What DOES the US Fed. Govt do Well?

[Harry Dresden]

So is it ME? Or do the 2 parties have everyone angry at EACH OTHER instead of AT THEM?? Ain't that a wonderful and masterful scam of some sorts?

Actually, I'm sandbagging a bit. Polarizing the electorate against each other is a BUILT-IN FEATURE of 2 party politics that has gone on too long..

As a conservative my hatred of GOP RINO lying corrupt bastards is alive and well, I hate them and the left equally.

and yet you dont hate the far right basterds as well....

There is no need to hate a fiscal conservative.

did i say fiscal conservative or the far right asswipes?...

That's it, let your rage and anger flow.

been doing that long before you got here....

 

[NYcarbineer]

Bush wiped out the surpluses with unnecessary tax cuts.

You are either really confused or in the wrong thread. We are discussing Social Security.

Social Security has a 2 trillion dollar 'surplus' that has grown every year for decades.

^^^

Prove me wrong. Take a break from acting like a child and make a grownup effort to prove me wrong.

Yes yes you are desperate for attention, one sec grown ups are talking

Prove that SS does not have 2 trillion plus in its Trust Fund.

 

[BluesLegend]

As a conservative my hatred of GOP RINO lying corrupt bastards is alive and well, I hate them and the left equally.

and yet you dont hate the far right basterds as well....

There is no need to hate a fiscal conservative.

did i say fiscal conservative or the far right asswipes?...

That's it, let your rage and anger flow.

been doing that long before you got here....

So you have issues, noted.

 

[BluesLegend]

You are either really confused or in the wrong thread. We are discussing Social Security.

Social Security has a 2 trillion dollar 'surplus' that has grown every year for decades.

^^^

Prove me wrong. Take a break from acting like a child and make a grownup effort to prove me wrong.

Yes yes you are desperate for attention, one sec grown ups are talking

Prove that SS does not have 2 trillion plus in its Trust Fund.

No need, the GAO says so.

 

[flacaltenn]

I know it's a very hard question.. Maybe one that should be asked more regularly. Because -- and this is the real motivation for the questions -- When they FAIL to produce efficiently or intelligently -- WE end up fighting.

If you DON'T KNOW what they do well -- Isn't it about time to stop fighting party to party over stuff that never gets fixed and focus the anger on Washington???

Why don't you and the rest of the single digit minority of Libertarians do something about it?

We've offered. Would be the ONLY PARTY serious about BLOWING UP corporate welfare, fixing our MidEast policy, getting Congress to revise their own rules and get down to the people's biz. But the problem always is -- too many people LIKE YOU ---- who only want to vote for "winners".. So much winning now -- you MUST be happy right???? Go blow up someone's else's shorts...

The Fed Govt HAS to focus on it's BASIC DUTIES... They're into anything that makes the news or is trendy. If they EVER do ANY of those basic tasks efficiently -- we can talk about light bulbs and school lunch menus....

 

[NYcarbineer]

the funny thing is that if I ever "borrowed" money from my employees' retirement funds and then paid it back with the contributions of other employees when the first employee retired my ass would wind up in jail in a heartbeat but somehow it's OK for the government to do just that very thing.

agents of the government are legally sanctioned to lie to you with impunity but you lie to a government agent and your ass winds up in jail

there really is something not right about this shit, no?

What's not right about it --- is the dead silence. NOTHING being said about the fact that we are in that SS crisis that everybody warned about for 40 years. That there is NOTHING OF VALUE in the so-called Trust Fund. And EVEN OBAMA wouldn't defend his deficits because it would call attention to the LIE about Soc Sec sitting on MOUNTAINS of valuable paper in the Trust Fund..

INSTEAD -- the 2 parties have us fighting over the results of an election. Literally banging it every hour of every day. And they offered 2 damaged candidates. EITHER OF which were guaranteed to have a fucked up admin full of contention and resistance.

Nobody intends to do any work in DC. They HAVE what THEY WANT.. And now it's all about the power to operate it for THEIR advantage... To be the executors of that power. To dole out handouts to corporations, groups, foreign entities. To place insurgencies into the Deep Intel areas to harass their competiton.

When is America gonna STOP -- voting for these winners and take back the control of their govt? Is it AFTER the Civil War ---- or before???

SS taxes were raised under Reagan to deal with this very SS crisis, the problem is congress stole all our damn money. I laughed when they opposed Bush suggestion that we could invest part of our SS in the stock market. Congress claimed we might lose money on the investments, what vs them stealing every last dime of my money and spending it?

AND where was/is the supposed free press? This is precisely the type of issue they should be spanking congress for and its total silence.

Why if folks actually KNEW then that the SS Trust Fund was robbed clean empty -- Bush MIGHT HAVE CONVINCED people to use the ample surplus (at that time) to defray some REAL future costs. Couldn't have Bush "save the future" for Soc Sec --- can we now???

There's no way to save it short of increasing taxes to create another surplus. But because nothing has changed in DC there is nothing to stop these morons from "borrowing" the surplus again and pissing it away a 2nd time.

IMO SS should be taken away from the Federal government and a non partisan independent body be created to manage it in the best interests of the people with AMPLE safeguards to shield it from corruption and stupidity. If any company had managed a fund as badly as government has managed SS the people would be in prison.

lol, you want SS to put its revenue in a big jar and stash it under a bed somewhere? lol, you're retarded.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Social Security has a 2 trillion dollar 'surplus' that has grown every year for decades.

^^^

Prove me wrong. Take a break from acting like a child and make a grownup effort to prove me wrong.

Yes yes you are desperate for attention, one sec grown ups are talking

Prove that SS does not have 2 trillion plus in its Trust Fund.

No need, the GAO says so.

Quote the GAO saying that SS has no assets in the Trust Fund.

 

[BluesLegend]

I know it's a very hard question.. Maybe one that should be asked more regularly. Because -- and this is the real motivation for the questions -- When they FAIL to produce efficiently or intelligently -- WE end up fighting.

If you DON'T KNOW what they do well -- Isn't it about time to stop fighting party to party over stuff that never gets fixed and focus the anger on Washington???

Why don't you and the rest of the single digit minority of Libertarians do something about it?

We've offered. Would be the ONLY PARTY serious about BLOWING UP corporate welfare, fixing our MidEast policy, getting Congress to revise their own rules and get down to the people's biz. But the problem always is -- too many people LIKE YOU ---- who only want to vote for "winners".. So much winning now -- you MUST be happy right???? Go blow up someone's else's shorts...

The Fed Govt HAS to focus on it's BASIC DUTIES... They're into anything that makes the news or is trendy. If they EVER do ANY of those basic tasks efficiently -- we can talk about light bulbs and school lunch menus....

The stupidity of these fools in congress is off the charts. I don't know how Rand Paul can stand being in the same room with them.

 

[flacaltenn]

There is absolutely nothing that the US government does well that is beneficial to the American people.

We have a bad ass military.

And we constantly MISUSE it.. Same foreign mistakes OVER and OVER again. NOBODY bombed as many different countries as the USA every YEAR for the past 2 decades...

 

[BluesLegend]

What's not right about it --- is the dead silence. NOTHING being said about the fact that we are in that SS crisis that everybody warned about for 40 years. That there is NOTHING OF VALUE in the so-called Trust Fund. And EVEN OBAMA wouldn't defend his deficits because it would call attention to the LIE about Soc Sec sitting on MOUNTAINS of valuable paper in the Trust Fund..

INSTEAD -- the 2 parties have us fighting over the results of an election. Literally banging it every hour of every day. And they offered 2 damaged candidates. EITHER OF which were guaranteed to have a fucked up admin full of contention and resistance.

Nobody intends to do any work in DC. They HAVE what THEY WANT.. And now it's all about the power to operate it for THEIR advantage... To be the executors of that power. To dole out handouts to corporations, groups, foreign entities. To place insurgencies into the Deep Intel areas to harass their competiton.

When is America gonna STOP -- voting for these winners and take back the control of their govt? Is it AFTER the Civil War ---- or before???

SS taxes were raised under Reagan to deal with this very SS crisis, the problem is congress stole all our damn money. I laughed when they opposed Bush suggestion that we could invest part of our SS in the stock market. Congress claimed we might lose money on the investments, what vs them stealing every last dime of my money and spending it?

AND where was/is the supposed free press? This is precisely the type of issue they should be spanking congress for and its total silence.

Why if folks actually KNEW then that the SS Trust Fund was robbed clean empty -- Bush MIGHT HAVE CONVINCED people to use the ample surplus (at that time) to defray some REAL future costs. Couldn't have Bush "save the future" for Soc Sec --- can we now???

There's no way to save it short of increasing taxes to create another surplus. But because nothing has changed in DC there is nothing to stop these morons from "borrowing" the surplus again and pissing it away a 2nd time.

IMO SS should be taken away from the Federal government and a non partisan independent body be created to manage it in the best interests of the people with AMPLE safeguards to shield it from corruption and stupidity. If any company had managed a fund as badly as government has managed SS the people would be in prison.

lol, you want SS to put its revenue in a big jar and stash it under a bed somewhere? lol, you're retarded.

OMG the irony, what do you think the government does with those funds? Fine, your new name is Gomer Pile.

 

[NYcarbineer]

I know it's a very hard question.. Maybe one that should be asked more regularly. Because -- and this is the real motivation for the questions -- When they FAIL to produce efficiently or intelligently -- WE end up fighting.

If you DON'T KNOW what they do well -- Isn't it about time to stop fighting party to party over stuff that never gets fixed and focus the anger on Washington???

Why don't you and the rest of the single digit minority of Libertarians do something about it?

We've offered. Would be the ONLY PARTY serious about BLOWING UP corporate welfare, fixing our MidEast policy, getting Congress to revise their own rules and get down to the people's biz. But the problem always is -- too many people LIKE YOU ---- who only want to vote for "winners".. So much winning now -- you MUST be happy right???? Go blow up someone's else's shorts...

The Fed Govt HAS to focus on it's BASIC DUTIES... They're into anything that makes the news or is trendy. If they EVER do ANY of those basic tasks efficiently -- we can talk about light bulbs and school lunch menus....

Well, you should either stage a coup, end democracy, and run the country via a Libertarian oligarchy, or,

you should face the fact that most Americans don't want you in power.

 

[NYcarbineer]

SS taxes were raised under Reagan to deal with this very SS crisis, the problem is congress stole all our damn money. I laughed when they opposed Bush suggestion that we could invest part of our SS in the stock market. Congress claimed we might lose money on the investments, what vs them stealing every last dime of my money and spending it?

AND where was/is the supposed free press? This is precisely the type of issue they should be spanking congress for and its total silence.

Why if folks actually KNEW then that the SS Trust Fund was robbed clean empty -- Bush MIGHT HAVE CONVINCED people to use the ample surplus (at that time) to defray some REAL future costs. Couldn't have Bush "save the future" for Soc Sec --- can we now???

There's no way to save it short of increasing taxes to create another surplus. But because nothing has changed in DC there is nothing to stop these morons from "borrowing" the surplus again and pissing it away a 2nd time.

IMO SS should be taken away from the Federal government and a non partisan independent body be created to manage it in the best interests of the people with AMPLE safeguards to shield it from corruption and stupidity. If any company had managed a fund as badly as government has managed SS the people would be in prison.

lol, you want SS to put its revenue in a big jar and stash it under a bed somewhere? lol, you're retarded.

OMG the irony, what do you think the government does with those funds? Fine, your new name is Gomer Pile.

The SS Trust Fund INVESTS that revenue and earns about 100 billion in interest every year.

 

[flacaltenn]

AND where was/is the supposed free press? This is precisely the type of issue they should be spanking congress for and its total silence.

Why if folks actually KNEW then that the SS Trust Fund was robbed clean empty -- Bush MIGHT HAVE CONVINCED people to use the ample surplus (at that time) to defray some REAL future costs. Couldn't have Bush "save the future" for Soc Sec --- can we now???

There's no way to save it short of increasing taxes to create another surplus. But because nothing has changed in DC there is nothing to stop these morons from "borrowing" the surplus again and pissing it away a 2nd time.

IMO SS should be taken away from the Federal government and a non partisan independent body be created to manage it in the best interests of the people with AMPLE safeguards to shield it from corruption and stupidity. If any company had managed a fund as badly as government has managed SS the people would be in prison.

Bush wiped out the surpluses with unnecessary tax cuts.

You are either really confused or in the wrong thread. We are discussing Social Security.

Social Security has a 2 trillion dollar 'surplus' that has grown every year for decades.

Funny stuff. We've done this dance. Not gonna do it here. But both the SSA and CBO state specifically that there is NOTHING OF VALUE in the Trust Fund that can be used to make future deficits payments.

It's the Easter Bunny,, the Tooth Fairy and all your fables all rolled into one... Not true. Can't pay 1 CENT with what's in "the Trust Fund"... You were ROBBED. The Fed Govt robbed you TWICE for the surplus.. Call the police...

 

[BluesLegend]

Why if folks actually KNEW then that the SS Trust Fund was robbed clean empty -- Bush MIGHT HAVE CONVINCED people to use the ample surplus (at that time) to defray some REAL future costs. Couldn't have Bush "save the future" for Soc Sec --- can we now???

There's no way to save it short of increasing taxes to create another surplus. But because nothing has changed in DC there is nothing to stop these morons from "borrowing" the surplus again and pissing it away a 2nd time.

IMO SS should be taken away from the Federal government and a non partisan independent body be created to manage it in the best interests of the people with AMPLE safeguards to shield it from corruption and stupidity. If any company had managed a fund as badly as government has managed SS the people would be in prison.

Bush wiped out the surpluses with unnecessary tax cuts.

You are either really confused or in the wrong thread. We are discussing Social Security.

Social Security has a 2 trillion dollar 'surplus' that has grown every year for decades.

Funny stuff. We've done this dance. Not gonna do it here. But both the SSA and CBO state specifically that there is NOTHING OF VALUE in the Trust Fund that can be used to make future deficits payments.

It's the Easter Bunny,, the Tooth Fairy and all your fables all rolled into one... Not true. Can't pay 1 CENT with what's in "the Trust Fund"... You were ROBBED. The Fed Govt robbed you TWICE for the surplus.. Call the police...

I have it on good authority there is $2 trillion in IOU's from the federal government in the trust fund, so yes nothing of value.

 

[Harry Dresden]

and yet you dont hate the far right basterds as well....

There is no need to hate a fiscal conservative.

did i say fiscal conservative or the far right asswipes?...

That's it, let your rage and anger flow.

been doing that long before you got here....

So you have issues, noted.

i have read your bullshit....i think you have way more issues than me.....you hate anyone who doesnt agree with you....i aint no where near that...

 

[OnePercenter]

We have one of the oldest governments in the world and the most successful country in the world.

Can't argue with results !

But yet you're here everyday -- arguing about "the results"...

I don't think I've seen one really serious response from the Left. Am I picking on them? Sure. Because if ANYONE actually believes "it's all good" and wants MORE of this --- there's only a couple reasons for their naive denial..

It's so easy to say "the gov sucks". Sure it ain't perfect , but is it really that bad? You imply private companies do things better , but there's endless stories of private industry **** ups .

It's just such an easy, and lazy move to shit on the government.

When private companies **** up -- they lose market share. Maybe even get sued. People get fired.
You **** up in govt -- they give your dept more money and promote you..
Govt can't track VIsa immigrants -- MasterCard could..

I asked simple questions. Which ONE of their duties -- or the stuff they've appropriated the power to do --- do they DO WELL?? With insight, dilligience, creativity and efficiency?

I'll bite . Let's go with post office . Which is now quasi government.

USPS is more NON -- than govt.. It's also an endangered species because of the "federal oversight" that limits their creativity and innovation to survive. I give 15 years MAX.. Before hardly ANYTHING gets to your "mailbox"..

When a corporation faces that kind of extinction event, they don't just keep making the buggy whips and wait for the doors to close.. Can't even really SELL the USPS to anyone -- can ya?

MAYBE --- Amazon would love to have it. MAYBE -- they'll pay more than it's actually worth..

The problem is the USPS has a constitutional and regulatory obligation to deliver a letter to anyone with an established address anywhere in the country, their competitors, not so.

What needs to be done is a split of the mail delivery (goes 100% federal) and the package delivery (stays quasi-federal) supporting the letter side.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

AND where was/is the supposed free press? This is precisely the type of issue they should be spanking congress for and its total silence.

Why if folks actually KNEW then that the SS Trust Fund was robbed clean empty -- Bush MIGHT HAVE CONVINCED people to use the ample surplus (at that time) to defray some REAL future costs. Couldn't have Bush "save the future" for Soc Sec --- can we now???

There's no way to save it short of increasing taxes to create another surplus. But because nothing has changed in DC there is nothing to stop these morons from "borrowing" the surplus again and pissing it away a 2nd time.

IMO SS should be taken away from the Federal government and a non partisan independent body be created to manage it in the best interests of the people with AMPLE safeguards to shield it from corruption and stupidity. If any company had managed a fund as badly as government has managed SS the people would be in prison.

lol, you want SS to put its revenue in a big jar and stash it under a bed somewhere? lol, you're retarded.

OMG the irony, what do you think the government does with those funds? Fine, your new name is Gomer Pile.

The SS Trust Fund INVESTS that revenue and earns about 100 billion in interest every year.

Which is about 3% a year. Not much to brag about and certainly individual investors (if they had that money) could do much better for themselves.

 

[Geaux4it]

Seriously. Is there ANYTHING that they do as well as you might want or expect? Even those things that ARE their PRIMARY Constitutional Duties.. Like the organization and the production of Congress. Or immigration and borders. Or assuring fair and legal elections? Even the maintenance and use of the Military -- which was NOT envisioned in the Constitution as a "standing army"..

And of the stuff that leadership has GRABBED the power to dabble in -- like picking winners and losers in the marketplace, or our new 9/11 domestic spying operation or even the operation of the IRS as an ENFORCEMENT arm of health care policy.

Why is it that so people tend to look to the Feds to micromanage every detail of life. Because WASH is full of the "best and brightest" humble, yet brilliant problem-solvers qualified to fix stuff efficiently and KEEP it fixed?

Ever see ONE Cong. Hearing that resolved anything at all?

Give me examples of WHY folks believe the Fed Govt deserves to keep EXPANDING it's control, it's budget, and it's EFFECT on our lives. The health of the country is suffering over POWER BATTLES for control of this Swampy Monster. It MUST BE just pricelessly IMPORTANT ---- RIGHT???

They tax the living shit out of us for crappy domestic programs.

-Geaux

 

[OnePercenter]

Why if folks actually KNEW then that the SS Trust Fund was robbed clean empty -- Bush MIGHT HAVE CONVINCED people to use the ample surplus (at that time) to defray some REAL future costs. Couldn't have Bush "save the future" for Soc Sec --- can we now???

There's no way to save it short of increasing taxes to create another surplus. But because nothing has changed in DC there is nothing to stop these morons from "borrowing" the surplus again and pissing it away a 2nd time.

IMO SS should be taken away from the Federal government and a non partisan independent body be created to manage it in the best interests of the people with AMPLE safeguards to shield it from corruption and stupidity. If any company had managed a fund as badly as government has managed SS the people would be in prison.

lol, you want SS to put its revenue in a big jar and stash it under a bed somewhere? lol, you're retarded.

OMG the irony, what do you think the government does with those funds? Fine, your new name is Gomer Pile.

The SS Trust Fund INVESTS that revenue and earns about 100 billion in interest every year.

Which is about 3% a year. Not much to brag about and certainly individual investors (if they had that money) could do much better for themselves.

If American workers made a livable wage wouldn't we have higher contributions?

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

AND where was/is the supposed free press? This is precisely the type of issue they should be spanking congress for and its total silence.

Why if folks actually KNEW then that the SS Trust Fund was robbed clean empty -- Bush MIGHT HAVE CONVINCED people to use the ample surplus (at that time) to defray some REAL future costs. Couldn't have Bush "save the future" for Soc Sec --- can we now???

There's no way to save it short of increasing taxes to create another surplus. But because nothing has changed in DC there is nothing to stop these morons from "borrowing" the surplus again and pissing it away a 2nd time.

IMO SS should be taken away from the Federal government and a non partisan independent body be created to manage it in the best interests of the people with AMPLE safeguards to shield it from corruption and stupidity. If any company had managed a fund as badly as government has managed SS the people would be in prison.

Bush wiped out the surpluses with unnecessary tax cuts.

You are either really confused or in the wrong thread. We are discussing Social Security.

Social Security has a 2 trillion dollar 'surplus' that has grown every year for decades.

If SS is doing so great, why do they want to keep increasing the age you can collect?

Sounds great on paper, but do you want to see a 66 year old guy collecting your trash? Do you want to see a 66 year old roofer carrying bundles of shingles up two stories to the job site, or a bricklayer laborer carrying 8" blocks to the job sites?

It's not a solution to our SS problem.