It's not the government's debt, stupid, it's your own

[freedombecki]

"Well, governments can and do create jobs, but the number is tiny in comparison to how many jobs the private sector can create."

​

Now Mr. Wonky, you're supposed to sound a lot more partisan here.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

He questioned your chart, not you. Of course, you have proven full of inaccuracies too.

Fine: point them out politely and explain them logically and I'll admit to them as I've always done. You'll be much more gratified than you will be if you just keep posting "your [sic] an idiot" and I put you on ignore with all the other kids.

Given the choice, I go with ignore. Your a hopeless partisan with little to add to a debate. Of course, I'll still post comments about your posts, because I'll see them.

He actually put me on ignore for calling him an idiot once when responding to him, now he goes around calling other people idiots.

 

[saveliberty]

Our wrong pundit seems to think government should be on par with the debt individuals and businesses choose to take on. This is wrong on several levels.

1. Government encouraged home ownership by reducing down payments and credit ratings required to buy a home.

2. Allowed Wall Street to protect banks from risk in loans and poor investment choices.

3. Government debt has slowed ecomonic growth.

4. Folks say that banks weren't loaning, but another thing is at play as well. Many people are reducing their personal debts instead of borrowing right now. Much of this is driven by fears of government creating more job losses and driving up the costs of doing business.

 

[grunt11b]

[Note for the dense: The title references Jim Carville's campaign advice to Clinton: "It's the economy, stupid." Don't take it personally.]

Below is a chart that lists government and private debt from 1870 to the present. (Private debt, of course, includes both businesses and consumers.)

The most immediate consequence of such a huge private debt load is this:

Essentially this chart means that every neighbor of yours is sitting on a pile of debt (most likely living in it -- in an upside down house) and can't spend. In turn, banks are sitting on portfolios of bad debt -- potential defaults -- and hoarding cash. In turn again, businesses have no interest in hiring, investing or spending in a world of uncertain buyers. There's your economic recession ... stagnation ... potential depression ... right there.

Source

The budget in my household is under control and I am in no ways in debt to anyone or anything. I don't see how me being responsible with my money while the government is irresponsible with my tax dollars automatically makes the governments bad decisions my responsibility and my fault. Screw the neighbor who is a shitbag with his money, the government should not saddle me with his debt, and that falls directly with the government for doing so....not me. So it's the gubments fault, not mine. It's time people start taking personal responsibility for their own actions.
Unless of course I missed anything in this thread, this is my opinion on the issue.

 

[expat_panama]

...the neighbor who is a shitbag with his money, the government should not saddle me with his debt...

That's just it, your neighbor is not "a shitbag with his money". I know CNN says he is but they're lying and this lie should have been pulled a long time ago.

That lying CNN chart/article says Americans owe three times more to banks than the national debt. The fact is that total private household debt $13.9T) has been falling for years and it's less than a Federal debt ($14.3T) that's been soaring.

 

[freedombecki]

Fine: point them out politely and explain them logically and I'll admit to them as I've always done. You'll be much more gratified than you will be if you just keep posting "your [sic] an idiot" and I put you on ignore with all the other kids.

Given the choice, I go with ignore. Your a hopeless partisan with little to add to a debate. Of course, I'll still post comments about your posts, because I'll see them.

He actually put me on ignore for calling him an idiot once when responding to him, now he goes around calling other people idiots.

You wouldn't be saying.... that he learned it from you, would you now, dear sir?

 

[Wonky Pundit]

The budget in my household is under control and I am in no ways in debt to anyone or anything. I don't see how me being responsible with my money while the government is irresponsible with my tax dollars automatically makes the governments bad decisions my responsibility and my fault. Screw the neighbor who is a shitbag with his money, the government should not saddle me with his debt, and that falls directly with the government for doing so....not me. So it's the gubments fault, not mine. It's time people start taking personal responsibility for their own actions.
Unless of course I missed anything in this thread, this is my opinion on the issue.

You missed quite a bit, actually. That's okay, I'm happy to set you straight.

1. The government's bad decisions, fiscal and otherwise, are your responsibility to the extent that you're a citizen who elects representatives to govern us. It's unfortunate, but I'm guessing you wouldn't prefer a dictatorship.

2. The government isn't saddling you with anyone's debt other than its own. Your shitbag neighbor, through his stupidity, is holding back the economy. That was the point of the OP, and your own fiscal responsibility doesn't change it.

Yes, it sucks. We can't fix this kind of thing until we fix the American people: that's just where things are.

 

[Wonky Pundit]

Given the choice, I go with ignore. Your a hopeless partisan with little to add to a debate. Of course, I'll still post comments about your posts, because I'll see them.

He actually put me on ignore for calling him an idiot once when responding to him, now he goes around calling other people idiots.

You wouldn't be saying.... that he learned it from you, would you now, dear sir?

The irony here is that the more he whines about being on ignore, (a) the more it makes my decision to ignore him look justified, and (b) the more important it makes me look overall.

I find it quite funny.

 

[saveliberty]

I find it maddening that the chart shows growth in government spending, while the private is contracting. A reduction is the appropriate response to this situation. Government becomes a huge burden doing what it is at this time.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Given the choice, I go with ignore. Your a hopeless partisan with little to add to a debate. Of course, I'll still post comments about your posts, because I'll see them.

He actually put me on ignore for calling him an idiot once when responding to him, now he goes around calling other people idiots.

You wouldn't be saying.... that he learned it from you, would you now, dear sir?

If he did he didn't pay attention. I don't call people names and then put anyone who calls me a name on ignore,

 

[saveliberty]

I hardly call saying Wonky is an idiot name calling. Its labeling. Clearly, I might add. He puts people on ignore who debate him to a pulp.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

He actually put me on ignore for calling him an idiot once when responding to him, now he goes around calling other people idiots.

You wouldn't be saying.... that he learned it from you, would you now, dear sir?

The irony here is that the more he whines about being on ignore, (a) the more it makes my decision to ignore him look justified, and (b) the more important it makes me look overall.

I find it quite funny.

That's me, whinging about being ignored.

If I was going to whine I would whine about not getting any acknowledgement when I pos rep you, that is flat out rude. The truth is I just find it odd that someone who wants to control other people's speech does not control his own.

 

[saveliberty]

Wonky Pundit thinks something here makes him "look important"?