As we watch the Repub House caucus ineffectually try to compromise on a new Speaker

[berg80]

Once Trump is in prison, and the Republicans are forced (by their own doing) on compromising with the Democrats on the speakership, 'Trumpery' will be dead anyway. May it Rest in Hell!

There is a very long time between now and then. The trials and the appeals will take 2-3 years to complete. And it doesn't solve the problem of what few reasonable Repubs there are seeing compromise with Dems as a death wish for re-election. Perversely, it will only serve to further radicalize the POT.

 

[berg80]

Yes. That's the way it should be. Working with Dims should be political suicide.

You understand what you're advocating is not working with elected officials who represent at least half the population of the country, right?

 

[berg80]

There will never be a consensus on what to do about it.

If that is true start stocking up on water and beef jerky cuz a cataclysmic collapse of the global economy is inevitable.

 

[kyzr]

It's a good start, and opener. I would add eliminate 10 GOVT departments and all their expenditures right away. The SS proposal makes it officially a TAX (unless the high earners are give higher payouts which kills the idea?).

OK so the money paid above the current cap is a tax. Happy?
It makes SS solvent, which is a big issue resolved.
Fixing Medicare is a tougher nut. I'm thinking eliminate or cut Medicaid to fix Medicare.

I'm not sure your could cut 10 departments?
1. Education ($45B )
2. Holy Fuck. Look thru this list. There are hundreds of agencies to be eliminated.

A-Z index of U.S. government departments and agencies | USAGov

Get contact information for U.S. federal government agencies, departments, corporations, instrumentalities, and government-sponsored enterprises. Find websites, email, phone numbers, addresses, and more.

www.usa.gov

3. Major Departments by Budget: WTF does HHS spend so much money on?????????????????????????????

 

[kyzr]

1. Add a 4% Federal Sales Tax on all sales (gains ~400b/yr) - No Sales Taxes should be left to the States and local governments only.
2. Add a 0.1%? financial transaction tax on ALL financial buy/sell transactions (stocks, bonds, derivatives, bitcoin, etc.) (gains 777b/yr, see link below) - Yes!
3. Add a Remittance Tax on all money sent out of the US (gains ~$150b/yr, see link below) - Not a bad idea to reduce immigration
4. Remove the cap on SS tax, and raise the ages from 62/67 to 63/68 (saves SS) - Yes to removing the cap, no to raising the ages. People shouldn't work until they die without ever collecting.
5. Raise the tax and co-pay for Medicare - Raise the tax, but not the copay
6. Add a co-pay for Medicaid - No. People on Medicaid are poor enough
7. Increase both the Corporate and individual Capital Gains Tax Rates
8. Raise the top income tax brackets

1. A sales tax is a "flat tax" or a "fair tax" instead of fighting over who pays it. The bottom half of incomes needs to contribute to the Federal government. 4% isn't that much.
2. thx
3. thx
4. fine
5. fine, but Medicaid is a very big budget item. We need to cut that cost some way. Being poor is no excuse. Maybe optional fentanyl pills? <g?
6. Increase income taxes is a non-starter. That would guarantee no new tax revenue.

 

[Hum Dinger]

1. A sales tax is a "flat tax" or a "fair tax" instead of fighting over who pays it. The bottom half of incomes needs to contribute to the Federal government. 4% isn't that much.
2. thx
3. thx
4. fine
5. fine, but Medicaid is a very big budget item. We need to cut that cost some way. Being poor is no excuse. Maybe optional fentanyl pills? <g?
6. Increase income taxes is a non-starter. That would guarantee no new tax revenue.

Sales tax may be a fair tax, but a 4% federal tax in my state would drive sales tax above 10%. That'll kill sales and the economy with it.

It seems that the one thing that's already proven to work - taxing the wealthy - is the one thing that you remain in denial about.

If taxes decreased profitability, wealthy people would have to shift their investments to higher risks, and those are the type that stimulate the economy.

 

[berg80]

1. A sales tax is a "flat tax" or a "fair tax" instead of fighting over who pays it. The bottom half of incomes needs to contribute to the Federal government. 4% isn't that much.

Regressive taxes like that end up causing low income people to spend a higher proportion of their income on taxes and will result in less consumption. Not good for a consumer based economy.

 

[berg80]

Jordan to Face Off Against Scott for Speakership Amid Republican Fight

A little-known Republican emerged on Friday to challenge Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio in the raucous party feud over selecting a new speaker, underscoring the divisions that have left the House leaderless and paralyzed for more than a week.

Representative Austin Scott of Georgia, a mainstream conservative and ally of the ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, said he would seek the nomination. He effectively was putting himself forward as a protest candidate against Mr. Jordan, a hard-right Republican who is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

The surprise move promised to prolong the infighting that has raged among Republicans since a hard-right faction of Mr. Jordan’s supporters forced out Mr. McCarthy last week and then refused to back the party’s chosen successor, Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, for the post.
Divided G.O.P. Nominates Jordan for Speaker, Elevating a Hard-Right Figure

Don't know anything about Scott but he must be better than Mr. Crazy himself.......Gym Jordan.

 

[kyzr]

Sales tax may be a fair tax, but a 4% federal tax in my state would drive sales tax above 10%. That'll kill sales and the economy with it.
It seems that the one thing that's already proven to work - taxing the wealthy - is the one thing that you remain in denial about.
If taxes decreased profitability, wealthy people would have to shift their investments to higher risks, and those are the type that stimulate the economy.

Have you ever heard Leona Helmsley's quote "only little people pay taxes"? The rich know how to avoid paying taxes.

People adjust to new taxes. Look at the inflation rate, people are already paying the 4% tax.

The wealthy don't need to pay taxes, they can relocate and/or hire better tax attorneys. There is only so much revenue you can get from the top income brackets. 90% of income taxes are already paid by the top bracket, the bottom 50% of incomes don't pay anything. Whatever new taxes they put on need to work to get to a surplus, if one doesn't work keep adding new taxes until a surplus is achieved.

 

[kyzr]

Regressive taxes like that end up causing low income people to spend a higher proportion of their income on taxes and will result in less consumption. Not good for a consumer based economy.

A 4% tax is better than the inflation we have now. The bottom half of incomes don't really pay any income tax.
We need to fix the Budget Deficit and need everyone contributing.

 

[Flash]

A 4% tax is better than the inflation we have now. The bottom half of incomes don't really pay any income tax.
We need to fix the Budget Deficit and need everyone contributing.

The way to fix the budget deficit is not to tax more but simply to spend less.

Of course it is dated now but back in 2012 Ron Paul submitted a budget that would have reduced spending a trillion a year without cutting Defense, Social Security or Medicare. It would probably be $2 trillion now.

Apply $2 trillion to the debt each year and not incurring any more and the debt is paid off before a child born today gets out of Jr high school. That is much better than increasing debt each year.

Ron Paul's 'Plan to Restore America'

www.cato.org

 

[berg80]

4 Democratic centrists to McHenry: Let's make a deal​

Four top centrist Democrats on Friday sent a pitch to Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry: Let’s get the House working again.

In a letter to McHenry that was obtained by POLITICO, Democrats told him they support giving him “temporary, expanded authorities” that would allow the House to take up the most urgent bills — namely, government funding plans.
Specifically, the Democrats are proposing to let McHenry bring up any emergency aid for Ukraine or Israel, a short-term bill that extends government funding through Jan. 11, or general consideration of fiscal 2024 spending bills. Those powers should be limited to 15-day increments, they proposed, with extensions possible if the House GOP continues to remain without a leader.

In exchange, the Democratic quartet suggested, their party would be allowed to fill up 50 percent of the House's suspension calendar — which is reserved for noncontroversial bills and requires two-thirds votes for passage, not simple majorities.

4 Democratic centrists to McHenry: Let's make a deal

In a letter to McHenry that was obtained by POLITICO, the Democrats floated giving him “temporary, expanded authorities” -- in exchange for concessions.

www.politico.com

Makes sense, for the country, to be able to get some stuff done while the Repubs have their thumbs up their asses.

 

[berg80]

Jordan beats Scott in speaker race

The Ohio Republican was widely expected to prevail over his last-minute rival. He still remains short of the votes to secure the gavel on the floor.

By OLIVIA BEAVERS and JORDAIN CARNEY

10/13/2023, 4:06PM ET
Rep. Jim Jordan defeated Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) in a secret ballot vote on Friday, after House Republicans huddled behind closed doors to hear pitches from the two men.

The Ohioan was widely expected to emerge victorious from the conference meeting — only needing a majority of House Republicans to back him in order to become their speaker designee. He won with 124 votes, according to two sources familiar with the count, but he’ll need to meet a much higher bar of 217 to be elected speaker on the House floor.
Jordan beats Scott in speaker race

Too bad.

 

[kyzr]

The way to fix the budget deficit is not to tax more but simply to spend less.

Of course it is dated now but back in 2012 Ron Paul submitted a budget that would have reduced spending a trillion a year without cutting Defense, Social Security or Medicare. It would probably be $2 trillion now.

Apply $2 trillion to the debt each year and not incurring any more and the debt is paid off before a child born today gets out of Jr high school. That is much better than increasing debt each year.

McCarthy already said that only about 11% of the Budget can be cut.
With a looming $1.5T interest cost on the Debt, we need new taxes and more revenue.

I'm all for including Ron Paul's budget cuts, but that won't get us back to a surplus now.

 

[Godboy]

Not likely

Do you feel dumb now? Do you see how bad your instincts are? I told you it would be Jim Jordan. Youre fucking stupid.

 

[Mac1958]

There is a very long time between now and then. The trials and the appeals will take 2-3 years to complete. And it doesn't solve the problem of what few reasonable Repubs there are seeing compromise with Dems as a death wish for re-election. Perversely, it will only serve to further radicalize the POT.

Well, they wanted to revolt, they wanted to burn it all down. What they stupidly didn't realize was that they would get burned, too.

Those of us who don't want to see either party have too much power have been screaming about this since 2017.

These people are clowns with flamethrowers. All because they sold their soul to a fucking con man.

 

[berg80]

Well, they wanted to revolt, they wanted to burn it all down. What they stupidly didn't realize was that they would get burned, too.

In ways they did not anticipate. In this instance the phrase "they're paying the price" can be interpreted literally.

House speaker race injects chaos into high-dollar Republican fundraising

The messy race to elect the next Republican speaker of the House of Representatives is injecting chaos into the typically genteel world of high-dollar GOP fundraising, threatening to disrupt a vital element of the Republican strategy to maintain its House majority.

One faction of wealthy donors is intent on exacting revenge on the eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to oust former speaker Kevin McCarthy, according to people familiar with the matter.

“They are total pieces of s---,” said Andy Sabin, a longtime Republican donor and metalworks executive. Sabin told CNBC he’s encouraging fellow donors not to give or raise money for members like Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who led the anti-McCarthy drive and Nancy Mace of South Carolina, a moderate who sided with hardliners against the California leader.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/13/hou...s-fundraising-chaos-as-scalise-withdraws.html

Read the whole article, it gets better.

 

[kyzr]

Well, they wanted to revolt, they wanted to burn it all down. What they stupidly didn't realize was that they would get burned, too.
Those of us who don't want to see either party have too much power have been screaming about this since 2017.
These people are clowns with flamethrowers. All because they sold their soul to a fucking con man.

...and democrats sold their soul to a senile pedo who is unelectable because of his moronic policies.

 

[kyzr]

In ways they did not anticipate. In this instance the phrase "they're paying the price" can be interpreted literally.

House speaker race injects chaos into high-dollar Republican fundraising

The messy race to elect the next Republican speaker of the House of Representatives is injecting chaos into the typically genteel world of high-dollar GOP fundraising, threatening to disrupt a vital element of the Republican strategy to maintain its House majority.

One faction of wealthy donors is intent on exacting revenge on the eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to oust former speaker Kevin McCarthy, according to people familiar with the matter.

“They are total pieces of s---,” said Andy Sabin, a longtime Republican donor and metalworks executive. Sabin told CNBC he’s encouraging fellow donors not to give or raise money for members like Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who led the anti-McCarthy drive and Nancy Mace of South Carolina, a moderate who sided with hardliners against the California leader. Read the whole article, it gets better.

It takes balls of steel to go against the big money donors who don't care if Social Security and Medicare go insolvent.
The US is headed for a fiscal cliff and only the 8 radicals are trying to cut spending.
The next election is a year away, cutting funding in congressional races is a hollow threat.

 

[Mac1958]

In ways they did not anticipate. In this instance the phrase "they're paying the price" can be interpreted literally.

House speaker race injects chaos into high-dollar Republican fundraising

The messy race to elect the next Republican speaker of the House of Representatives is injecting chaos into the typically genteel world of high-dollar GOP fundraising, threatening to disrupt a vital element of the Republican strategy to maintain its House majority.

One faction of wealthy donors is intent on exacting revenge on the eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to oust former speaker Kevin McCarthy, according to people familiar with the matter.

“They are total pieces of s---,” said Andy Sabin, a longtime Republican donor and metalworks executive. Sabin told CNBC he’s encouraging fellow donors not to give or raise money for members like Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who led the anti-McCarthy drive and Nancy Mace of South Carolina, a moderate who sided with hardliners against the California leader.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/13/hou...s-fundraising-chaos-as-scalise-withdraws.html

Read the whole article, it gets better.

Interesting. All along I've been wishing that the silent Republicans would say something, and instead, maybe it will ultimately be the donors who put their foot down.