OK. So for moms who are following politics and watched the State of the Union and Republican Response last night, and have been keeping up with the situation (not people who just lean one way or the other no matter what), obviously we are hearing opposing facts on who is responsible for not meeting our deadline. So. Do you believe the President's stance that talks are open and need to be resolved with some more revenue generated following in the steps of Reagan, Bush Sr and Clinton AS WELL AS cuts, or do you believe Boehner that he tried but the Democrats failed and it's all too late now. AND, do you believe there will be ramifications for staying in the stale mate and missing the deadline? AND, What is one thing you would cut, and one way you would increase revenue, if you had super human Momma governmental power?
Personally, I would fail at balancing the budget, because I would NAIL corporations for the multiple billions of dollars they evade in taxes legally each year, and tax the uber wealthy highly temporarily since our capitalist system enabled them to make their fortunes and they owe us a solid, and tax the middle class slightly more highly (SORRY, temporary, we all have to pitch in) and I'd turn around and finance the hell out of our eduction system so we could go back to having the world's best schools and smartest citizens like in the 50's instead of the bottom of the developed nations like now. And I wouldn't cut entitlements and would invest in reforming them. AND I would keep pumping money into the military who America could not remain safe without. AND I would pump way MORE money into making health care way MORE SOCIALIST (hello, with no public option, my family is no better off than before) so people could quit going bankrupt over medical debt and exacerbating their cancer with financial stress and letting small health issues become huge ones (and then ditching their bills) because they cant' afford check ups, and I would keep pumping money into lefty things. AND I would pump money into infrastructure so we could have cool space trains like Europe and Japan, and I would invest in environmental stuff and creating jobs and production in America. So. In a nutshell, would FAIL at cutting. I admire the sacrifices the President is willing to make in a crisis, even the ones I dont' agree with, because I wouldn't want to make those, especially since his left base is not happy about his willingness to compromise. And I think we should all be paying higher taxes (except the working poor) like in countries where the citizens have a health safety net and higher education available to all. I believe healthy, educated citizens win globally in the long run, and are still able to succeed at Capitalism.
Go, moms! Yes, Denise, you are VP, and Cheryl O can be speaker of the house so the cameras can keep catching all the cat fights in chambers...before everyone votes all of us out. Laurie, A. Your husband ROCKS, I forgot all the funding I would want to give police, and you're right ideally wise cutbacks need to be made within ALL the nation's necessities including the military, but until that was all checked and cross checked, I'd be scared to make cuts (which is why it's good I'm not president) Jo (you can be sitting next to Cheryl O), I AGREE, cuts need to be made, but you're buying the Right's perspective the same way others are buying the Left's. None of us are there in person. We're all trying to navigate the bs.
Amber L. Yes, I've used health care in Canada and Europe as an adult traveling several times, and my friend just delivered her baby in Japan. I grew up on Air Force free government health care until age 18. My international friends have no complaints with their health care and think the US is crazy. I have no insurance here, which is not better than waiting 8 hours in Canada. We have been paying our out of pocket child deliveries for years-just finished, and believe me, that would have been a nice chunk of change for their future college educations. I've waited 4 1/2 hours in an empty ER here with my son whereas in Paris the doctor shows up at the door for ANY CHILD within 1/2 hour. It's fine to say "every man for himself" is your preferred health care philosophy, but it's not BETTER than other countries, it's just what you personally prefer, because it's what you're used to, and you have insurance.
I would cut all of the representatives salaries;)
I wouldn't spend a dime of it on anything but the debt reduction - Hello Dave Ramsey! Don't have it, don't spend it.
You are talking about cradle to grave care. No WAY! I do not want to pay higher taxes. I pay too much as it is. We are not Europe and most of the countries you are talking about are having budget problems. The problem is you have 50% of the citizens not paying federal taxes. You want to tax the rich more, well what happens when you run out of rich people? Same with businesses. That is not a fix. That is a bandaid.
1. Flat tax or consumption tax.
2. Get control of our borders
3. Defund Dept. of Education. States can do a better job with the money they send to the federal goverment.
4. Repeal Obamacare and replace with meaningful healthcare reform.
5. Cut salaries for politians. Have them meet once a year for a month. The rest of the time, they need real jobs!
6. Keep our money at home. Lets take care of Americans first.
These are just a few things I think should be done.
There isn't one thing that I admire about this president and admire the senate or congress either.
This is a blame game...everyone wants to blame someone else...where does the blame lie? With WE THE PEOPLE....people have become sheeples and lemmings...following the crowd, keeping up with the Jones' and not paying attention to our government - they have now gotten too big for their britches....
hear for yourself his own words...and how he has flip-flopped..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCMieWnY9uo&feature=share
they are spending more than they are bringing in...something NEEDS to go...the whole system is corrupt - doesn't matter which "side" you are on - it's all corrupt...sad..very sad...
The public health care option? Sorry I adamantly disagree with you - it is NOT the Government's responsibility to care for its citizens....
yes...something needs to be done - how about stopping care and money for illegal immigrants?!?!?!?! URGH!!!
This isn't about compromise - don't let that word fool you - it's another scare tactic and another lie....there shouldn't be a compromise...cuts MUST be made...the SPENDING MUST STOP!!! If you are spending more than you are making - then you have to cut somewhere!!! EITHER SIDE refuses to cut their perks....private drivers, vehicles, airplanes....my God - they are SUPPOSED to be our employees...yet...they still get..and get...no matter what side they are on....
If people wanted to realize when this happened - they say it's Bush's fault...sorry....let's go back 60 years to The Great Depression when Welfare was started as a TEMPORARY measure...not to last more than what 3 years? And now....60 years later......
Bottom line? Who is to blame? WE THE PEOPLE for not paying attention. For not stopping them and not paying attention to what they were doing with our money...these are your employees - call them..write to them..DO SOMETHING other than post on here....I call mine weekly - we're on a first name basis....
I think the President spoke better and presented the issue in a way that would relate to more americans. However, I side with the speaker in the interim. I think immediately we need to make cuts - huge drastic cuts. You don't go to your boss and ask for a raise because you can't pay your elite cell phone bill, 300 premium cable channel bill, and your 3 week vacation to the islands. You have to do with out. Once we stop spending more than we are taking in, then we can reevaluate. Come up with ideas to raise revenue (whether it be to tax the uber wealthy, tax everyone, etc) and decide which items we want added back into the budget.
Both sides said not making the deadline would be a bad thing.
The problem, imo, comes down to this:
Both sides want to keep their jobs (meaning, get reelected) and so do not want to be seem as "compromising" on items that the constituents who elected them would be unhappy about.
I lean in the same direction as the poster, A. J: the big corporations and the wealthy 1% are not paying their share and have not for a long long time, because they have $ to buy votes and/or influence people (specifically legislatures and governmental bodies).
I find it incredibly telling that multiple polls of the "average joe" American have 70% (!!!!!! that is a huge consensus) saying that part of the agreement should include raising taxes on the wealthiest, and yet the Republicans ignore this.
I am disgusted and angry with both sides, that, instead of sitting down and working together for the benefit of the people of the US, who employ them (!!), they are bickering and blaming and bickering. However, right now, I am much more angry with the Republicans than I have ever been in my life.
Yes, I believe our President when he says there will be ramifications from this stale mate. We will all lose, including the big corporate guys. This is bad any way you look at it and crying about whose fault it is isn't going to help. We need a compromise, and anyone who won't be on a compromising team should be voted OUT! Democrat or Republican.
I don't believe it's too late. Hope springs eternal. We've got a week to pull it together. Go America!
Nope, don't raise the debt ceiling. We need a major change and not just in words. Let's see what happens. No more taxes. How much more do you want to tax people? Raise the number of people on welfare? No more taxes. Healthcare is a problem, but NOW is not the time to think about it. Two years ago was NOT the time to think about it when we are facing economic collapse. Prioritize, and stop lying.
A., I sure do like some of your ideas. Individual income taxes in the US are actually significantly LOWER than taxes in other countries (except Japan). I would be in favor of higher individual taxes to support better services especially health care which is out of control. (But I place more blame on the providers and the pharmaceutical companies than the villianized insurance companies.) On the other hand, corporate taxes in America are significantly HIGHER than corporate taxes in other OECD nations. In fact a 15% cut in corporate taxes would only put us at middle of the pack within OECD countries (developed, high economy countries). This is the concern with global competitiveness...and jobs. As an overview, Revenues (money coming in) breakdown as follows: 45% individual income tax, 36% payroll taxes (Social Security), 12% corporate, 7% Other. Outlays breakdown as follows: 18.3% Social Security, 13.5% Medicare, 7% Medicaid, 7% Income Security, 20.5% Defense, 16.3% Discretionary Domestic Spending, 1% Discretionary International Spending, 8% Other Mandatory Spending (like federal retirement and disability programs), 8% interest on our debt. If you review the numbers through June 11 published by the Congressional Budget Office at:
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/121xx/doc12165/2011_06_MBR.pdf
you will see that the problem is we are spending roughly TWICE what we are bringing in. Democrats may point to Defense spending (which is the highest item in my overview above) but as a percentage of GNP, we are only 8th is the world for defense spending. Is it reasonable to compare it to GNP? I don't know, cuts are probably possible. But it's not more than 50% of all spending, it is more than 50% of "discretionary" spending (so after you remove all of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and Other income and retirement programs from the picture) - that's where "perspective" comes in. Republicans will add together the so-called "entitlement programs" and tell you almost 40% of all spending is going to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid but you can see that most of this is Medicare and Social Security - which are obligations that we've paid into which right now are supported by the payroll tax numbers. More "perspective". Both parties put it in the light that they want us to see it in and most Americans don't look at the real numbers. So who's right? I don't believe more corporate taxes are the answer when we need jobs. Maybe I could get behind corporate penalties for shifting jobs out of the country and/or certain less than green practices. Or leave corporate taxes where they are and better incent domestic jobs and environmentally responsible behavior as a way for corporations to cut taxes. I would definitely support taking a more aggressive stance with health care providers and pharmaceutical companies to reduce Medicare/Medicaid costs. I could support some variable in Social Security income based on investment return - if we invested the money ourselves, we would be subject to market swings, albeit as a federal program there would have to be some minumum/maximum guarantee to that. And I would definitely support some drill down into that 16.3% discretionary domestic spending and 8% Other retirement programs (yeah, like theirs). But if you go to the CBO Monthly Review, note that our biggest single increase in outlay over 2010...is interest on the national debt. And if we start to look like a bunch of yahoos to the world, we can pay still higher interest rates! The two party system is killing us. I think more things need to be put to a national vote because we can't trust these people to represent us anymore - their loyalty is to their party, not to us.
It's all a big blame game, and the reason for that is it's all about perspective. None of them think they're lying. Think about when you get in a heated argument with your spouse and you then recount the argument to someone else. Who comes out smelling like a rose and who comes out looking like evil incarnate?
As happens in personal relationships, in politics people are more interested in being right than in coming to a compromise and seeing what the other side might be making valid points on. It's about winning and getting more of your own points and pieces in than the other guy so that while you make claims of making it equal, it's actually just slightly less equal in your favor in order to give you the upper hand.
That's really what makes the world go round.
A. J., I love you.
Can I be your VP?
I do tend to believe that if we miss the deadline the stuff will really hit the fan. I don't know what the solution is as far as where to cut things or increase taxes but we all elect the officials to respresent us and not necessarily to simply substitute their judgement for our own. That may sound contradictory but I mean they should listen to their constituents to help shape what they do with their vote but ultimately use those opinions to shape their votes and not go in to make a name for themselves and vote strict party lines.
I would cut all elected officials' salaries (local, state,national and federal levels) and put them on an hourly wage. I'd take away their perks for housing and car stipends and would give them only 6 months of free health care coverage after their term ended.
Then I'd cut the nuclear weapons manufacturing as well as the missile manufacturing and siphon all that saved trillions back into American federal programs for the working poor and poverty level families.
I'd increase taxes on luxury items: boats, SUVs, sports cars and ATVs, RVs, 2nd + homes, 3rd + cars, soda, liquor, cigarettes, candy, and enforce all corporations to pay their taxes in full and in arrears. Then I'd increase the taxes on individuals who make more than $300K annually.
I agree with lots that you say, but I am concerned that the Pentagon/Military right now gets more than 50% of the budget. We all now know we are in countries we do not need to be in, so some tough choices about military spending must be made.
Everywhere in the country we are cutting our own budgets to the bone.. The military may need to cut back on some items also.
My husband is a manager for our Police Dept and has had to make some tough cuts. He makes sure the force still gets the best protection possible, but he has been able to make some HUGE cuts to their budget by working with the supply companies and not keeping huge amounts of supplies that could be wasted or go bad by the time they are not used, It takes more work with man power but it has saved them millions over the last 3 years.
With no more waste.
