-sennholz/)

> [I think everybody benefitted from what I am calling a bubble finance system, a bubble economy and if we're ever going to right the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stockman/i-think-everybody-benefitted-from-what-i-am-calling-a-bubble-finance/)

[David Stockman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stockman/)

> [Part of any solution to get our economy going should include steps to free up our small businesses by peeling back unnecessarily burdensome regulations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/part-of-any-solution-to-get-our-economy-going-should-include-steps-to/)

[Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/)

> [We need a wealth tax that on a one-time basis is going to take back at least some small fraction of the great windfall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stockman/we-need-a-wealth-tax-that-on-a-one-time-basis-is-going-to-take-back/)

[David Stockman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stockman/)

> [...100% of what is collected is absorbed solely by interest on the Federal Debt...all individual income tax revenues are gone before one nickel is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/100-of-what-is-collected-is-absorbed-solely-by-interest-on-the/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The federal debt in this country is principally of Republican design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keys-moran/the-federal-debt-in-this-country-is-principally-of-republican-design/)

[Daniel Keys Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keys-moran/)

> [I think we're so addicted to bubble finance at the Fed that they can't get out of the corner they painted themselves into. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stockman/i-think-we-re-so-addicted-to-bubble-finance-at-the-fed-that-they-can/)

[David Stockman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stockman/)

> [For Andrew Jackson, politics was very personal. He hated not just the federal debt. He hated debt at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/for-andrew-jackson-politics-was-very-personal-he-hated-not-just-the/)

[H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/)

## More by Steven Rattner

> [Not surprisingly, troubled economic times often beget proselytizers of wacky, extreme ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/not-surprisingly-troubled-economic-times-often-beget-proselytizers-of/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [India's rigid social structure limits intergenerational economic mobility and fosters acceptance of vast wealth disparities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/india-s-rigid-social-structure-limits-intergenerational-economic/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [Thanks to decades of accumulated federal budget deficits and, more significantly, imprudent Medicare and Social Security policies, we've stolen almost $60 trillion from our children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/thanks-to-decades-of-accumulated-federal-budget-deficits-and-more/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [The stagflation of the 1970s blessed us with damaging wage and price controls and the utterly counterintuitive supply-side notion - famously drawn on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/the-stagflation-of-the-1970s-blessed-us-with-damaging-wage-and-price/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [Visits to crowded Indian urban centers unleash sensory assaults: colorful dress and lilting chatter provide a backdrop to every manner of commerce, from small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/visits-to-crowded-indian-urban-centers-unleash-sensory-assaults/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [As a beneficiary of the carried interest loophole, I've seen firsthand the lack of any difference between the work involved in generating a carried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/as-a-beneficiary-of-the-carried-interest-loophole-i-ve-seen-firsthand/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [Eye-popping tales of growing income inequality are hardly new. By now, nearly every American must be painfully aware of the widening pay gap between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/eye-popping-tales-of-growing-income-inequality-are-hardly-new-by-now/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [Conservatives brayed that government should stay out of the private sector; liberals bleated for nationalizing the banks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/conservatives-brayed-that-government-should-stay-out-of-the-private/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [The weak economy, widening income inequality, gridlock in Congress and a presidential election: Those were perhaps the dominant economic and political themes of 2012.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/the-weak-economy-widening-income-inequality-gridlock-in-congress-and/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [To fix Social Security, we should first stop using the Consumer Price Index to adjust benefits for inflation. Using the C.P.I. overstates the impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/to-fix-social-security-we-should-first-stop-using-the-consumer-price/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [It's time for the sensible center to rise up and push for a rational approach to our fiscal challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/it-s-time-for-the-sensible-center-to-rise-up-and-push-for-a-rational/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [During my 30 years on Wall Street, taxes on 'unearned income' have bounced up and down with regularity, and I've never detected any change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/during-my-30-years-on-wall-street-taxes-on-unearned-income-have/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [Picking winners among the many young companies seeking money is a tough business, even for the most sophisticated investors. Indeed, most professionally run venture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/picking-winners-among-the-many-young-companies-seeking-money-is-a/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [To be sure, India has achieved enviable success in business services, like the glistening call centers in Bangalore and elsewhere. But in the global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/to-be-sure-india-has-achieved-enviable-success-in-business-services/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

> [Well, maybe not death panels, exactly, but unless we start allocating health-care resources more prudently – rationing, by its proper name – the exploding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/well-maybe-not-death-panels-exactly-but-unless-we-start-allocating/)

[Steven Rattner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

[Explore all 25 Steven Rattner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/)

## More Attending quotes

> [While I was pregnant, I had dozens of checkups. They covered everything from blood tests to ultrasounds, and I even had the option of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/while-i-was-pregnant-i-had-dozens-of-checkups-they-covered-everything/)

[Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/)

> [Economists actually disagree about whether there are significant economic returns from attending an elite college versus a less-selective one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/economists-actually-disagree-about-whether-there-are-significant/)

[Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/)

> [President Obama and Vladimir Putin are both in China attending the same economic summit. Obama saw Putin and said, 'After those midterms, it's nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/president-obama-and-vladimir-putin-are-both-in-china-attending-the/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [I still get excited just attending a final four, because the process is so long, so arduous, so challenging, that when it finally arrives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karch-kiraly/i-still-get-excited-just-attending-a-final-four-because-the-process/)

[Karch Kiraly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karch-kiraly/)

> [When thou art offended at any man's fault, forthwith turn to thyself and reflect in what manner thou doest error thyself... For by attending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/when-thou-art-offended-at-any-man-s-fault-forthwith-turn-to-thyself/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [A large part of the art of instruction lies in making the difficulty of new problems large enough to challenge thought, and small enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-large-part-of-the-art-of-instruction-lies-in-making-the-difficulty/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [I have been working or attending school full time since I was 13.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-have-been-working-or-attending-school-full-time-since-i-was-13/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [Well, I started conducting kind of by accident. I wanted to give myself a special birthday present for my fortieth birthday, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/well-i-started-conducting-kind-of-by-accident-i-wanted-to-give-myself/)

[Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/)

> [Growing up under the heavy hand of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, it was drummed into me that attending weekly mass was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/growing-up-under-the-heavy-hand-of-the-school-sisters-of-notre-dame/)

[Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/)

> [Too many of us dissipate our energy by being 'for all good causes,' attending meetings and passing resolutions, organizing and presenting petitions — all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ammon-hennacy/too-many-of-us-dissipate-our-energy-by-being-for-all-good-causes/)

[Ammon Hennacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ammon-hennacy/)

> [If you feel bored or uncomfortable as you're writing, ask yourself what's bothering you and write about that. Sometimes your creative energy is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-feel-bored-or-uncomfortable-as-you-re-writing-ask-yourself/)

[Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/)

> [It is a matter of public shame that while we have now commemorated our hundredth anniversary, not one in every ten children attending Public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lawson/it-is-a-matter-of-public-shame-that-while-we-have-now-commemorated/)

[Henry Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lawson/)

> [Washington tends to be full of too many traps. I think reporters there do a lot of attending news briefings and news conferences expecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/washington-tends-to-be-full-of-too-many-traps-i-think-reporters-there/)

[Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/)

> [A genius is the man in whom you are least likely to find the power of attending to anything insipid or distasteful in itself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/a-genius-is-the-man-in-whom-you-are-least-likely-to-find-the-power-of/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [After a child has arrived at the legal age for attending school,-whether he be the child of noble or of peasant,-the only two absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/after-a-child-has-arrived-at-the-legal-age-for-attending-school/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

[Browse all 223 Attending quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attending/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "From the Left comes the proposition that, given the slow economy, we should defer attending to the problem of mounting obligations - and the truly delusional idea that growing federal debt doesn't matter because we owe most of it to ourselves.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steven Rattner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/from-the-left-comes-the-proposition-that-given-the-slow-economy-we/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attending"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/from-the-left-comes-the-proposition-that-given-the-slow-economy-we/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/steven-rattner-23846_attending_from-the-left-comes-the-proposition-that_2857808.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/steven-rattner-23846_attending_from-the-left-comes-the-proposition-that_2857808.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f8/steven-rattner-23846_attending_from-the-left-comes-the-proposition-that_2857808.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“From the Left comes the proposition that, given the slow economy, we should defer attending to the problem…” — Steven Rattner",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Steven Rattner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rattner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "From the Left comes the proposition...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/from-the-left-comes-the-proposition-that-given-the-slow-economy-we/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rattner/from-the-left-comes-the-proposition-that-given-the-slow-economy-we/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
