It's the Spending, Stupid

[Zoom-boing]

Seems like common sense to me.

"The government who robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul," George Bernard Shaw once said.

For a socialist, Shaw demonstrated good sense with that quotation. Unfortunately, America has become a laboratory in which his hypothesis is being tested.

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John Stossel RealClearPolitics
taxes economy

The theory of government I was taught says that government provides benefits, primarily security, to the entire population. In return we pay taxes. But lately the government has been a distributor of special privileges, taking money from some and giving it to others. America is now about evenly split between those who pay income taxes and those who consume them.

The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center recently disclosed that close to half of all households will pay no income tax this year. Some will pay less than zero -- that is, they'll get money from those of us who do pay taxes.
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The built-in unfairness of the tax system has prompted a range of tax-reform proposals, such as a flat tax and replacing the income tax with a sales tax. These alternatives are better, but they have their drawbacks, too. For that reason, there is something more urgent than tax reform: spending reform.

The true burden of government, the late Milton Friedman said, is not the tax level but the spending level. Taxation is just one way for the government to get money. The other ways -- borrowing and inflation -- are also burdens on the people. The best way to lighten the tax burden is to lessen the spending burden. If government spends less, it takes less. And if it takes less, the tax system will weigh less heavily on us all.

Once again, we find wisdom in Adam Smith: "Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice: all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things."

RealClearPolitics - It's the Spending, Stupid

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

"its the economy stupid"



And the economy is in trouble because of?

"The deficit spending stupid"

 

[Dr.Traveler]

"its the economy stupid"



And the economy is in trouble because of?

"The deficit spending stupid"

Which unfortunately is nothing new. Economists have been warning people at the top of their lungs about the growing national deficit for as long as I can remember.

The problem always comes in what to cut. Cutting the Defense Budget always meets with cries of pain and anguish both from Conservatives and from Congressmen whose districts benefit from local military bases or weapons facilities. Cutting Entitlement spending always meets with cries of pain and anguish from Liberals and the poor. Proposing cuts on either is a good way to end your political career early.

I'd support a balanced budget ammendment, but the problem is that in times of war or national emergency you may actually need to run a deficit

 

[Si modo]

Stossel didn't emote enough in that analysis; such rationality cannot be trusted.

 

[nodoginnafight]

Cutting Entitlement spending always meets with cries of pain and anguish from Liberals and the poor.

Conservatives don't mind cutting social security????????

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Cutting Entitlement spending always meets with cries of pain and anguish from Liberals and the poor.

Conservatives don't mind cutting social security????????

I say we cut it all and watch the chaos. I'll move to the Netherlands first though Preferably amsterdam

 

[seth1492]

Cutting Entitlement spending always meets with cries of pain and anguish from Liberals and the poor.

Conservatives don't mind cutting social security????????

To be honest I don't... Cut taxes to avoid the world's biggest lie that there will continue to be social security and let everyone begin to save their money. You could phase it out for those too old to save or just let it go.

By the way, what ever happened to everyone helping out their families? You know, kids taking care of their parents? I think we wouldn't have this discussion if people started making sure their families were taken care of first.

 

[Sherry]

Cutting Entitlement spending always meets with cries of pain and anguish from Liberals and the poor.

Conservatives don't mind cutting social security????????

To be honest I don't... Cut taxes to avoid the world's biggest lie that there will continue to be social security and let everyone begin to save their money. You could phase it out for those too old to save or just let it go.

By the way, what ever happened to everyone helping out their families? You know, kids taking care of their parents? I think we wouldn't have this discussion if people started making sure their families were taken care of first.

What sort of global citizen are you?? Who is more important.....your granny or the starving children across the ocean??

 

[LibocalypseNow]

Yes Socialism only begets more Socialism in the end. It becomes an endless cycle of needing more of the Peoples' money to spend more. Now these Socialists are actually considering punishing soda drinkers and potato chip eaters with more excessive taxation. They're broke and they simply need the cash now. The Socialists are now going to come up with all kinds of ways to punish the people through excessive taxation. Why don't we just punish them instead? They're the ones who have bankrupted and weakened our nation with their endless corruption and incompetence. Why punish the average American Citizen? They didn't bankrupt our nation? We must get rid of the Socialists as soon as possible or things are going to get much much worse.

 

[oreo]

Yes Socialism only begets more Socialism in the end. It becomes an endless cycle of needing more of the Peoples' money to spend more. Now these Socialists are actually considering punishing soda drinkers and potato chip eaters with more excessive taxation. They're broke and they simply need the cash now. The Socialists are now going to come up with all kinds of ways to punish the people through excessive taxation. Why don't we just punish them instead? They're the ones who have bankrupted and weakened our nation with their endless corruption and incompetence. Why punish the average American Citizen? They didn't bankrupt our nation? We must get rid of the Socialists as soon as possible or things are going to get much much worse.

100% AGREED--the only thing that needs to downsize is our totally incompetent federal government. They created this current economic DISASTER with their mismanagement of Fannie/Freddie in which they co-signed our names to 50% of the mortgages in this country while lowering lending standards & requirements.

Since our newly elected President has sat in the oval office--Obama alone has spent more than the cost of ALL wars combined. And what on? pork--earmarks--& goodies. The political pay-offs to congress & the senate are unbelievable.

Yet they want more. Now it's soda's & juices--UNBELIEVABLE. These dumb-asse's want to tax food items in the worst recession this country has ever seen since the great depression. But--that's what we get when we elect a bunch of elitists who have never worked a real job in their entire lives.

And we're going to PAY--MAN are we going to PAY!






"The problem with socialism is that government eventually runs out of other peoples money to spend"--Margaret Thatcher

 

[PatekPhilippe]

"its the economy stupid"



And the economy is in trouble because of?

"The deficit spending stupid"

Which unfortunately is nothing new. Economists have been warning people at the top of their lungs about the growing national deficit for as long as I can remember.

The problem always comes in what to cut. Cutting the Defense Budget always meets with cries of pain and anguish both from Conservatives and from Congressmen whose districts benefit from local military bases or weapons facilities. Cutting Entitlement spending always meets with cries of pain and anguish from Liberals and the poor. Proposing cuts on either is a good way to end your political career early.

I'd support a balanced budget ammendment, but the problem is that in times of war or national emergency you may actually need to run a deficit

So, in your opinion, is this an excuse to continue the status quo instead of finding real solutions to the government's bottomless wallet?

 

[PatekPhilippe]

Have anyone of you seen or heard about all of the PORK attached to the healthcare bill? It's disgusting what the Congress is doing to America!!!!

 

[LibocalypseNow]

Punishing Soda Drinkers and Potato Chip Eaters?? Yikes! These Socialists have completely lost it at this point. This Administration is a Neo-Marxist Socialist disaster. Why don't more people see this? Unfortunately so many seem so willing to give all their Freedoms & Liberties away. It really is very sad and perplexing.

 

[PatekPhilippe]

Punishing Soda Drinkers and Potato Chip Eaters?? Yikes! These Socialists have completely lost it at this point. This Administration is a Neo-Marxist Socialist disaster. Why don't more people see this? Unfortunately so many seem so willing to give all their Freedoms & Liberties away. It really is very sad and perplexing.

Well...when America is told one thing...and they fall for it...then they get something they DID NOT ask for.....that's one definition of a CON JOB. Now America realizes that they were in fact conned by Obama's slick talk and flashy campaign....typical of a nation with a 30 second sound bite attention span.

 

[alan1]

Does any politician ever really cut spending?

50 Examples of Government Waste
snip,

Soaring government spending and trillion-dollar budget deficits have brought fiscal responsibility--and reducing government waste--back onto the national agenda. President Obama recently identified 0.004 of 1 percent of the federal budget as wasteful and proposed eliminating this $140 million from his $3.6 trillion fiscal year 2010 budget request.

This isn't a slam on Mr Obama, it's a slam on our entire federal government that insists on trading earmarks/pork for votes on a spending bill.
These fuckers are really pissing me off.

 

[LibocalypseNow]

Bush & Obama...Like two peas in a pod. Both are inept & failed Socialists in my opinion.

 

[PatekPhilippe]

Does any politician ever really cut spending?

50 Examples of Government Waste
snip,

Soaring government spending and trillion-dollar budget deficits have brought fiscal responsibility--and reducing government waste--back onto the national agenda. President Obama recently identified 0.004 of 1 percent of the federal budget as wasteful and proposed eliminating this $140 million from his $3.6 trillion fiscal year 2010 budget request.

This isn't a slam on Mr Obama, it's a slam on our entire federal government that insists on trading earmarks/pork for votes on a spending bill.
These fuckers are really pissing me off.

and then in the same breath Obama tells the American public that there is 500 billion dollars in fraud and waste in Medicare!!!!!

Why the FUCK doesn't he fix that instead of spending another TRILLION DOLLARS on ANOTHER HEALTHCARE program destined to be RIFE WITH FRAUD!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmmmmmmmmm let's see

140 million in waste....500 BILLION IN FRAUD !!!!!!!!!

WTF OBAMA!!!!!!!

 

[PatekPhilippe]

and you libtards wonder why America is becoming disillusioned by this President and his fucked up priorities.

 

[potter 58]

yes PP why did'nt ask Booooooooooooooooooosh the same question asswipe

 

[Dr.Traveler]

So, in your opinion, is this an excuse to continue the status quo instead of finding real solutions to the government's bottomless wallet?

No.

I'm just saying if there were an easy solution, it'd have been done by now. Spending will have to be reduced at some point. How is the million dollar question.