How you know it is all just Kabuki theatre

[blackhawk]

One thing we could do is limit the national debts to GDP ratio to something like 50%.
We had a 30% to 40% ratio for a very long time, but now we are over 120% of debt to GDP ratio, and that is ridiculous.

US National Debt by Year

The U.S. national debt was over $31 trillion in 2022. In 1930, it was just $16 billion. The biggest impacts have been defense spending, recessions, and recently, the pandemic.

www.thebalancemoney.com

The whole thing is beyond ridiculous personally I think we passed the point of no return on this long ago.

 

[Rigby5]

The whole thing is beyond ridiculous personally I think we passed the point of no return on this long ago.

It is going to get to the point where all our taxes will go to just paying the national debt interest, and then we will be a 3rd world, banana republic.

Funny how people think we somehow needed to spend all this money on the Ukraine, when in reality spending money unnecessarily is what is our biggest threat and will destroy us completely eventually.

 

[Rigby5]

What is strangest of all is that clearly no one should be in favor of raising the debt ceiling.
When in debt, you have a rummage sale, get rid of interest charges, cut up your credit cards, etc.

 

[Independentthinker]

Just the opposite in fact. Find me a lefty that is pushing to get rid of all tax tax expenditures. If we got rid of all tax expenditures everyone could pay a lower rate and some people would not get to pay less than others just because they have 4 kids or have not paid off their house.

In my plan everyone pays something, nobody pays as much as they used to



So, anyone on Social Security cannot vote? Anyone receiving military retirement benefits cannot vote?

SS is not really a government benefit. It is a retirement plan you pay in to which goes up in value and then when you retire you get your investment return back.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

SS is not really a government benefit. It is a retirement plan you pay in to which goes up in value and then when you retire you get your investment return back.

So, anyone receiving military retirement benefits cannot vote?

 

[Independentthinker]

He is one of the left wing loons that actually thinks they are moderates
Whatever that actually is.

Yeah, it's kind of funny to watch some of these people outright claim they don't belong to either side and yet if you would put them on a scale it would sink all the way to the ground on the left side.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Yeah, it's kind of funny to watch some of these people outright claim they don't belong to either side and yet if you would put them on a scale it would sink all the way to the ground on the left side.

What positions do I hold that are on the left?

I will be happy to wait while you list them.

 

[Independentthinker]

So, anyone receiving military retirement benefits cannot vote?

LOL. I'll take that as you complete concession. Again, military retirement is an employee benefit for working for the government. It is not a hand out.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

LOL. I'll take that as you complete concession. Again, military retirement is an employee benefit for working for the government. It is not a hand out.

You did not say "handouts" you said "people receiving government benefits".

Are you now walking that back?

 

[Independentthinker]

What positions do I hold that are on the left?

I will be happy to wait while you list them.

You just said a few posts ago that you want the rich to pay their fair share in taxes, even though they already pay the huge majority of the taxes collected. That's a lefty talking point.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

You just said a few posts ago that you want the rich to pay their fair share in taxes, even though they already pay the huge majority of the taxes collected. That's a lefty talking point.

Can you give that post number please?

Thanks

 

[Independentthinker]

You did not say "handouts" you said "people receiving government benefits".

Are you now walking that back?

I guess government benefits needs to be defined. SS is not a government benefit and benefits paid to federal workers as part of their compensation is also not what I was referring to. You basically know what I mean and, yes, there would be exceptions, such as those, to what I said. And, I don't actually remember saying that people receiving benefits shouldn't be allowed to vote. I said people paying no federal income taxes should be allowed to vote and, yes, there would be exceptions to that.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

And, I don't actually remember saying that people receiving benefits shouldn't be allowed to vote. I said people paying no federal income taxes should be allowed to vote and, yes, there would be exceptions to that.

 

[Independentthinker]

View attachment 789783

Ok. I kind of misspoke there, to some degree. I basically meant, with some exceptions, that people not paying federal income taxes should not be allowed to vote in federal elections and many who don't pay federal income taxes are receiving federal benefits. Same applies at state and local levels, with exceptions. This means that even if you aren't receiving government benefits but pay no federal income taxes, with some exceptions, you shouldn't be allowed to vote if you aren't paying taxes. Of course it's all a dream of mine and would never be reality, but, in my dream I make the rules.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

Ok. I kind of misspoke there, to some degree. I basically meant, with some exceptions, that people not paying federal income taxes should not be allowed to vote in federal elections and many who don't pay federal income taxes are receiving federal benefits. Same applies at state and local levels, with exceptions. This means that even if you aren't receiving government benefits but pay no federal income taxes, with some exceptions, you shouldn't be allowed to vote if you aren't paying taxes. Of course it's all a dream of mine and would never be reality, but, in my dream I make the rules.

The better solution is to have it set up so that nobody that has a job pays no income tax.

 

[Independentthinker]

The better solution is to have it set up so that nobody that has a job pays no income tax.

?????????????? I don't believe you phrased that correctly. I think you meant to say that if you don't have a job then you don't get to vote but that means a person with a job working 10 hours per week, collecting government benefits, and pays no federal income taxes, would still get to vote. I wouldn't sign off on that.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

?????????????? I don't believe you phrased that correctly. I think you meant to say that if you don't have a job then you don't get to vote but that means a person with a job working 10 hours per week, collecting government benefits, and pays no federal income taxes, would still get to vote. I wouldn't sign off on that.

Nope, I did phrase it correctly.

If you are earning an income you should pay some income tax. Why is that so very hard for you?

 

[Independentthinker]

Nope, I did phrase it correctly.

If you are earning an income you should pay some income tax. Why is that so very hard for you?

Actually, it's not hard for me. I think pretty much the same thing. I think everyone earning over the poverty wage should pay federal income taxes, even if it's a small amount. I find it disgusting that the left say the rich aren't paying their fair share while about half of Americans pay zero federal income tax. So, I would give a poverty level deduction and everyone earning over that pays federal income taxes and gets to vote.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

I think everyone earning over the poverty wage should pay federal income taxes, even if it's a small amount.

Why cut it off at poverty level?

I find it disgusting that the left say the rich aren't paying their fair share while about half of Americans pay zero federal income tax

I agree.

So, I would give a poverty level deduction and everyone earning over that pays federal income taxes and gets to vote.

I do not see any reason to cut it off at poverty level

 

[Vastator]

It is going to get to the point where all our taxes will go to just paying the national debt interest, and then we will be a 3rd world, banana republic.

Funny how people think we somehow needed to spend all this money on the Ukraine, when in reality spending money unnecessarily is what is our biggest threat and will destroy us completely eventually.

We haven't spent a single red cent on Ukraine. Let's be honest here. The US government is practically insolvent. The US government took on even more debt on behalf of Ukraine. I as a lowly Plebe have more free capital, compared to debt, than the US government does...