What happened to the Clinton Surplus??

[cupocity303]

now you're talking

Yeah, we're probably on the same page, but for different reasons. For you, it's the Philosophy. Me, becoming cynical and giving up on seeing things get done.

Like people prioritizing and putting the basics that the vast majority need, like Health Insurance (medicare, Public Option or even creating a Single-Payer Sytem of sorts) and peoples Pensions first, above all else. Even it means cutting everything else to preserve those two.

But that's not how it goes. Usually the things that the most vulnerable to barely-reaching-Middle Class-level Citizens need, get put on the chopping block first. And usually the people I just described think and vote against their own self-interest and aren't helping themselves. Or are just induced by day-time television to realize what's happening to them gradually.

It's hopeless, spending across the board is unsustainable and the cutting usually happens at the wrong areas as I just described; so CUT ACROSS THE BOARD (and this won't happen voluntarily). Let it be cut across the board by force (I.E. not raising the debt ceiling, cutting even more taxes generating less revenue for the Left-Right Politicians to spend on, and Balanced Budget Amendment so they have no say in the manner).

[Boxingtech718v2]

As time keeps passing by, the more of a Fiscally Conservative feel I'm starting to get. The people in charge just have the wrong priorities on where and what to spend on, and what to cut. You hear about things like phasing out of Medicare, things like Social Security starting to run out of revenue (Meanwhile you have all these Departments and Agencies running smoothly).

Fuk it, cut it all, cut/lower taxes some more across the board, so they will have even even less revenue to spend overseas on Foreign Aid and Military operations. If Medicare is no longer sustainable and Social Security is 20 years away from running out & not being able to provide full benefits to retirees, then we don't need to pay much taxes, if it's not benefiting the U.S. people. That's why, let everybody keep more and more of their own money (even if it's not enough to buy yourself a decent private health insurance or safe to retire on). It's everybody for themselves. Survival of the fittest, tough luck.

Don't raise the debt ceiling, let it default. I wanna see what a crisis looks like, I wanna see riots on the streets. With people breaking out of their television induced conditions. Too many people are sitting idly by, getting screwed gradually without even knowing it. That's why I say, let it happen rapidly, so they wake up and smell the coffee. I'll just sit back on the sidelines and enjoy the chaos for as long as I can.

...My two cents....

It wouldn't be pretty for the people without guns.

[Ta Khent]

Here's an interesting article regarding the history of debt. I also rememeber reading an article about not paying the nations debt being unconstitutional.

Politicians need to stop placating to the interest of others and start telling the truth.

http://inthearena.blogs.cnn.com/2011...r-catastrophe/

[Jim Jeffries]

If anything many of the reasons government worked well during the Clinton Administration is because for the most part we had a Left/Center President and a Right/Center Congress to balance things out.

Well after the Government shutdown in 1995 (because of Bill's veto,) Clinton learned to compromise (and give up on trying to pass stuff like his wife's health care bill.)

Right now we have a far left President and a Far Right Congress playing chicken with the government to see who blinks first.

Obama had a strong majority in the House and Senate his first two years in office, where he completely ignored the input of Republicans. Comments like "you can ride in the car, but you have to get in the back," "I don't want to hear a lot of input from the people who got us into this mess," etc.

But yeah, except for the McConnell plan, which basically hands total control over to Obama, there hasn't been a lot of compromise.

In the past I've given the republicans a lot of credit for being the more fiscally responsible party. But right now republicans are messing up and would rather play politics than stopping this budget crisis. Politicians have managed to drive this country far apart and nobody is thinking about for the good of the country but only for the betterment of their political party. What we need as American people is shorter term limits, smaller political salaries, campaign spending limits, and the removal of lobbyist from politics. Will we ever see that happen probably not in my lifetime.

There was a historic election in Nov 2010 giving Republicans a large majority in the House (63 seat swing) and gaining 6 seats in the Senate. People were obviously not happy with the direction the country had been going. So far this year, Republicans have been bullied every step of the way, effectively rendering them useless. This is their last chance to do something about the out of control spending before the next election.

Personally, I'd like to know what happened to the remainder of TARP (banks paid back most of their loans, with interest.) And why the deficit is larger now than it was in 2008/09 when you had TARP and the "Stimulus" package. And why the National Debt has gone up 200 billion (and counting) since we supposedly hit the debt ceiling.

Worth noting that the National debt has increased more since Dems took over the House and Senate in Jan 07 than in the 12 preceding years that Republicans held majorities in both.

Here's an interesting article regarding the history of debt. I also rememeber reading an article about not paying the nations debt being unconstitutional.

Politicians need to stop placating to the interest of others and start telling the truth.

http://inthearena.blogs.cnn.com/2011...r-catastrophe/

Servicing our debt currently costs us 29 billion per month. We currently take in almost 200 billion per month in revenue, so servicing that debt is not a problem, nor are obligations like social security and our active duty military personnel.

[Boxingtech718v2]

Here's an interesting article regarding the history of debt. I also rememeber reading an article about not paying the nations debt being unconstitutional.

Politicians need to stop placating to the interest of others and start telling the truth.

http://inthearena.blogs.cnn.com/2011...r-catastrophe/

THIS IS THE PART OF THAT ARTICLE THAT SCARES ME:

"What's real is highways, factories, and technology. And they are getting more and more of that, and we're getting less. So they're perfectly happy with arrangements as they stand.
I suspect there's a kind of tacit deal, here, whether explicitly stated or not: the Chinese government periodically pretends to get all worked up over the US debt, even though they don't care, and in exchange, the US only pretends to get worked up over their constant pirating of intellectual property rights and technology transfers, but in fact, lets them get away with it. The result: we get Walmart, and they get nanotechnology, superfast trains, and a space program. So what do they care if we never “pay the debt?” "

I GUESS I BETTER START PRACTICING MY CHINESE.