# How is the Democratic Party's Platform Destructive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 18, 2019, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944 "2019-10-18T08:57:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2019, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/41 "2019-10-20T20:33:29Z")
> [@Dr.Colossus](#): > > I don’t know how the GOP can continue, or gain more young people. It seems to be dying off at the same velocity as baby boomers are dying off, without much of a younger generation buying-in. They’re dying…and they’re going to take democracy with them - or die trying. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/42 "2019-10-21T16:00:45Z")
> [@Dr.Colossus](#): > > I don’t know how the GOP can continue, or gain more young people. It seems to be dying off at the same velocity as baby boomers are dying off, without much of a younger generation buying-in. > > Something that gives me hope, as an example, is marijuana legislation. I live in a very red state where even the backwards folk from my small hometown leapt at the chance to pass very progressive MM laws. Surprisingly enough I’m a relatively young republican yet I’m slightly against the legalization of Marijuana for recreational purposes. Medical marijuana for cancer patients who need the munchies to eat, that’s fine by me (with a prescription). But in my opinion, that’s not up to the states. Maybe it should be but it isn’t right now. But mostly I don’t like the smell, at least not in schools and public places! On topic, a quick read through the 2016 DNC Platform tells me that I have no strong opinion on most issues. I’m not sure if I agree with the minimum wage proposal going all the way up to $15. I’ll disagree with “closing the racial wealth gap” as a goal distinguishable from closing the wealth gap in general, and I think race-targeted programs might run afoul of the fourteenth amendment. I have some national security concerns about “modern” voting systems that I know next to nothing about. While I think there are problems with the campaign finance system, I’m not sure how to address them and would need to see an amendment proposal. I would also need a lot more details on how they plan on effecting “universal health care” and cutting drug costs. But perhaps most importantly of all, I cannot wrap my head around the Democratic platform’s budgetary factor. This also happens to be what I consider the most important factor of a platform. I see all of these expenditures - we’re going to invest in rural, in urban, in clean energy, in healthcare, in technology, in the poor, in minorities, in women, in workers, in infrastructure, in immigration, in criminal justice, in our allies, in international institutions, in education, heck, we’re going to bankroll everything under the sun it seems. Where on earth is all of this money coming from? What I can tell, Democrats fund this by cutting waste in defense spending, closing tax loopholes, a “financial transactions tax” on Wall Street, and… is that it? There’s no way this balances out. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/43 "2019-10-21T16:18:07Z")
> [@pool](#): > > However, do you realize how much it costs nowadays just to survive, minimum wage hasn’t gone up in at least 10 years, but even wages higher than that you can’t really make it in the United States nowadays even making say $20/hour, maybe if you have absolutely no debt and you live with no luxuries at all. $20 an hour is $40K a year. Median personal income was $31K in 2017 ([cite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_income_in_the_United_States)). I don’t think your definition of “making it” is useful. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/44 "2019-10-21T16:48:00Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > But perhaps most importantly of all, I cannot wrap my head around the Democratic platform’s budgetary factor. This also happens to be what I consider the most important factor of a platform. I see all of these expenditures - we’re going to invest in rural, in urban, in clean energy, in healthcare, in technology, in the poor, in minorities, in women, in workers, in infrastructure, in immigration, in criminal justice, in our allies, in international institutions, in education, heck, we’re going to bankroll everything under the sun it seems. Where on earth is all of this money coming from? What I can tell, Democrats fund this by cutting waste in defense spending, closing tax loopholes, a “financial transactions tax” on Wall Street, and… is that it? There’s no way this balances out. > > ~Max Don’t forget taxing the rich more. Apparently that’s where all the money in the country is. And I suspect that many of them are calling for more dramatic spending cuts in the DoD beyond just cutting waste. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/45 "2019-10-21T17:17:54Z")
You have to factor in not appointing openly corrupt people looting the public purse for private gain. There are a lot of savings there over current practice. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/46 "2019-10-21T17:37:17Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > $20 an hour is $40K a year. Median personal income was $31K in 2017 ([cite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_income_in_the_United_States)). I don’t think your definition of “making it” is useful. Median weekly income for FULL TIME workers is about $930 a week, or $47k a year. Including part-time or unemployed people yields a different median income, as I’m sure you’ll readily agree. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/47 "2019-10-21T17:38:41Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > You have to factor in not appointing openly corrupt people looting the public purse for private gain. There are a lot of savings there over current practice. Can you be more specific? What are the instances, and how much money would that free up? Otherwise it sounds like the “waste, fraud, and abuse” we are always going to cut out of Medicare. Politicians of all stripes say that, but it tends not to amount to anything much. [Cite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_fraud). > [@](#): > > The Justice Department has used the False Claims Act to recover more than $7.7 billion from January 2009 to June 2012 in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs. Which ain’t chicken feed, but three billion a year doesn’t cover a lot of new spending. If you mean military spending, that runs into the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez problem with math, where you need to cut trillions from a military budget of $800B or less. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/48 "2019-10-21T17:44:30Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Don’t forget taxing the rich more. Apparently that’s where all the money in the country is. > > And I suspect that many of them are calling for more dramatic spending cuts in the DoD beyond just cutting waste. We’re spending more money on defense than the next 7 countries combined. [Chart](https://www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0053_defense-comparison) Why wasn’t the GOP asking where the money would come from to pay for their tax cut for the wealthy, who are now paying 23% tax while the poor are paying 24% tax. They didn’t ask where the money was going to come from for Trump’s wall after realizing Mexico wasn’t going to pay for it. Hey, next time someone on the right asks where the money is coming from to pay for stuff we can say Mexico is going to pay for it. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/49 "2019-10-21T17:53:00Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Median weekly income for FULL TIME workers is about $930 a week, or $47k a year. Including part-time or unemployed people yields a different median income, as I’m sure you’ll readily agree. Yes, if you slice the numbers differently, you get different numbers. That has rather little to do with **pool** ’s allegation. [Real personal income in the US has been trending upwards for decades](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA672N) and is currently at an all-time high. It tracks the economy generally, of course, but overall, it’s never been better. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/50 "2019-10-21T18:03:18Z")
> [@Emily\_Litella](#): > > Why wasn’t the GOP asking where the money would come from to pay for their tax cut for the wealthy, who are now paying 23% tax while the poor are paying 24% tax. I assume you don’t mean “poor” the same way as [the federal government does.](https://www.debt.org/tax/brackets/) Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/51 "2019-10-21T18:26:17Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Yes, if you slice the numbers differently, you get different numbers. That has rather little to do with **pool** ’s allegation. It does. Because **pool** said people need to make like $20 an hour to do okay in the United States, and you respond with statistics that include people who don’t make any money in the United States. Unless you are putting forth an argument that people with zero income are doing okay in the U.S., then you’ve misrepresented the data contained in your cite. I think very likely unintentionally so, but it is misleading nonetheless. So, are people who earn nothing in a year doing well in the U.S.? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/52 "2019-10-21T19:16:05Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > It does. Because **pool** said people need to make like $20 an hour to do okay in the United States, and you respond with statistics that include people who don’t make any money in the United States. Unless you are putting forth an argument that people with zero income are doing okay in the U.S., then you’ve misrepresented the data contained in your cite. I think very likely unintentionally so, but it is misleading nonetheless. > > So, are people who earn nothing in a year doing well in the U.S.? No, it doesn’t have anything to do with the point. **pool** alleged that people making $20 an hour aren’t making it in the US. Far more than half of the people in the US are making it on $20 an hour. Therefore, either more than half of the US is not making it, or his point was wrong. That’s not misleading in any sense. If you want to change the subject and talk about people who aren’t earning $20 an hour, feel free, but as I said, that has nothing to do with the argument. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/53 "2019-10-21T19:25:48Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > No, it doesn’t have anything to do with the point. **pool** alleged that people making $20 an hour aren’t making it in the US. Far more than half of the people in the US are making it on $20 an hour. Therefore, either more than half of the US is not making it, or his point was wrong. Your cite doesn’t show that people are “making it” on $20 an hour, since “making it” is a rather vague and perhaps subjective measurement of a measure of comfort in people’s finances that is not informed by simply talking about incomes. Jesus, it’s like the goalposts are mounted to skateboards. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/54 "2019-10-21T19:52:16Z")
By what definition of “making it” is most of the US not “making it”? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/55 "2019-10-21T20:17:14Z")
How to pay for programs designed to boost national health, safety, and productivity? The Pentagon can’t account for a few trillion bucks, right? Divert funds till that’s paid back. > [@Shodan](#): > > By what definition of “making it” is most of the US not “making it”? Falling incomes, low savings rates, and increased indebtedness come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/56 "2019-10-21T20:32:12Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > How to pay for programs designed to boost national health, safety, and productivity? The Pentagon can’t account for a few trillion bucks, right? Divert funds till that’s paid back. No, [AOC can’t count](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/12/04/alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-trillion-mistake/). > [@](#): > > Falling incomes, low savings rates, and increased indebtedness come to mind. Did you happen to read my earlier cite on the trend in personal income? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/57 "2019-10-21T20:42:30Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > By what definition of “making it” is most of the US not “making it”? Conservatives can’t simultaneously claim that large numbers of Americans have been missing out on the American dream, so they voted for Trump to bring back manufacturing jobs etc; and also argue that virtually all Americans are doing better for the last four decades. Pick an argument and stick with it, please. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/58 "2019-10-21T20:53:13Z")
> [@Emily\_Litella](#): > > We’re spending more money on defense than the next 7 countries combined. [Chart](https://www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0053_defense-comparison) Admitted, but if we’re cutting down our military operations instead of simply eliminating “waste”, I want to know a little more specifically what’s being cut so that I can personally pass judgement on the platform. I don’t like viewing issues in isolation. > [@Emily\_Litella](#): > > Why wasn’t the GOP asking where the money would come from to pay for their tax cut for the wealthy, who are now paying 23% tax while the poor are paying 24% tax. > They didn’t ask where the money was going to come from for Trump’s wall after realizing Mexico wasn’t going to pay for it. If only to dispel your argument against me personally, I do in fact ask who is paying for those things and the answer is not desirable. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/59 "2019-10-21T20:56:57Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > How to pay for programs designed to boost national health, safety, and productivity? The Pentagon can’t account for a few trillion bucks, right? Divert funds till that’s paid back. Are you serious about the Pentagon wasting a few _trillion_ bucks? Are there sources for that figure? I know there’s some waste but I didn’t know there was _that_ much waste. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2019, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944/60 "2019-10-21T21:01:29Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > Are you serious about the Pentagon wasting a few _trillion_ bucks? Are there sources for that figure? I know there’s some waste but I didn’t know there was _that_ much waste. No, it’s wrong. An audit showed trillions of dollars of problems in accounting entries. Since dollars in accounting entries are far, far greater than dollars actually spent, some politicians have deliberately lied about the issue in order to criticize the Pentagon’s budget. (I have no problem criticizing the budget, but this talking point is indeed an intentional misrepresenation.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-the-democratic-partys-platform-destructive/841944.md?page=4)