The godawful truth and irony about the deficit.

[initforme]

Me too, but I'm still enjoying my working life (although at some point I gotta retire).

I guess we're fellow deadbeats huh? We collect SS and use our medicare.

 

[Woodznutz]

I guess we're fellow deadbeats huh? We collect SS and use our medicare.

I'm still insured by my company, but I do collect SS.

 

[Independent thinker]

If they could afford to pay in, they wouldn't need the benefits. Anyway, it's a small price to pay to keep them from running amok.

But why should I pay taxes for deadbeats? I wouldn't be against eliminating 99.9% of the fraud and laziness and then I'd be OK with paying taxes to support the truly needy such as the truly disabled, all of whom deserve far more than what they are getting now.

 

[task0778]

My point is that sometimes you have to use some chemical fertilizer in order to return the land to organic farming.

Yeah, but the democrats want to use a heckuva lot more fertilizer. About 30 years ago, the Canadians fixed their debt/deficit problem by raising taxes a little bit but cutting spending a lot, and both political sides bought into it for the good of the country.

Can that happen here in the US? Kinda doubtful IMHO, until and unless we experience a depression a lot worse than the 2007 recession. The political atmosphere right now does not favor that Canadian solution much; the repubs want to cut taxes and the dems want to spend more money, and those stances do not help balance the budget. Which BTW does not appear to be a big deal to voters anyway. Sooner or later it's going to become a big deal though.

 

[Woodznutz]

Yeah, but the democrats want to use a heckuva lot more fertilizer. About 30 years ago, the Canadians fixed their debt/deficit problem by raising taxes a little bit but cutting spending a lot, and both political sides bought into it for the good of the country.

Can that happen here in the US? Kinda doubtful IMHO, until and unless we experience a depression a lot worse than the 2007 recession. The political atmosphere right now does not favor that Canadian solution much; the repubs want to cut taxes and the dems want to spend more money, and those stances do not help balance the budget. Which BTW does not appear to be a big deal to voters anyway. Sooner or later it's going to become a big deal though.

I wouldn't lay it all on the government. We citizens have our responsibilities as well. Get healthy, get a job, don't drink so much, quit robbing people, pay off debts, etc.

Q. How to sculpt an elephant.
A. Chip away everything that doesn't look like an elephant.

 

[task0778]

I wouldn't lay it all on the government. We citizens have our responsibilities as well. Get healthy, get a job, don't drink so much, quit robbing people, pay off debts, etc.

Q. How to sculpt an elephant.
A. Chip away everything that doesn't look like an elephant.

There was a time after the 1930s depression, WWII, and Korea that people then firmly believed in the mantra you described. Some still do, but I think that most don't these days. Self-independence, earn everything you get, don't go into debt, and don't rely of the gov't. Times changed though.

 

[Crepitus]

How about the people that pay 0 in taxes without deductions?

And who's that?

 

[Crepitus]

And those people use more of the services provided by those taxes.

Ummm... NO.

 

[Woodznutz]

There was a time after the 1930s depression, WWII, and Korea that people then firmly believed in the mantra you described. Some still do, but I think that most don't these days. Self-independence, earn everything you get, don't go into debt, and don't rely of the gov't. Times changed though.

I blame the education system. Americans have had their brains educated out of them.

 

[task0778]

I blame the education system. Americans have had their brains educated out of them.

I would also say that the media, academia, teachers' unions, and the Democratic Party also has something to do with the idiocy of America. In fairness, I have to say that life is far more complicated than it used to be when I was a kid. But our educational system did not keep up.

 

[Woodznutz]

I would also say that the media, academia, teachers' unions, and the Democratic Party also has something to do with the idiocy of America. In fairness, I have to say that life is far more complicated than it used to be when I was a kid. But our educational system did not keep up.

Kids are being educated for the modern world, but it's the modern world that's killing us, morally and intellectually.

 

[Couchpotato]

Ummm... NO.

Of course they do. People with money don't use any of the social welfare programs that less wealthy people do. Everyone has equal access to police, fire, public schools, libraries, roads, etc etc.

The bottom line is the top 1% of earners make 25% of the total income, and pay 40% of the total taxes. The bottom 50% pay less than 4%. The myth that the wealthy dont pay their fair share is just that a myth. As I've said numerous times in this thread we dont have a revenue problem we have a spending problem.

 

[HeyNorm]

.

About the only way we can actually do anything ... Is to drastically cut spending ...
And even with that ... It would a few lifetimes to recover.

Since I don't really see that happening ... I would suggest a 90-day plan.
Figure out how you are going to live for 90 days ... When all this mess collapses.

It'll probably be a nightmare ... Death and destruction ... Total upheaval.
But ... If you manage to live through the first 90 days of that ... There's a slim chance you might be one of the few folks ...
That carries what is left of the human race ... Into wherever we will be going.

And ... It probably won't look anything like what we have now.

.​

I could not agree more.

Lots of ammo and learning how to build a still would do a lot of good.

 

[LeftofLeft]

And who's that?

The ones below making $30k per year or those living off the government. My point is not to make them pay taxes; but, for those paying taxes, it’s still a lot whether it is 24 percent of their income or 7 percent. If you want the high income earners to pay more, CUT Spending.

 

[Crepitus]

The ones below making $30k per year or those living off the government.

They pay a regressive consumption tax

 

[LeftofLeft]

They pay a regressive consumption tax

Cut Spending and reduce waste.

 

[ThunderKiss1965]

Regardless of money spent on foreign aid Americans are the main beneficiaries of government largess. They/we should be paying for these benefits through higher taxes. When our taxes are lowered (to buy votes) the government borrows the money for these benefits and pays interest on the loans. As taxes remain insufficient to repay these loans they are simply renewed, and more money is borrowed for yet more benefits and to maintain previous programs. The irony is that repayment of these loans is guaranteed by "the full faith and credit" of the U.S. government, which is the power to levy taxes on the people to pay debts.

We should do that.

Cut spending.