If they had their priorities straight I could see it potentially working over time. But, they don’t. The people of this country especially don’t.
But, what are the possible negative implications of this solution, if any?
Darn, I’m not impressing people???
You’re the one who used them interchangably, complete with quotes around entitlements when referring explicitly to Social Security and Medicare.
I know that you like to caricature conservatives, if that’s what you mean.
That’s one way to debate, sure, along with the classic “You probably should refrain from commenting” approach.
Well, for one, that works out to another $960 billion per year, when the 2013 deficit is already projected at $901 billion. We don’t want to end up like Japan, with a graying population and debt at 230% of GDP.
nm
Ok I’ve ranted for quite a while. I’ve learned some things and I appreciate that. This will be it for a while.
The current system seems out of control, but our choices are limited at this point. Here’s what I don’t get. Conservatives and Libertarians are all for a free market, minimal government, minimal taxes. So, why are these giant corporations, oil companies, and banks receiving subsidy? I understand that they are important, but aren’t they profitable on their own?
I admit I don’t have a fine economic sense, but it seems quite hypocritical and unproductive. This is why I think a Libertarian viewpoint is irresponsible. A company has an agenda all of their own, and are going to do what they need to do to be profitable. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. That, in fact, is their responsibility. But that’s precisely why it’s wrong to look at society this way.
Sure, capitalism has brought us into the modern world. We now have a solid understanding of engineering and science, and can put it to good use. We can see that profit does not match passion. We can see that more equality is better for all of us. We can see that meeting the basic needs of people is better for us all. This understanding of the world that we live in was made possible by Capitalism.
However, we must adapt. We must understand the human being, and it’s flaws that can result in serious damage to the person and environment. The main culprits being selfishness, ignorance, and cognitive dissonance. We tend to ignore this aspect to our detriment.
If you want to succeed in anything in life, you need to have “Structure,” “Vision,” and “Drive.” Government provides the structure. It is a system and if used properly can be beneficial. However, it’s only partly responsible. The people must provide the vision We are failing miserably at this and it shows. Lastly, drive is inherent in all of us as it amounts to our will to survive.
That is why democracy is the only way.
Just to lighten things up for a moment, here is a Walmart bingo card. I hope you all win.
How much data would be enough?
I think you need to explain which points are questionable first. There’s no doubt that we’ve had high unemployment for quite some time and there’s been heavy downward pressure on wages and benefits, that the average American household has lost a lot of income and wealth since 2008, that retirement is becoming more and more unlikely for more and more American workers, that employers are drastically reducing the number of full time workers to avoid paying for benefits, etc. etc. Frankly, I think the burden of evidence and argument is more on you than Senor Beef.
And c) pays such poor wages that many of their employees must turn to public assistance for basic needs. I understand they even offer advice and counseling to their employees on how to get such assistance. So they’re transferring a large part of their labor costs to the taxpayers.
Sounds like corporate welfare!
No, I don’t. That’s not how debates work. The person making the claims is obligated to back them up.
Frankly, you are wrong. See above. Your post is not your cite, nor is Sr. Beef’s.
Isn’t “you are wrong” a claim that needs backing up?
“Middle class entitlements” is also not the same as “giving everything to the rich”. Therefore, since the US is in debt because of middle class entitlements, it is not the case, as you claimed, that we are in debt because we gave everything to the rich.
Regards,
Shodan
The richest 20% of the country owns almost 88% of the wealth. The top 1% owns fully 37% of the wealth. I’d say “we gave it all to the rich” is more accurate than “the debt is because of middle class entitlements.”
BTW, do you have a cite for that?
You can say it, but that doesn’t make it true. The US government is not in debt because they gave everything to the rich.
Cite.
Which program would you characterize as a give away to the rich - Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, or food stamps and housing assistance?
Regards,
Shodan
How did the rich get all the wealth? Did they find it in a brown paper bag on the street and decided to keep it?
Libertarians are opposed to such subsidies. There is no hypocrisy there. Non-libertarian conservatives are a mixed bag, economically.
Democracy is not an economic system, just as capitalism is not a political system.
Through the marketplace: salaries, investment income, and so on. Not through government spending. Thus, they had little to no part in the national debt, which is primarily a result of excess military spending, and middle-to-lower class programs like Social Security and Medicare.
Are you saying they borrowed it from the US government? Do you understand how debt works?
No, John, debates don’t work by throwing the burden of evidence and argument on one side. Both sides must support their positions, and you can’t insist that you’re not obligated to do any heavy lifting because it’s the other side that’s making claims. Obviously, you think those claims are highly doubtful or simply wrong, but you aren’t willing to say why. This isn’t a case of simply being prudent about an unsupported proposition, it’s a case of conflicting points of view, and you aren’t entitled to opt out of doing your homework just by insisting that “it’s the other side that’s making claims.”
Well, John, believe it or not, I do keep up with the news and current events somewhat, and recently it’s come to my attention that, according to pretty much every source of information I’ve come across from far left to far right, there’s a very, very widespread consensus that the working and middle classes have been hit hard in the last five years, and that living standards for millions of people have suffered badly. I’m not just relying on the media for that, either. I’ve seen an awful lot of bad things happening to family, friends, acquaintances and myself. Before I retired from a state position, I and my co-workers hadn’t received merit pay increases for five years, and for three of those years we were furloughed without pay for one day a month. Basically, we took temporary pay cuts and watched our purchasing power shrink for five years even with modest inflation. Our medical insurance costs went up, the deductibles and co-pays went up, and the deposits to our HRAs shrank. And I’m somewhat lucky. New hires will not get pensions, only 401k’s to which the state doesn’t contribute. The staff began to shrink as our department didn’t replace people who retired, resigned or otherwise left. Our work loads increased. Some of the work was outsourced to contractors who got their consultants, as they were called, from foreign countries under the H1B visa program. The work was being given to foreigners rather than to American citizens. I have two nieces trying to enter the work force. They manage to get part-time work in the service industries, but the jobs seldom last, don’t pay much, and don’t provide any benefits. Another niece has a husband in the IT field who is becoming desperate because employers keep abusing the H1B program to bring in cheap foreign labor, making it difficult for him to find and keep work. I have a brother in his late fifties who’s finally given up on trying to find work at all and gone on disability. He spends most of his day on the couch drinking beer and watching TV. My sister-in-law has become very worried about him.
I could go on and on here.
So, yeah, John, I’d say you have a pretty heavy burden of evidence and argument here. You’re asking me not only to doubt or disbelieve news sources from all across the political spectrum who agree that the middle and working classes are getting hammered, but to doubt the things that I’ve seen for myself in my own life. You can’t just insist, “Oh, but it’s your side that’s making claims!” and then sit back to nitpick and quibble about any information that’s offered you.