President Obama's Budget

[Gaspar]

This is the worst case of "kick-the-can" I have ever seen.


Now that I've had a chance to read through the tables in the president's budget, I'm astounded.  This whole document is designed for sound-bites.  It reduces spending for exactly one year and then outlays massive increase!

In Table S-1 on his budget, even taken as a function of estimated gross receipts he proposes to keep deficit spending well above 3%.  When reality is injected into "gross receipt expectation" it becomes even more unsustainable.

He has basically said, "Here's something that won't work, but I can make idiots think it will.  You Republicans go out and start cutting things to pay for my shopping spree and it will destroy you." 

It's Catch 22 for the American people.  The president won't take any action, and the congress will be viewed as demonic for taking action.  Therefore no meaningful action will be taken.  The budget, designed to fail, will fail, and another Omnibus Spending bill will be passed to keep government running.  This is politics at the expense of the country.

[swake]

This is the worst case of "kick-the-can" I have ever seen.


Now that I've had a chance to read through the tables in the president's budget, I'm astounded.  This whole document is designed for sound-bites.  It reduces spending for exactly one year and then outlays massive increase!

In Table S-1 on his budget, even taken as a function of estimated gross receipts he proposes to keep deficit spending well above 3%.  When reality is injected into "gross receipt expectation" it becomes even more unsustainable.

He has basically said, "Here's something that won't work, but I can make idiots think it will.  You Republicans go out and start cutting things to pay for my shopping spree and it will destroy you." 

It's Catch 22 for the American people.  The president won't take any action, and the congress will be viewed as demonic for taking action.  Therefore no meaningful action will be taken.  The budget, designed to fail, will fail, and another Omnibus Spending bill will be passed to keep government running.  This is politics at the expense of the country.

We need to raise taxes, extend the retirement age and drastically cut defense spending.

You up for that?

[Gaspar]

We need to privatize Social Security for those under a certan age limit.  Raise retirement age.  Cut all entitlements including defense spending.  Allow competition in the healthcare market by opening state borders to competing plans. Flatten the tax rate, eliminating loopholes and concessions. Stop being the world's police force.  Stop spending billions on wars against everything from drugs to salt, to hamburger, to cooking oil. . .

Volly?

[Red Arrow]

We need to privatize Social Security for those under a certan age limit. 

That would last to the next recession/depression.  Maybe privatize with a government guarantee like FDIC etc would work.

[guido911]

We need to raise taxes...

On everyone? After all, Obama said everyone is going to have to give and everyone has got to have skin in the game.

[Gaspar]

That would last to the next recession/depression.  Maybe privatize with a government guarantee like FDIC etc would work.

That's actually reasonable, because it makes far more sense.  Even if it was in US Treasury notes they would yield far higher than the 1.2-1.8% (corrected for inflation) funny money rate that SS offers for the average two person household.  

[Gaspar]

On everyone? After all, Obama said everyone is going to have to give and everyone has got to have skin in the game.

Considering that only 53% of Americans actually pay taxes, I would assume he means that 53%. 

[guido911]

Considering that only 53% of Americans actually pay taxes, I would assume he means that 53%. 

But but but, what about sales tax, property tax, and payroll taxes. You know, the real big taxes out there.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Whew!  Talk about sound bites!  Yeah, 53% get to pay some Federal tax.  And the rest get to pay - disproportionately of course - a share of all the other taxes that is fixed relative to income, but dramatically higher percentage wise than the top 53%.  And who is it that actually pays those "corporate" taxes??  Well, it certainly isn't the corporation.  It is their customer.

But everyone knows that, but it sounds good to the audience on AM radio!

[guido911]

Yeah, 53% get to pay some all Federal tax.

Fixed that one for ya.

[swake]

On everyone? After all, Obama said everyone is going to have to give and everyone has got to have skin in the game.

I don't know about everyone, but it certainly should be raised on most people. I was against the 2% lowering of payroll tax last year.

I also think it's ridiculous that almost half of American's don't pay income tax. And it's also stupid that most corporations don't pay taxes and that the highest income Americans have lower effective tax rates than the middle/upper middle class who do play taxes.

And yes, I am willing to personally pay more. But I want to have better schools, more research money, better roads and less money into being the worlds cop. A lot less money into that.

[guido911]

I also think it's ridiculous that almost half of American's don't pay income tax.

Can't argue with you on that. The rest, eh. Ideological differences which is okay with me.

[Gaspar]

See. . .It's not so hard for us to get closer to agreement. 

I want better schools too.  The primary problem I see in the schools is accountability.  They compete against no one, therefore they have no reason to innovate or improve above whatever baseline is set for them by the state.

I want a lot of things that the state is doing poorly to be done better, or at least meet public expectation.  Again, without accountability and repercussion, there is no quality.  We have forced the state to take on aspects of our lives that we don't trust the private sector to handle.  As a result the state has shown us how to do a far worse job.  As we continue to hand over our freedoms to the state we continue to be dismayed by their performance.  It's the definition of insanity.  We keep doing it expecting a different result.

[swake]

See. . .It's not so hard for us to get closer to agreement. 

I want better schools too.  The primary problem I see in the schools is accountability.  They compete against no one, therefore they have no reason to innovate or improve above whatever baseline is set for them by the state.

I want a lot of things that the state is doing poorly to be done better, or at least meet public expectation.  Again, without accountability and repercussion, there is no quality.  We have forced the state to take on aspects of our lives that we don't trust the private sector to handle.  As a result the state has shown us how to do a far worse job.  As we continue to hand over our freedoms to the state we continue to be dismayed by their performance.  It's the definition of insanity.  We keep doing it expecting a different result.

We are closer than you think, I'm actually in favor of competition. I want increased teacher standards, increased pay, year round school and vouchers. It's not that I think that current teachers deserve more money, though many do, the idea is that I want a better pool of applicants for teacher positions. If we paid a better living wage to teachers than more capable people on average would become teachers. We need to reward the teachers doing a great job today, get rid of the dead weight and then open up teaching as a career to a much larger segment of the working population with increased pay. Lower class size would be nice, but the real key is finding really great teachers.

Gasp, don't talk to me about parenting, there's so little that we can do to force people to be good parents, other than truancy laws and the like. But we should not sentence kids to poverty or crime just because their parents suck. If the adults that child spends time with at home are terrible people then those kids need teachers to be the positive adults in their lives even more than the average kid.

I think the long term wealth, security and success of the United States as a nation is dependent on our schools, universities and research labs. It's not in fighter jets and not in low taxes. We must maintain our edge over the rest of the world with a highly educated workforce and with innovations in science and technology. And we need to be better education in the right areas too, no offense Guid, but we need many fewer lawyers and a lot more engineers, medical researchers and physicists.

[Gaspar]

We are closer than you think, I'm actually in favor of competition. I want increased teacher standards, increased pay, year round school and vouchers. It's not that I think that current teachers deserve more money, though many do, the idea is that I want a better pool of applicants for teacher positions. If we paid a better living wage to teachers than more capable people on average would become teachers. We need to reward the teachers doing a great job today, get rid of the dead weight and then open up teaching as a career to a much larger segment of the working population with increased pay. Lower class size would be nice, but the real key is finding really great teachers.

Gasp, don't talk to me about parenting, there's so little that we can do to force people to be good parents, other than truancy laws and the like. But we should not sentence kids to poverty or crime just because their parents suck. If the adults that child spends time with at home are terrible people then those kids need teachers to be the positive adults in their lives even more than the average kid.

I think the long term wealth, security and success of the United States as a nation is dependent on our schools, universities and research labs. It's not in fighter jets and not in low taxes. We must maintain our edge over the rest of the world with a highly educated workforce and with innovations in science and technology. And we need to be better education in the right areas too, no offense Guid, but we need many fewer lawyers and a lot more engineers, medical researchers and physicists.

Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya

Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya
Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya
Someone's singing Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbayah

Someone's laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya

Someone's crying, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's crying, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's crying, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya

Someone's praying, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's praying, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's praying, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya

Someone's sleeping, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's sleeping, Lord, kumbaya
Someone's sleeping, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya