Golden Rule

The Golden Rule, as it pertains to government spending, stipulates that a government will borrow to invest, not to finance existing spending. In other words, the government should borrow money only to fund investments that will benefit future generations, and current spending must be covered by existing taxes.

The term originates from ancient writings, including the New Testament, the Talmud and the Koran. Each has a story that teaches the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In fiscal policy, the Golden Rule seeks to protect future generations from debt by limiting borrowed money to investments, and not to indebt future generations for the benefit of current generations.