GOP/Paul Ryan FTW!

[DinoDoc]

Of course the question of "doing too much" is a, wait for it... emotional response. Especially when you have other options like, I dunno, ending the war in Afghanistan and raising taxes on the Top 10% of income earners to Clinton era levels. Of course there are emotional reasons for those things as well.

The top 10% of the country don't have enough money even at a 100% tax rate to dig us out of the fiscal whole we've dug for ourselves via entitlements and other increases in governmental power and largess.

[Arrian]

Now it's up to the Dems to come back with a sensible counter-proposal. Yeah, I know, I'm not holding my breath either.

For those surprised that Ryan's plan is all about slashing the safety net... why would you be surprised? He's a Republican, and this is his opening offer. The only people on earth who think it's a good idea to include concessions to your opposition in an opening offer are... Democrats. Theoretically, a compromise proposal is possible that includes fewer cuts (and/or a different mix of cuts) and some tax increases. In a sane political environment, anyway.

Some props to Ryan for including changes that will harm a key GOP constituency, btw (well-off seniors). The failure to include military cuts, though, loses him those points from me. I get refusing to put in any tax increases (again, opening offer). I don't get continuing the blank check approach to the Pentagon.

-Arrian

[Imran Siddiqui]

And Senator Warner is engaging in negotiations, but he's getting slammed by the usual suspects for doing so.

[DaShi]

The top 10% of the country don't have enough money even at a 100% tax rate to dig us out of the fiscal whole we've dug for ourselves via entitlements and other increases in governmental power and largess.

the amount saved from cutting public programs is a pittance compared to what moderately raising taxes on them would gain us.

And entitlements played little to no role in this fiscal hole. Also, unless by saying "increases in governmental power and largess" you mean two mismanaged wars, foolhardy tax cuts, and poor regulation of the financial industry, you're just talking more bull****.

[David Floyd]

Do you not understand that "Mandatory Spending" aka, ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS + interest payments, comprise over 100% of federal tax revenue. Don't ****ing tell me entitlement programs aren't the problem.

[notyoueither]

Low taxes could be.

[David Floyd]

Again, not really. Mandatory spending as a percentage of the federal budget has been rising drastically since the 1970s.

Raising taxes is only a short term solution, as there is nothing that indicates to me that federal spending will decrease just because taxes are raised.

[notyoueither]

You have very low personal taxes by OECD standards and no national sales tax.

You're starving the system and complaining that the cripple is fat.

[David Floyd]

I couldn't care less about OECD standards. I couldn't care less about a national sales tax. The fact is that social welfare spending has been rising dramatically over the past 30 years. Neither I, nor most other Americans, are willing to pay higher taxes to support that. Therefore, the solution is simple - lower the spending.

Just because European social democracies (ie, Socialist countries) think we pay too little in taxes and offer too few social services doesn't mean that we should conform to their ideas. We're the United States of GODDAMN America, and we are different from you ****ing idiots. For ****'s sake, how many times have we had to save you from yourselves this century? That's right, don't lecture us on how to run things. Jesus ****ing Christ!

[notyoueither]

Slovenia can offer healthcare to all it's citizens, and they are probably less of a basket case economically as well.

[David Floyd]

Yes, and raise your hand if you want to live in Slovenia.
.
.
.
.
Right. I ****ing thought so.

[notyoueither]

Your problem is you want to pretend to be a modern state, but you don't want to pay the price in taxes. You have the rest of the world going along with your Ponzi scheme of a state and accepting monopoly money because they don't have to pay for militaries as part of the bargain.

The problem comes when Chairman Mao's successors call your loans.

[David Floyd]

Hey, I'm not the one arguing for out of control spending. That's the liberals, and you. And for that matter, some of the so called conservatives, too.

Then again, Chairman Mao's successors can't call our loans in, because what does it do to their economy if we default? Whoops.

Also, that's a pretty damn good point about the military - since 1945, the United States has invested in the military that Europe doesn't want to invest in, and has used to to not only protect Western Europe, but advance "humanitarian" interests around the world that Europe supports but refuses to pay for. I don't support that ****, either, but the fact is that we did it and do it to this day.

And none of this address the point that in order to address our financial situation, all we have to do is have the balls to tackle "mandatory" spending. Let's start very reasonably, with a means based test on Social Security, as well as raising the retirement age to where it was vis-a-vis the life expectancy in 1933. Do you how much money those two measures would save? A TON!

[notyoueither]

And none of this address the point that in order to address our financial situation, all we have to do is have the balls to tackle "mandatory" spending.

... or do a sensible thing like charge a sales tax and capture some of the revenue that you are foregoing so that KrazyHorse and Asher can be freeloaders.

[Egbert]

Just because European social democracies (ie, Socialist countries) think we pay too little in taxes and offer too few social services doesn't mean that we should conform to their ideas. We're the United States of GODDAMN America, and we are different from you ****ing idiots.

I completely agree that the USA should not try to conform to European ideas. The problem with the USA is that you are different from us, you should strive to be more like us. You should conform to our ideas. So should the Europeans. In fact, everybody should conform to our ideas, for their own good.