It is kind of an interesting political impasse we are at with the debt negotiations. Obama and Democrats are trying to force Republicans to agree to raise taxes. Why? Just to force them to renege on their no tax pledge and look bad in front of the voters. No other reason, really.
For the Republican part, they are not coming up with a list of cuts they want to make. Why? The fear Democratic demagoguery. They already met Paul Ryan's proposals to trim Medicare with ads showing him pushing old ladies out of wheel chairs. And of course, Democrats have already pulled out the Social Security scare card. So, the Republicans are asking Obama to come up with the cuts he wants, so he can't complain its all the Evil Republicans' fault. I can't say I blame them. Any cuts made will be endlessly demagogued and a compliant media is sure to find any and all sob stories they can about the suffering caused by any such cuts.
The facts are pretty obvious to anyone who cares to actually look at the numbers. We cannot solve the problem through increased taxes. It is debatable if increased taxes need to be part of the solution. It is beyond debate that cuts in the budget are needed. Let's get cutting.
5 comments:
agreed.
1) stop the wars. and cut all the security theater that goes with it.
2) stop paying people to not work.
3) stop making social security payments to people who don't need them.
4) stop subsidizing things that don't need it or shouldn't be subsidized. like oil, tobacco, windmills, ethanol, the rich.
5) rehab is much cheaper and more effective than prison.
6) stop persecuting users of drugs less dangerous than alcohol.
7) replace our newfangled expensive health *insurance* with much cheaper health *care*.
Time to bargain and compromise, Tim
1)OK you got it
2)OK you got it
3)Stop making Social Security payments to people who haven't invested in it. It's supposed to be working people investing in their government--never meant as an entitlement. Same with Medicare.
4)Subsidize things that give good return on your investment. NOT government jobs.
5)&6)I hope you mean aspirin. Marijuana IS dangerous, and since there is no proposal to REPLACE EToh with THC, just add it, legalizing will cause a net drain on the system and do nothing to increase productivity. Bad synergy between the two. Make jail draconian and hard and brief so people get right out and don't want to go back in.
7)Build ONE (1) government hospital in each congressional district for the un/under insured, 100% funded and regulated by the government---then back government out of healthcare otherwise, letting the free market work. People who have spent a lifetime working and paying FICA can use their Medicare where they want.
note: Shoo prob'ly doesn't want a drug debate here....Maybe I'll post something on my own so we can have at it on home turf
3) you got it.
4) the post was about what to cut. subsidies is the other side of the ledger. but yeah, agree.
5) studies show rehab is way cheaper and way more effective than draconian jails.
6) i was really shooting for making our drug laws consistent. alcohol is way more destructive than pot. yet alcohol is legal. and pot isn't.
7) you got it.
flyingvan for congress. ;->
5) OK I'll cave
6) I like scotch.
That wasn't so hard...Why can't Washington do it? I guess the opposite of progress really is congress.
this is shoo's post. we'll let him start the conversation about why washington can't do it. ;->
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