Since pipeline costs are mostly sunk costs, not variable, about 95% of that drops to the bottom line.

FORBES: Sweet consolation

Home-equity lines of credit allow borrowers to tap the credit line as needed, and the rate is typically variable.

WSJ: You Paid for College

Bottom line, the budgetary rules treating growth as a given instead of the all important variable for achieving budget balance have both sides of the aisle ignoring the most important question: What policy changes would achieve a sustained period of 4% growth?

FORBES: The Budget Stalemate Shows The Need For Monetary Reform