Mitt Romney has written an editorial. It should prompt a national discussion. It won't.

[pknopp]

Well you are by posting this false equivalency.

It's an absolute equivalency.

2016-2020. Trump runs up 7.8 trillion in debt.

2020-2024. Biden runs up 8 trillion in debt.

Democrats did offer Grand Bargain, did put big spending cuts on the table in exchange for tax raises.

It wasn't Democrats that rejected the deal, it was Republicans who didn't want any tax-raises.

But, but, but........

 

[leftwinger]

I'm not trying to defend either party. Both parties are bankrupting the country.

There are no "both parties". 95% are your party. Deep State Uniparty.

Only a go-getter, a true outsuder like Trump can possibly succeed in getting some improvements implemented. It takes effort.

 

[leftwinger]

It's an absolute equivalency.

2016-2020. Trump runs up 7.8 trillion in debt.

2020-2024. Biden runs up 8 trillion in debt.




But, but, but........

Deep state used China to launch and spread disease to shutdown the Country. You are a Uniparty parrot. Trump was making headway prior to Flu and stolen 2020. Despite harassment on phony Russia or media lies.

 

[AntonToo]

It's an absolute equivalency.

2016-2020. Trump runs up 7.8 trillion in debt.

2020-2024. Biden runs up 8 trillion in debt.




But, but, but........

You didn't actually address ANYTHING quoted.

We will keep running up debt because guess what - spending and tax-cutting is easy and popular, cuts and tax raises are hard and unpopular.

There needs to be a pain-on-all-sides compromise or we will never get anywhere on fixing our long term deficits. Democrats have shown that they would agree to spending cuts and it remains on Republican side to agree to tax-raises. For the most part the ball is in Republican court.


PS. and even in your deflection you again commit false equivalency:

One IS NOT like the other.

 

[pknopp]

You didn't actually address ANYTHING quoted.

We will keep running up debt because guess what - spending and tax-cutting is easy and popular, cuts and tax raises are hard and unpopular.

There needs to be a pain-on-all-sides compromise or we will never get anywhere on fixing our long term deficits. Democrats have shown that they would agree to spending cuts and it remains on Republican side to agree to tax-raises.

For the most part the ball is in Republican court.

Wrong.

 

[berg80]

Deep state used China to launch and spread disease to shutdown the Country. You are a Uniparty parrot. Trump was making headway prior to Flu and stolen 2020. Despite harassment on phony Russia or media lies.

Has your mom ever apologized for the time she dropped you on your head?

 

[JWBooth]

Mitt Romney has written an editorial. It should prompt a national discussion. It won't.​

Mitt Romney? He was and remains irrelevant.

Mitt Romney (colorized)

 

[AntonToo]

Wrong.

Should I take you single word for it?

Don't be silly.

 

[pknopp]

Should I take you single word for it?

Don't be silly.

I have no doubt you wouldn't accept a legal thesis so no reason to not make it simple.

 

[AntonToo]

I have no doubt you wouldn't accept a legal thesis so no reason to not make it simple.

"Legal thesis"? Give me a break you lazy blowhard.

You can't even get a basic outline of half-way coherent argument together.

 

[pknopp]

"Legal thesis"? Give me a break you lazy blowhard.

You can't even get a basic outline of half-way coherent argument together.

You're wrong. It's that simple.

Our $38 trillion in debt is wholly a bipartisan failure.

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

We certainly are, but it probably won't be for at least another 30 years.

First we must build a Moon base capable of supporting a year-round staff capable of living there and assembling and launching a large payload. That'll be mostly built underground. Give that at least ten years until we begin that.

We will need to launch our Mars missions from the Moon. From there, it'll take a couple years to get there, requiring people to live and work in space.

Having landed on Mars, it will take years to gradually build up an underground base capable of supporting all of the needs of the people there, as Mars too far away for a "rescue."

This will require an international effort with nations working together instead of fighting with each other, but it is doable.

LOL. Sorry...went straight to Moonbase Alpha...

 

[Crepitus]

No links, of course.

Common knowledge, tRumpling.

 

[Woodznutz]

Mitt Romney: Tax the Rich, Like Me​

In 2012, political ads suggested that some of my policy proposals, if enacted, would amount to pushing grandma off a cliff. Actually, my proposals were intended to prevent that very thing from happening.

Today, all of us, including our grandmas, truly are headed for a cliff: If, as projected, the Social Security Trust Fund runs out in the 2034 fiscal year, benefits will be cut by about 23 percent. The government will need trillions of dollars to make up the shortfall. When lenders refuse to loan the money unless they are paid much higher interest rates, economic calamity will almost certainly ensue. Alternatively, the government could print more money, inducing hyperinflation that devalues the national debt — along with your savings.

Typically, Democrats insist on higher taxes, and Republicans insist on lower spending. But given the magnitude of our national debt as well as the proximity of the cliff, both are necessary. DOGE took a slash-and-burn approach to budget cutting and failed spectacularly. Europe demonstrates that exorbitant taxes without spending restraint crushes economic vitality and thus speeds how fast the cliff arrives.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/opinion/romney-tax-the-rich.html

The title applies to his belief the $176K income cap for social security taxes should be done away with.

I long opposed increasing the income level on which FICA employment taxes are applied (this year, the cap is $176,100). No longer; the consequences of the cliff have changed my mind.

The largest source of additional tax revenues is also probably the most compelling for fairness and social stability. Some call it closing tax code loopholes, but the term “loopholes” grossly understates their scale. “Caverns” or “caves” would be more fitting.

He goes on to say the "step up in basis" capital gains tax treatment for wealthy estates should be amended. Meaning, if you inherit an asset for which the owner would have faced a capital gains tax upon its disposal if the owner did so while still alive, you shouldn't be able to inherit the asset tax free.

The thread is not intended to start a debate on the details of Romney's recommendations. Rather, it is to highlight the impending shortfall in the SS trust requires the nation to have a serious debate over what to do about it. And soon.

So too we need to have a discussion about the debt, during which both higher taxes and lower spending are on the table. There are still more.

Many have said our elected representatives have failed us with the rise of partisanship leading to paralyzing gridlock. The result being critical issues are not being effectively addressed. I say we have failed ourselves by not electing serious and informed officials to represent us. A reflection of "we the people," who spend too much time entertaining ourselves and not enough learning about fact based solutions to problems that will bring this republic down if they are not resolved in an intelligent, thoughtful, forward looking way.

Our failures are mainly due to the declining character of the American people.

 

[berg80]

It's an absolute equivalency.

2016-2020. Trump runs up 7.8 trillion in debt.

2020-2024. Biden runs up 8 trillion in debt.

Without examining the details behind those numbers they are meaningless.

 

[berg80]

The bottom line is unless the impending SS fund shortfall is addressed it is going to result in a financial calamity for recipients and the country.